GLASS VS. ACRYLIC
- Thread starter TCZeli
- Start date
I think the largest all glass tank Ive ever seen was a 500 gallon that needed special equipment to move around when empty. It's true that glass is LESS likely to scratch than acryllic but it CAN be scratched. A huge unforeseen impact that would shatter the side of an all glass 300 would only dent an acryllic tank so I think the general concensus is that glass in better for 300 and under while acryllic is the clear choice above that level.
I have been looking at the 300G wide tank at glasscages, and have emailed them. Just to give some input here, they told me if I had it shipped to me, the weight of the glass alone for the 300G Wide (glass) is just over 500lbs. Now how many people would it take to safely lift it onto the stand?
CHOMPERS;966333; said:Nope. That's a myth.You aren't an engineer after all.
i know its a myth...but the thread is kinda nuts......
no i am not an engineer but a physicist.....re glass flow ( no spin)
Physicists who have put this theory to the test say it would take millions (not hundreds or thousands) of years for there to be any noticeable change in the glass at room temperature. A study published in the American Journal of Physics went so far as to say that the period this phenomenon would require is "well beyond the age of the universe."
ref: http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/does-glass-flow-old-windows.html
I missed the article but thanks for the link. The University here has it on the shelf. The term is called 'creep' when a material deforms at the atomic level under its own weight. The old glass that is thinner at the top is not true plate glass, but rather was hand blown. Two hundred years ago they did not produce glass by floating it.
To get the concept what is happening with blown glass, bubble gum is a good example. It gets progressively thinner the farther out in the bubble and thicker at the wad of gum. Blown glass behaves the same way. The glass was blown into a cylinder the size and shape of a water heater. The ends were cut off while still hot. It was then cut end to end and layed flat. Obviously an installer would not install it with the thin side down (because he would be the guy buying the next one if he breaks it). Since none of us alive today were not around when blown glass was the norm, we don't think of stuff like that. Then combine the fact that the pen is mightier than common sense, and you get weird myths like glass being a "solid liquid". (I wonder how some journalists can even dress themselves in the morning.)
To get the concept what is happening with blown glass, bubble gum is a good example. It gets progressively thinner the farther out in the bubble and thicker at the wad of gum. Blown glass behaves the same way. The glass was blown into a cylinder the size and shape of a water heater. The ends were cut off while still hot. It was then cut end to end and layed flat. Obviously an installer would not install it with the thin side down (because he would be the guy buying the next one if he breaks it). Since none of us alive today were not around when blown glass was the norm, we don't think of stuff like that. Then combine the fact that the pen is mightier than common sense, and you get weird myths like glass being a "solid liquid". (I wonder how some journalists can even dress themselves in the morning.)
good thread ! i have thought about getting acrylic for a while. that is going to be my choice, but i am getting two 480 gal tanks. i have moved a 265 gal tank in a basement and i will tell you i will not volunteer to do that again. big tanks acrylic small glass thats my two cents worth.
wow, this thread really covered every argument...
but I think glass is the better choice for tanks under 300G
at that point the weight starts getting crazy
but as far as it being easier to break - dont drop a rock in it
and glass being not holding heat as well - buy a heater
Noone wants to look at there fish threw a million scratches.
can anyone explain exactly how you buff them out?
but I think glass is the better choice for tanks under 300G
at that point the weight starts getting crazy
but as far as it being easier to break - dont drop a rock in it
and glass being not holding heat as well - buy a heater
Noone wants to look at there fish threw a million scratches.
can anyone explain exactly how you buff them out?
TCZeli;966649; said:
Sand paper, rubbing compounds, rubbing compounds (repeat forever), more polishing, cussing, sweating, more cussing, and more rubbing compounds.
and if the scratches are on the inside??? you have to drain it I would imagin...
