Glass or acrylic?

L

LongHairedGuy

Hello. This site was recommended to my by the nice folks at Tranquilscape, so I thought Id check it out. Ive been buying books and studying reef tank husbandry for a few years and am about ready to jump in....so to speak. Currently considering either a 125 or 180 reef ready setup from Oceanic, and plan to build my own stand and canopy. Also curious about maybe an acrylic tank. Any thoughts on a 125 vs. 180 gal., or glass vs. acrylic for a newbie to the hobby?
 
I'd go as big as you can afford, I'd be cautious about building your own stand, or atleast I would b/c 180 gallons of water on the floor... anyways, i beleive frank hasa 180 RR forsale for a nice price. I'd go glass, its heavier but easier to clean (imo) and less likely to scratch
 
I've always had a glass tank so I can't really comment on glass vs acrylic. With most glass your going to get a slight green tint to it and with the acrylic it's crystal clear. But with glass you get a harder surface that will ward off the occasional scratch from falling rocks/slips. Another thing to consider is weight, with that size of a tank your talking about serious weight with glass. But then again, you should only move it once... There's a whole lot of pros and cons between glass and acrylic tanks!

A 125 is a really good sized tank and I think that you would be happy with it. But, once you get everything going the way you want I bet you'll wish you went bigger!
 
Thanks so much for the quick replies. The weight factor is why I am even considering acrylic, but will most likely go with glass. Ive been thinking about selling my house a couple years down the road and taking into consideration having to move such a set up after it has been up and running for a while. Decisions decisions....lol.
 
I can move my 125 gallon acrylic tank by myself. Its 72x18x22 and only uses 3/8" acrylic. It bows a bit but has held together for I'd guess 15 years now ~knock on wood~. I have put a couple scratches in it over the years but it was in pretty bad shape to begin with when I got it. I can lift and move it myself, which is nice. The stand weighs more lol. It does scratch easier, but just be careful. Acrylic is also easier to drill or customize, will likely last a lot longer, and is much more clear then glass, unless you get a tank built with starfire glass.

I would get the 180. The extra 6" of width of great for aquascaping. I wish my 125 was a 180.

Nothing wrong with a glass tank, both my 75's are glass.

If you buy a glass tank you only need to support the edges, you do not need a full top on the stand. If you go acrylic, you will want a full top on the stand. My tank used to sit on a stand without a solid top, and the thin acrylic would bow down between the wood planks, kinda scary!

A good acrylic tank will be more expensive then the comparible glass version. As I said my 72" tank is made of 3/8" acrylic. If it was up to me it would be 1/2".

The bracing is often done differently on glass vs acrylic tanks.

If you are a good cabinent maker/wood worker, you could probably build your own acrylic tank, its not that hard from what I have seen (I haven't tried it yet!). Just get the right materials and right tools.

When I do my next big tank I will likely starfire glass. The great thing about glass is, you can take a razor blade to it if needed.
 
Might as well do a 215 instead of a 180 same foot print 72 x 24 but it is 28 or 29 inches tall. That added height makes a nice effect when viewing. It makes it to where you can have a taller reef. And if you make a 36 inch stand or so it will sit eye level and won't have to bend over to look in. I have a 140 and it is the same height as a 215. Also that 24 inch front to back depth has made it awesome aqauscaping. I love tall and wide tanks for aquascaping.
 
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