300 gal. + aquarium..Acrylic or glass

[ReefHog]

I left a few posts on Chicago's thred concerning the difference of acrylic verses glass aquariums. Since that thread was really not ment for that purpose, I figured I'd start a new one.

I will be upgrading my 125 FO to a 300 gal in the upcoming spring. I'm looking at something like 8'X24"X30". I have not decided on weather to go with acrylic or glass. I've herd some great things about both. There seems to be some concern about the maintenance of the acrylic. (viewing wise)

This tank will be strictly FO and therefore it will not have very bright lighting.

I would like to here opinions from people who have owned both types of aquariums.

Thanks
Art

[Reef Engineer]

Art,

I have own both acrylic and glass tanks and can unequivately state that I will most likely never get an acrylic tank again so long as I have a choice in the matter. Despite my best efforts to be careful, I always managed to scratch the surface. The proponents of acrylic will tell you, "So what? You can easily buff them out" but I prefer to spend my free time viewing the tank, not repairing it. In a FO system, this isn't that big a concern as it would be with a reef but I had NO flourescents on a tank and still got good coralline growth. I have a neighbor that went with acrylic and their puffer has made several sizable gouges in the surface.

Now, don't get me wrong. Acrylic is great since it typically has better clarity than glass (unless you're talking starphire), it weighs much less than the same size glass tank, is easier to work with (drilling holes, etc) but all those positives pale, IMO, next to having to spend every other weekend repairing scratches. I tried credit cards, and soft rags to clean the tank but it simply took much too long. What takes me 2 minutes to clean on my glass tank would take me 20 minutes to clean on the acrylic. Simply not worth it to me.

As you can probably tell, I'm a big glass fan.

Randy

[rededteck]

I have also owned both and will offer much the same advice

Acrylic is clearer, but glass is not that bad
Acrylic is lighter
Glass is easier to clean
Acrylic scratches, glass scratches not as easily

The two biggest issues to me are weight, unless you place it on a slab or have a beefed up floor.....

and scraping algae...... which you will do forever, glass is much easier to clean.

They both have their pros and cons, depends on what is most important.... In a few years I will wish my acrylic tank was glass due to the scratching.

[Reef Engineer]

Not that it really matters but the English minor part of me is screaming at the moment. :eek3: That should be unequivocally up there and not unequivately like I wrote above - don't know where the heck that came from! Anyway, whenever I tried to edit the post, the board told me that I wasn't lgged in even though I was. There, I feel better now.

Randy

[Chicago]

pros and cons come down to the basic

acrylic is clearer than ordinary glass.
acrlylic is lighter.
acrlyic scratches no matter on how carefull you think you will be

glass if is starfire will be almost as clear and as clear to the naked eye...no green tint and will clean a LOT EASIER AND WILL NOT SCRATCH UNLESS EFFORT TO SCRATCH IT IS A PPLIED.

i would without hesitation after owning this tank recomend a starfire glass tank and the choices mitch offers for the backs...blue black ect..is auwsome

if your tank is going to bee 300 get glass..but go starfire..
the only reason i was condiering acrlyic is baecause at that size glass will have a green tint if not using starfire.

[npaden]

I have a 415 gallon regular glass tank and am very happy with it. The only drawback is the weight and hopefully I will never have to worry about that part of it again now that it is in the house and on the stand. It weighed around 1,400 lbs and it really was a big project with 10 guys to get it on the 36" stand.

If you think you will move the tank more than one time you might think about getting acrylic for that reason, but for all other reasons I would go with glass (and have actually!) ;)

FWIW, Nathan

[ReefHog]

After reading all the posts and discussing it with the wife, I would like to go with glass. I am set on a tall tank and I think glass would make a much better tall tank due to being able to be cleaned with a quality magnet. I'm now looking at a 72" X 24" X 36" aquarium. I plan to have a lip from the stand cover a few inches over the top of the sand bed so I won't have to worry about picking up sand when getting close to it. I do still have a few concerns with glass though.

How could I find out how much this tank would weigh. This could have the most influence on my decession as it's going into a basement.

I would have to build a ramp to "roll" the aquarium down the outside stairs leading to my basement. I'm thinking of using moving dollys.

I will probably be moving in 5 years when our daughter graduates high school so this tank will by no means be permanate.