# What's safer acrylic or glass



## shady280 (Oct 17, 2011)

After my recent experience with my silicon seam splitting on my glass 120, scherb and I were wondering what's the best bet. If buying a new tank with the idea of longentivity of tank life which one wins. Acrylic or glass?? I know both have ups and downs and kinda know those but as far as leaks go I don't. Input please!!


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## vicdiscus (Mar 19, 2012)

The Acrylic tank is very light weight but the acrylic glass are very sensitive stretches but you can use soft clothes to clean the acrylic glass are ok. The acrylic tank is last longer.

The glass tank is very heavy weight, The glasses are hard to get stretches . Re silicon every 10 to 15 years. You can do re silicon that cost you cheaper to buy a new tank.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

for longevity, acrylic. But the points made by the previous poster are all valid considerations. Acrylic tanks that are built properly should last indefinitely.


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## Insane in the Fish brain (Jan 10, 2012)

they both have down falls. Acrylic gets scratched and scuffed, while glass will not. you may chip glass it if wacked hard enough, then again the glass shatters while acrylic wont ever. I must say there is nothing like moving around a 200 gallon acrylic tank compare to a really super heavy glass one. depends on how the top is open. The square cut outs on acrylic have a less chance of your fish jumping out. depends on what fish you get. Recommended for Arowanas and such others. Can't say about the seals though I think both are equally as strong. I really dont know if any of this helps its just from my experience. Both Glass and Acrylic have the same flaws and perks when well maintained.


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## shady280 (Oct 17, 2011)

Yeah after this leak it scared me a bit and the wife more. It took a week of intense cleaning and drying to get the carpet back and it's still a tad stained. The 120 I have now is scratched all over the place and I can live with some to a point I'm not a crazy perfectionist nor are my tanks where there is major traffic flow. They are tucked into the basement. I just figure if I was to purchase a new tank next time what I would get. What are the cost comparasions on the 2 in a 120 gal type size?? So far it sounds like a new professional acrylic is what would be my piece of mind. I just really done like leaks


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

I'd say that a standard 6 footer 125 gal will be around 700 to 800 for something like a Truvu. Glass will be less. Probably under 500 though I'm not sure of todays prices for glass.


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## waterbox (Nov 26, 2011)

*Acrylic vs. Glass -- From the POV of Risk*

You probably know about the general pros and cons of glass vs. acrylic, so I won't belabour those.

Strictly from a safety point of view, as far as the risk of the water in your tank ending up on your floor through some sort of disaster, I would have to say a professionally built acrylic aquarium is the better bet. The chance of the tank being shattered through some household accident are virtually zero, unlike glass. I'm talking about something like accidentally ramming the handle of your upright vacuum cleaner into the tank while cleaning the carpet, or bumping a wall of the tank with a rock while redecorating.

The chances of a seam opening up are also lower with a properly built acrylic tank. The seams of an acrylic tank are not glued together; they're chemically welded. If done properly, the two pieces of plastic become virtually one. With silicone and glass--as strong as that bond is--you're still effectively gluing the glass panes together.

All that said, scratching acrylic is a serious problem, and for me the biggest advantage of a glass tank. It wouldn't be a problem if you never had to do anything but polish the outside of your tank, but algae grows just as well on acrylic as it does on glass, and (as you know) you're constantly having to scrape it off. Every time you do so, you risk scratching the surface.

And of course, the price difference between the two materials is nothing to sneeze at for most of us.

Just my 2¢ worth, from a guy who's owned both.


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## DBam (Aug 9, 2010)

Waterbox, I've heard some acrylic users say that they get away with algae eaters like otocinclus or small bristlenoses to control algae without scuffing the acrylic. Is there any truth to this, can fish like these cut down on the maintenance to keep one of these tanks tidy?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

DBam said:


> Waterbox, I've heard some acrylic users say that they get away with algae eaters like otocinclus or small bristlenoses to control algae without scuffing the acrylic. Is there any truth to this, can fish like these cut down on the maintenance to keep one of these tanks tidy?


If you look in the mouths of any sucker mouth catfish (like Otos and BNP's) they consume algae with rows of teeth which scrape the surfaces of whatever they are rasping on. Whilst these these are not as destructive as the spoon shaped specialized teeth of the panaque, I don't think it's possible not to scratch the acrylic, which is about as soft or softer than the average fingernail.


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## waterbox (Nov 26, 2011)

DBam, I have had four otocinclus cats for about five months, now, and have not noticed any scratches on the acrylic from them--not that I would know exactly what a scratch from an otocinclus cat looks like. I've managed to put plenty of scratches on the acrylic myself--luckily, none of them deep so far.

I heard that it is only when plecostomus catfish get to be quite large that they can damage acrylic, so as much as I like these fish, I have avoided stocking my tank with them. Chalk up another plus for the glass aquarium!


