# big acrylic tanks?



## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

I know some of the members here have made their own acrylic tanks, and I was interested if anyone could share what's involved in terms of cost and how well they hold up, or if any local stores carry them? I rarely see them up for sale.

I love my 100 gallon planted fancy goldfish tank, and I'm still playing with the idea of setting up another large tank (like 120-180) for clown loaches and plecos (and maybe an oscar or two), but the thing that stops me is remembering the weight of the glass and the hell it was to get it down the stairs and into the basement. 

Well, that, and Djamm not wanting another big tank. Spoilsport. 

I was hoping that acrylic might be light enough to make a big difference in terms of moving the tanks around. If it's cost effective enough, I'm also thinking about replacing my 100 gallon tank with acrylic. Glass makes me really nervous at that size about cracks/leaks and accidental bumps, and moving it is terrifying.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Elle said:


> ... I'm still playing with the idea of setting up another large tank (like 120-180) for clown loaches and* plecos*....


That stops you from considering acrylic right there. Most plecos will scratch up acrylic tanks beyond belief. And if you're thinking panaque, forget it all together. I can hear my panaque rasping the wood in the basement tank from 10 feet away.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

No panaques.  I've heard of people keeping plecos in acrylic with no problems...our common/sailfin eats the wood in the 55g but I almost never see him on the glass. Probably because he has lots of food elsewhere! I think the ones that kill acrylic are bristlenoses.

However, if it was a call between rehoming the pleco and getting the tank, the tank would win.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

It depends on your tolerance on scratches. Since I wear glasses, I don't even like to scrape the glass on my tanks as I can see scratches in glass and they irritate me. Baryancistrus, Hemiancistrus, Ancistrus, commons (Pterygoplichthys species in general), and Hypostomus will all rasp on glass to some degree. Even my Peckoltia get on the glass sometimes, but the most damage are done by Panaque.

If your sailfin/common are large, you're right, they would not attach to the glass very often. In general, it's not normal for plecos to hang out on glass if there is sufficient wood in the tank and if they are adults, so if you plan to have a lot of wood, it might not be a problem. But it's certainly a concern with plecos and acrylic. IMO though, the cost of acrylic is rather high compared to glass until you get to the 180 mark, so you're just getting into the ballpark there. If you're going 120, I'd just stick with glass.

Davej has that 300 that's going up on sale, as you've probably already noted. Great footprint, but a bit deep. He stated that he was able to move it easily between him and his friend.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Yes, I have my eye on that 300g, assuming it would fit into the house! It's such a pain to move the glass ones that I'd be willing to cough up more $$ for an acrylic. Carrying a 100g glass tank down a set of concrete steps and around some tight corners was *really* hard work and both Djamm and I are pretty strong.

I'm just trying to get some ballpark pricing on what people have paid for them (either custom, used or LFS) to get an idea. I think somebody paid $470 for an acrylic 100g at Kind Eds, but I don't know when that was.


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