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Re: acrylic tanks




Folks,

Last winter when I was looking at tanks I talked to several people about
acrylics vs glass.  I think all of the LFS types I talked to preferred
acrylic tanks.  Some hobbyists with multiple tanks also seem to prefer
acrylics.

The advantages of acrylic compared to glass were:

Acrylic is lighter weight
           less expensive
           more easily worked

The disadvantages were

Acrylic is easily scratched
        warps and has to be strongly braced.


In fact, when I started looking at acrylic tanks I realized that they were
all partly closed at the top by the hefty top bracing, which makes access
to the tank fairly difficult.  That by itself was almost enough to
convince me to buy a glass tank.

When I started getting quotes the glass tank won hands down.  An acrylic
tank *did not* cost less than glass.  I got a 5X2X2 glass tank delivered
and setup for $300 less (if I remember right) then the same-size acrylic
without delivery and setup.

O'course the price is something that is likely to vary with the
particulars.  I can see why you would buy an acrylic tank if it cost less
than glass, or if you intended to move it around by yourself.  But if
you're interested in damage resistance or easy access (or just in having a
more open top) then glass seems like a better bet.


Roger Miller