I am considering purchasing an acrylic aquarium. It is a REALLY good price considering the size of the aquarium and the thickness of the acrylic used. The aquarium is used and about six years old. No heavy scratches. It's made by Living Color aquariums. The issue is that it is a 6 year old tank. I have heard that the older tanks turn yellow over time, but how old is old enough to be in that range? I have searched through the threads here and google but cannot find an answer. I want to know because after my fish outgrow this one I am planning on turning it into a reef tank. With the intense lighting the yellowing issue is a real concern. Anyone with any experience on this issue and on the manufacturer please feel free to chime in on this one.
Help with tank purchase
- Thread starter BC1
- Start date
I have never had acrylic yellow. I have had acrylic on a large 75G sump and on a 360G tank....no yellowing. I have a feeling that the yellowing in more of a chemical reaction thing from bad water chemistry but thats just a guess.
Here you go:
"Q. Does acrylic (Plexiglas, Lucite) yellow in the sun?
Since the beginning of the creation of plastics, many myths have been perpetuated about the longevity of plastics, especially outside in the elements. All plastics come from petroleum and natural gas. Sunlight, especially ultraviolet radiation, has a disastrous effect on most plastics. Some plastics, like polyethylene (PE) milk jugs, degrade quickly in the sun - in a matter of months. PE can easily be recycled. Many children's toys are made from PE and get brittle and crack when left outside.
Acrylic (Plexiglas, Lucite,and Acrylite) comes from natural gas and is completely inert when in solid form. American-made acrylic does NOT yellow in the sunlight. Witness the protective canopies and bubbles in the World War II bombers - they are still clear after 50 years in the sun! There are three other clear plastics that do yellow in the sun and get confused with acrylic - Styrene, PETG, and Polycarbonate. They have their respective qualities that make this an acceptable trade-off. Ask your Ridout Plastics salesperson for information on all of these plastic solutions."
As seen here: http://www.ridoutplastics.com/faq.html
"Q. Does acrylic (Plexiglas, Lucite) yellow in the sun?
Since the beginning of the creation of plastics, many myths have been perpetuated about the longevity of plastics, especially outside in the elements. All plastics come from petroleum and natural gas. Sunlight, especially ultraviolet radiation, has a disastrous effect on most plastics. Some plastics, like polyethylene (PE) milk jugs, degrade quickly in the sun - in a matter of months. PE can easily be recycled. Many children's toys are made from PE and get brittle and crack when left outside.
Acrylic (Plexiglas, Lucite,and Acrylite) comes from natural gas and is completely inert when in solid form. American-made acrylic does NOT yellow in the sunlight. Witness the protective canopies and bubbles in the World War II bombers - they are still clear after 50 years in the sun! There are three other clear plastics that do yellow in the sun and get confused with acrylic - Styrene, PETG, and Polycarbonate. They have their respective qualities that make this an acceptable trade-off. Ask your Ridout Plastics salesperson for information on all of these plastic solutions."
As seen here: http://www.ridoutplastics.com/faq.html
^+1 i have an acrylic tank that is 11 years old that sits in the open sun(its empty we use it to dry substrate for the scorpion and beardie tanks) and it is not yellow