Recently I purchased a 400 gallon acrylic tank 120x32.375x24. None of the local glass tank builders would build a tank this big. When I found someone to build a glass tank this big they wanted as much to ship the tank as I paid for my acrylic tank. A glass tank would weigh 810 lbs and need special equipment to move/install it. Big $$$. My acrylic tank comes in at 380 lbs. A friend and I put it on my stand and 4 people moved it into my house. Yes it scratches easier than a glass tank but my old 200 gallon still looks fine, almost new after 8 years and 3 moves. No yellowing (a friend now owns the tank) Years ago a friend had 3 redline snakeheads in a tank. He showed them a bag of feeders and they went through the side of the tank, yes they broke the tank trying to get the feeders. I've never had or seen or heard of a fish breaking a acrylic tank. I've had a glass tanks break from installing a plastic tank divider and another break from a rock in a tank that a fish moved, I have seen 2 glass tanks break from fish hitting the side of the tank and I have heard of so many glass tanks breaking that I cant count them. I also had a friend that received seriously/permanent injury from a 29 gallon tank breaking. I used to work in a fish store and at the time the store had been in business for about 15 years at that location. Every week we were replacing at least one or two tanks sometimes a whole row of tanks. The cost of heating a glass tank is much greater than a acrylic tank. Don't underestimate the difference, on my tank one of the aquarium calculators shows a glass tank would need 2/3 more power to heat the tank. I also have a 100 gallon glass tank and a 120 gallon acrylic. The glass tank has a bigger heater and needs it, my 120 gallon tank has a 150 watt heater that barely comes on. I used to be into breeding fish and I had several custom breeder tanks, after a couple of years 3 of the 8 custom tanks had some type of leak, although none of the standard 20 long glass tanks leaked. I still never had an acrylic tank leak in 20+ years of fish keeping.
GLASS VS. ACRYLIC
- Thread starter TCZeli
- Start date
the only reason i would prefer acrylic over a glass tank is because i want no silicone on my corners, id rather have it at a bent shape. well that's my opinion. i have a 120g acrylic tank with a albino giant gourami, and yea there are tiny scratches on it haha...
Glass for me, I have a White Glass Tank, so there's no green tint, its a Clear 570 Gallon Tank, and it weighed in at 800 pounds, 15mm Glass, and that aint gonna break I love it, took 6 people to move it in, but it was well worth it, and I don't have to worry about some Scratches messing up my veiw, the white Glass is even more resistant than normal glass. I would highly recommend anyone buying a Glass tank to look for the White Glass or Crystal glass what ever there calling it on the street these days, you will not be disapointed.
ATM's are for sure more expensive ...
I been shopping acrylic 360g's
I priced TruVu 3600.00, Tenecor 2700.00, and the ATM's are over 5K
I been shopping acrylic 360g's
I priced TruVu 3600.00, Tenecor 2700.00, and the ATM's are over 5K
I myself always wanted acrylic but I have glass 240 do to the price and where it was I just settled but if I was to do it over I would have deff went with acrylic even tho they do scratch easier. the other thing I have heard of is that if your not carefull of what type of acrylic you buy your tank starts to get pin hole leaks ???????
My question, then, do acrylic aquariums ever leak? I purchased a pre-owned180 gallon about 11 years ago. Last week I saw drops from my wood stand, one drop every 30 or so seconds. Not knowing any better, I applied silicone along a small portion of the front, bottom seam where I believed the leak was coming from. The leak stopped, but I was on the verge of looking for a replacement aquarium. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the leak does not start again. I call myself lucky.
