Qs on 450 gallon acrylic setup

[fisheb]

I am new to the world of acrylic tanks, always had glass and nothing this large, so wanted to get expert input from the MFKers.

What is a fair price for an acrylic tank (10' L X 3' W X 2' H) including oak stand & canopy and wet/dry filter?

Also, I how sensitive is acrylic to scratching? For example, do I need to worry about scratches being caused by large cichlids moving gravel around in the tank? I have seen some that almost look like sandblasters with the force they generate rearranging gravel in their tank.

Lastly, any recommendations on heating? Should I just plan on using four 300W Jager’s or is there a more effective way?

Thanks as always!

 

[jsodwi]

Acrylic scratches very easy. I will never put any gravel or sand in my next one my stingrays tails even put a few scratches on mine. I heat a 10x4 with 4-300watt heaters. Hooked to. A Ranco controller. No problems.

 

[derunren]

All my tanks are acrylic and none of them have any scratches noticed when filled with water.

10' L X 3' W X 2' H with hood and stand. I would pay 2-2.5k max.

 

[ragin_cajun]

That's what I'm looking for. Price sounds great. Who do I call! Seriously, I've been quoted close to $6K recently for a 10 foot tank. Something about that long of a tank requires longer and thicker sheets of acrylic. Significant price jump going above 8 foot.

All my tanks are acrylic and none of them have any scratches noticed when filled with water.

10' L X 3' W X 2' H with hood and stand. I would pay 2-2.5k max.

 

[derunren]

2-2.5k is not the retail price. It is the just the price I would pay if I can buy it off craiglist or fourms.

 

[ragin_cajun]

Gotcha. I've been watching CL and forums for months, not finding any big tanks used.

2-2.5k is not the retail price. It is the just the price I would pay if I can buy it off craiglist or fourms.

 

[aldiaz33]

I am new to the world of acrylic tanks, always had glass and nothing this large, so wanted to get expert input from the MFKers.

What is a fair price for an acrylic tank (10' L X 3' W X 2' H) including oak stand & canopy and wet/dry filter?

Also, I how sensitive is acrylic to scratching? For example, do I need to worry about scratches being caused by large cichlids moving gravel around in the tank? I have seen some that almost look like sandblasters with the force they generate rearranging gravel in their tank.

Lastly, any recommendations on heating? Should I just plan on using four 300W Jager’s or is there a more effective way?

Thanks as always!

For a brand new setup that size, including oak stand & canopy and wet/dry filter I think $6,000 is a fair price (I would even say it's a good deal). When comparison shopping be sure they are providing the thickness of the acrylic they are using so that you are comparing apples to apples. Some less reputable builders may try to use .5" acrylic on that size tank, whereas .75" or thicker would be better (If it were my tank, I would want at least .75" thick). The price of acrylic really jumps when you start using thicker material. Like you said, 10' sheets come at a premium since 8' x4' sheets are a more standard size so going 10' will also bump the price up. I would suggest seeing of going 30" high would add much to the cost, since I believe 10' sheets often come 5' wide so there would actually be some waste be going with only 2' high.

Acrylic does scratch much easier than glass, but the benefits of acrylic outweigh the cons in my opinion. I had a big oscar that my old roommate used to love to tease with a mirror...he would try to attack his reflection and in doing so, he put some good scratches in the tank. In other words, if you have an annoying roommate, make sure there are no handheld mirrors in your place.

Unless the tank is located in a place that gets really cold (<50F) you will be fine running a few Jager's.

 

[Yoimbrian]

I would be reallllllly surprised if you got a quote for $6k for a new one, if you did it's probably crap with corners cut (thinner than should be acrylic, low quality pumps, etc). New I'd expect closer to $8000 for a good set up.

The used market 100% depends on where you live. If you are in southern california with 3 million people trying to sell used tanks, you can easily get one for $2k. If you are in MN like me the largest tank listed on CL right now is 350 gallons, and they want $5000 for it. The last 400+ gallon tank I saw was scratched to hell, didn't come with anything but the bare tank, and they still wanted $2000+, and it was off CL (sold?) within a week.

 

[cjfrontlovr]

For a brand new setup that size, including oak stand & canopy and wet/dry filter I think $6,000 is a fair price (I would even say it's a good deal). When comparison shopping be sure they are providing the thickness of the acrylic they are using so that you are comparing apples to apples. Some less reputable builders may try to use .5" acrylic on that size tank, whereas .75" or thicker would be better (If it were my tank, I would want at least .75" thick). The price of acrylic really jumps when you start using thicker material. Like you said, 10' sheets come at a premium since 8' x4' sheets are a more standard size so going 10' will also bump the price up. I would suggest seeing of going 30" high would add much to the cost, since I believe 10' sheets often come 5' wide so there would actually be some waste be going with only 2' high.

Acrylic does scratch much easier than glass, but the benefits of acrylic outweigh the cons in my opinion. I had a big oscar that my old roommate used to love to tease with a mirror...he would try to attack his reflection and in doing so, he put some good scratches in the tank. In other words, if you have an annoying roommate, make sure there are no handheld mirrors in your place.

Unless the tank is located in a place that gets really cold (<50F) you will be fine running a few Jager's.

right on the mark there.couldn't have said it better myself..i would want 3/4
for a 24"-30" high tank though most builders will use 1/2" in a 24" high tank.
my biggest tank is 120x60x36 and built completely with 1" material. they wanted to use smaller acrylic for the top and bottom but I insisted on 1" being used for the entire build.
I believe rule of thumb is for thickness's is 24" height-1/2" acrylic..30" height 3/4",36" height 1"...42" height 11/4" and so on.

acrylic does scratch fairly easily. the inside of mine has a lot of fine scratches and is beginning to affect clarity.
I will drain and polish the inside and return it to perfection with out to much effort.