oXo

Hi,

We are about to embark on the fresh water voyage but I never thought we would have so many things to decide on !

Our first thing is to decide between acrylic and glass. We are looking at a 50-65 gallon tank that is 36" in length (by 18" x 20" give or take a few) since we want to fit it into a bookshelf area.

Now we've read up on acrylic vs glass and to be honest, it has just made the choice a lot more difficult Basically it has come down to "scratch easy" vs "more prone to leak" - if that makes any sense.

We have two kids, 4 and 6 so we are concerned about scratches but also about leaks.

Any comments, suggestions ? Something to swing the vote ??

oXo

fishrule101

I would say glass. Acrylic seems to have special equipment since it scratchs easily. If your woried at leaks just add more sylicone when you get your new tank.

sirdarksol

I'd say glass unless you're getting a really big tank, or you've got a lot of money. Acrylic is only cost-effective if you're going into the multiple-hundreds of gallons.
In the smaller sizes, I wouldn't worry about leaks. I have yet to have any of my tanks leak, and I've got several used ones.

oXo

Thanks

That helps a lot ... I never took the size into account as far as the leaks go.

So glass it is !

oXo

COBettaCouple

I prefer acrylic tanks as they hold in heat better and are lighter tanks.

CatladyDane

Anything bigger than 10g in glass is too heavy for me to lift (yes, empty) easily and safely. I just got a 40g acrylic by SeaClear and it's so lightweight that I was able to remove it from the box and put it on the table myself. Reading about modern acrylics, it seems the newer ones are supposed to be far less scratchable than their predecessors. MagFloat makes a version for acrylics, so cleaning shouldn't be a problem. Acrylic means I can have a bigger fish tank!

Slug

Acrylic can bow easily as well. And look good until they get scratched. I'd stick to glass unless you are going multiple hundred gallons like stated above. Knock on wood, i havn't had any leaks in 10 years keeping glass tanks. Just take a few minutes each time to inspect the seals.

Martinismommy

As a photographer I'd say 100% glass......I have several acrylic tanks and everyone of them has scratches (which really show up in photos) and I have never used anything but a micro fiber cloth to clean them....The only real advantage to acrylic is the weight of the tank so if you have a good sturdy stand I'd go with the glass......

Slug

Oh another thing. If you go acrylic you need a solid based stand, because the tank does not have trim. So the whole bottom needs to be supported.

Fishies-for-me

I have both glass and acrylic. I also like the glass better it is nicer to look at and as MM says...the acrylic can look clear but then when you take a photo all the little scuffs and swirls show up BIG time.

joy613

I prefer glass over acrylic because of the scratches. The weight doesn't matter much because once it is in place it shouldn't have to be moved around. No matter which you decide make sure it is level, stress can cause either one to crack and leak.