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## shady280 (Oct 17, 2011)

As far as getting algae off the acrylic ill tell a secret I learned from neoh. Hopefully he doesn't mind. Use a original mr. Clean magic eraser. It wipes the algae clean off with no scraping at all. That's also great info about plecos, I didn't know that they could damage the tank. So for the piece of mind of not leaking and just being carefull it seems acrylic is a win.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

If you buy a new good quality glass tank you should have no problem. Used, you never know what its been through. I always fill it used tank with water and let it sit outside for a week or two before using it. Leak --> trash.

I have a Hagen that is over 13 years old now. No about any chance of leaking still and for a long time. My 150g sprung a leak but likely due to carelessness in moving it - head some not so pleasant noise when I moved it.

Acrylic generally 3 time the cost of a glass. Susceptible to heater burn and warping of the top if you put the light directly on it.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

I would be careful with the magic eraser. There is a detergent in the sponge which is likely not fish safe.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

I'm a big fan of acrylic due to the lighter weight and less risk of cracking. It took both of us a LOT more effort to move the glass 110g than it did to move the acrylic 180g tanks. Since all of my tanks are really large, I WAY prefer the acrylic. I have a royal pleco in the acrylic 60g, and as long as he has wood to chew on he doesn't touch the tank. Acrylic insulates better than glass as well.

Also, in an earthquake zone, acrylic is safer during the shaking IMO (although I hope this is never put to the test).


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## shady280 (Oct 17, 2011)

So my reseal job started leaking leaving me broken inside. Next question is where to buy acrylic new tanks from?? I've seen them online from Titan and others. Is there anywhere local that charges fair prices on tanks or locally makes them. Even if the tank is a blem I'm good with that as well to get a cheaper price. All I'm really looking for out of that is a good warranty incase I get a leak.


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## Scherb (Feb 10, 2011)

Hello. am i reading this right ? that you resealed it again, and again it leaked ? i just talked to pet lovers and they said they wont touch acrylic, cause they had some blow out on there costumiers. so they want nothing to do with acrylic tanks. this was surprising to me. but it is what it is. Cheers


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

The risk of a blowout of a properly constructed acrylic tank is slim. You are at way more of a risk of a glass tank shattering than you would ever be of a blowout of an acrylic tank. Not a whole lot of locals doing it with the exception of custom plastics fabricators that might do it for you $$$$$. Other problem is that while they can build one, they probably aren't familiar with aquaria, enough to do a anticipate what a well designed tank should be like.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I agree with Tony. If the acrylic tank is constructed properly, it's essentially a single piece of acrylic. If you watch Uarujoey's videos, the bonding is essentially plastic "welding". No way to break that other than cutting it. Glass, on the other hand, uses silicone, a material with different expansion/contraction properties than the glass, plus it hardens with time, so is much more prone to leaks just from failure in the produce or improper application.


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## shady280 (Oct 17, 2011)

yes thats why i want an acrylic, ive found a few places online that specialize in acrylic tanks, i just like to support local when i can. plus shipping a tank cant be cheap. i would like a new one, that being said if its a blem tank with say a scratch that nobody would pay top dollar for id be interested. scherb, yes after we resealed it leaked again after 1 week in the garage and 3 days inside. i dont know where it leaked as my wife caught it when i was on nightshift and gone, she and her family emptied the tank for me and moved the silver dollars back into there temp 55 gallon with my wifes fish. its the first and last that she wants to do that. i figure with the money i get from my bday and xmas all at the end of the year ill be nearly to the price of an acrylic tank online. does king el or j+l have good tank prices or is it going to be hard to beat online stuff?


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

I ordered mine through this company called familybizfishtanks. Google it. They resell acrylic tanks by various manufacturers. I had mine shipped to the border and picked it up myself. Shipping wasn't bad in the US and at the time he actually included it in the price. Check out their site and get a quote. Good option if you want custom built to order. There are some local LFS that can get standard tanks by Truvu. Ocean Aquatics was willing to bring one in for me before but not sure anymore. Call around. At that time, a 6 footer 125g was about 1000 locally. Maybe 2 years ago.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

J&L will do acrylic too, but it's pricey. Either way, cheap with shipping, or expensive local, acrylic tanks are expensive until you get to the 200 or 300 gallon range, than they are very close, if not cheaper than glass.


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## Scherb (Feb 10, 2011)

Hello. i have a 1g acrylic and it looks like 1 piece, it has rounded corners and looks like it was vacuum sucked into a mold to be 1 solid piece. i like that, but i am not sure if all acrylic tanks are made like this. and no tank is indestructible. the boss at pet lovers has had that store over 25 years now, so if he dislikes acrylic that much i got to wonder. i can only guess he got some poorly made tanks. so make sure the company you choose has a long time in the bis and has a good warranty. Cheers


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## m_class2g (Apr 21, 2010)

go with Titan Aquatic Exhibits | Acrylic Aquarium Manufacturer | Custom Acrylic Aquarium Builders

i got mine from Titan. They shipped my tank right to my doorstep from Arizona. Top notch service incl up to date photo of your tank being built.

they even made a bow front spa acrylic panel for kobe bryants' dentist!


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