momo9700

I don't know if this is where this goes, but I would like to know. Which one is overall better? What are the pros and cons of each, and whats the difference?

shadowavenger

Glass is glass and acrylic is a type of plastic. The glass tends to be clearer and easier to clean but acrylic is stronger and won't fracture as easily. Acrylic is also cheaper. Alot of smaller tanks are acrylic so that they can be sold cheaply and in a variety of differnt shapes since glass can really only make cubical tanks. Acrylic can be scratched easily and can stain if exposed to a corrosive compound of some kind. Glass can be easily shattered or cracked if it takes a blow but glass is easy to clean, clearer and is generally preferred for larger tanks.

aquarist48

Glass = much heavier than Acrylic and not as easy to scratch. If it does scratch there isn't much you can do.
Acrylic = can be seamless and less likely to leak or have a blow out, has come along ways over the years, much lighter than glass, scratches can be fixed.

I prefer glass...however I haven't owned an Acrylic tank before. I would like to try one some day though.

agabr123

basically, if you can afford it and are planning on getting a tank that is larger than 75 or 120 gallons, go with acrylic since its lighter and can handle more pressure, anything smaller than that it's not really worth it, so i'd just stick with glass

momo9700

I'm hearing that glass is better for big tanks, and acrylic is better for big tanks.... which one is it?

And, does it make much of a difference in small tanks? like, anything less than 10gal?

agabr123

here's some more info, more well put together than mine!

http://www.firsttankguide.net/tanktype.php

honestly, for a 10 gallon i would just go with glass

prozackat

I have both, but I'm not particularly partial to either. I have a small 12 gallon acrylic. I have to be careful not to scratch it with the gravel or decorations. Make sure not to clean acrylic with windex or something! But it has a pretty curved shape. My bigger one is glass.

David593

Glass
Pros
~Easier to clean
~Not too prone to scratches
~MUCH cheaper
Cons
~Can shatter
~Doesn't hold as much pressure as acrylic
~Heavier than acrylic

Acrylic
Pros
~Holds more pressure
~Consisdered to give clearer and less morphed image.
~lighter
~Can be molded into different shapes
Cons
~Scratches very easily (very annoying)
~Will yellow over time if under certain lightings or with the use of certain substances. (incandecent lighting may stain it)
~Way more expensive!

In my opinion, glass works great and gives you great results. Plus it is usually about half as much as acrylic. I prefer glass anyways.