Acrylic Tank strength..

[PMK]

all i know is after moving a 150g glass tank(HEAVY!) im going acrylic from now on for anything bigger.

same here anything above 100 im going acrylic but under 100 doesnt matter to me

 

[twk1]

I would prefer acrylic over glass anyday... just to prevent accidents from happening in the future such as cracking or even shattering the glass, or in the long run... leaks can occur, then having the trouble of emptying the tank and sealing it.. and if you don't do a good job, it can leak again! Just becareful of what you use to clean the acrylic tanks, i use microfiber cloths to wipe down both the inside and outside of acrylic tanks... doesn't leave any scratches!

 

[JEAE21]

so acrylic doesn't crack or shatter?
leaks in acrylic right?

hey there are some kind of bond material on the corners on my GLASS tanks, but are they strong? It's to keep the 5 pieces of glass together right?(4 sides, 1 bottom)

oh yeah and you know those MAG-FLOATS for acrylic and glass tanks right? well i was using it on my uncle's GLASS tank, and i lost the other side and i put my side of the magnet on the glass and the floating cleaner came shooting towards me and sticked to my part of the mag-float but will the glass break from doing this? I mean the magnet came flying towards the glass

 

[twk1]

Well .... i'm not saying that acrylic will not crack, But if you hit it really hard with something then obviously it will crack! But its 10x's Stronger and durable than glass!

About.. your mag float.. NO.. your glass tank wont break from the the magnetic force! it's not strong enough to shatter, its made to be safe!!

 

[JEAE21]

will a fish's spine scratch the tank? or will i not see it because it's underwater?

 

[brcacti]

There is a company called glasscages on the internet that make both glass and acrylic in bit sizes. For a reasonable amount of money they can use 3/4 inch glass instead of half inch for big tanks. I am thinking of ordering a 300 gal glass with 3/4 inch glass all around. Weight would be about 700 lbs so would take at least 4 guys to bring it in. Wont want to move it once it is in place ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[twk1]

will a fish's spine scratch the tank? or will i not see it because it's underwater?

Uh.. i really doubt that a fish's spine will scratch a glass or acrylic tank! I've never seen any fish scratch its spine on the insides of a tank before... but i've seen them scratch their sides.

 

[najiru]

Well .... i'm not saying that acrylic will not crack, But if you hit it really hard with something then obviously it will crack! But its 10x's Stronger and durable than glass!

I am saying that your acrylic will not crack! A uk acrylic aquarium manufacturer neptune shot a piece of their tank acrylic with a shotgun without penetration!

Qoute: "A test piece of 15mm thick acrylic was fired at by a 12 bore shot gun at 6 yards with both barrels simultaneously but not one pellet penetrated or broke the sheet acrylic." www.neptunesacrylictanks.co.uk

So unless it gets a truely massive impact I wouldn't expect you to be able to make it leak. (I still wouldn't shoot at it though )

N

 

[Mystix212]

There is a company called glasscages on the internet that make both glass and acrylic in bit sizes. For a reasonable amount of money they can use 3/4 inch glass instead of half inch for big tanks. I am thinking of ordering a 300 gal glass with 3/4 inch glass all around. Weight would be about 700 lbs so would take at least 4 guys to bring it in. Wont want to move it once it is in place ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For this reason, people use acrylic.

Yet there is big downside, acrylic bows easier than glass. But unless you have a very long tank, this shouldnt be a problem.
Also, a large (270G+) acrylic tank thats housing diggers such as oscars/africans etc will scratch due to the sand/gravel being constantly moved up the acrylic. Whereas glass doesnt do this.

For show tanks such as planted discus's, you cannot go past acrylic as it givews you a clearer image.

 

[Wolf3101]

Well...glass itself IS in fact stronger than acrylic. A given length and highth of a pane of glass will always be thinner than a comperable acrylic one. Acrylics main advantage is that it will give a great deal more than glass will. This is the reason glass shatters.

Glass can handle vast extreams of heat and cold that would shatter an acryllic pannel. Because of the flexability of acrylic...tanks built from it have to be braced to a much greater degree than glass tanks thus causing a reduction in your filtration options.

Glass is also available in a great many grades...most aquariums are built from fairly low grade plate glass to keep costs down.

In short...you'll find fans on both sides of the coin. use what works out best for you.