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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V4 #175




>Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 18:36:59 EST
>From: IrisKEJ at aol_com
>Subject: Re: Acrylic Tank Questions
>
>To the guy who had a question about the acrylic tank:  yes, you can repair
>the scratches. Check at your LFS for a scratch-removal kit.  I work at one,
>and we sell them for about $30.  Yes, your measurements are in the right
>ballpark.  Acrylic tanks won't shatter and are much easier to transport
than
>glass tanks.  The only downside to them is that they do scratch.  They also
>have the advantage of being having clearer walls...versus the slight green
>tint of glass.  If you can't find a scratch-removal kit, I would be happy
to
>order one for you.
>~Katie (AquaKEJ at hotmail_com)
>
The scratching thing is reason enough to steer me away from acrylic.
Another down-side to acrylic is that the stuff apparently has to be thicker
than a similar piece of glass to support the same load.  One thing that
stinks about a tank is when the glass or acrylic is so thick that it warps
the view of the tank.  One LFS in the area has a 1000 gallon acrylic tank in
one room, and the plastic is better than an inch thick.  You have to look
directly through to whatever you are looking at, on the same level,
otherwise it is distorted.  Another thing is that the side BULGES rather
ominously if you look at it lengthwise.  It makes me nervous.  My local
marine center has the same problem in all of it's tanks.  They have some
rather huge reef tanks that would be nothing short of awesome if you didn't
feel like you were looking through a pair of glasses that weren't your
own...  I'll take solid, cold, hard, green glass, thank you. :)

Matt