Custom Aquarium Recommendations

[NAGA]

glasscages.com is great from what I've seen, their customer service isn't always the greatest, but otherwise it's all good. If your looking locally, "The Marine Scene" www.marinescene.com has a custom aquarium building business too, I believe.

 

As far as what happens to acrylic as it ages--- it warps and this can eventually leed to stress fractures and then a tone of dead fishies, and a smelly, wet house. The reason I will never go back to acrylic though is that it scratches too easily, you have to be carefull what equipment you use with it as unless it's extra thick, it will not hold heavy equipment or can warp due to heat. I have a bad habit of scratching my current acrylic tank whenever I put my hand near it, I dont want to have to worry about that again. Just to stop my rambling :

 

1) costs more than it's worth-glass is better and cheaper

2) not worth taming my hands to keep them from scratching it, and

3) does not last as long as glass, will warp eventually

 

Wow! when I saw this post i was taken a back Perhaps to the unexperienced sort this could be view someone could come up with but, having 16years experience with acrylic tanks my friend you are far from being accurate.

 

1) Built properly the tank won't bow (or warp as you put it) and keep in mind that acrylic does absorb between 1.6% -2% of water and does become more flexible when wet. However just because a tank bows it certainly does not mean it's going to break.

 

2)Acrylic tanks are 17 times stronger than glass as well.

 

Now pertaining to Glass Cages;

 

1) as previously mentioned and a widely accepted view they are not very good with customer service

2) Jamesbuf I have to disagree with as I have replaced 3 tanks in the last year that were made by Glasscages due to them failing in both the seams and glass fractures. They all were over 240 gallons and two of them broke in less than 6 month's with the other lasting just under a year.

 

Now they are your bargain custom glass tank that is for sure but, they do have a less than stellar track record with tanks staying together. If you do a search you can find the threads I have posted on regarding glass cages tank failures as though threads have pictures to show what I have experienced.

 

Here is a quick contrast between acrylic and glass aquarium construction.

 

Acrylic:

Light weight, optically clear, not as brittle as glass (easy to drill), soft material (scratches easily), not stiff (bends and bows). it bows and bends if you make it with the bare minimum materials. Glass will do the same but, not to the degree acrylic does though. I can tell you that there are a number of people here on wamas that will say their tanks (acrylic) don't bow at all.

Because the material isn't stiff the bottom must be well supported as tanks get largerglass tanks especially when they are large have to be well supported as well. The bottom of glass tanks also has to be thicker as compared to acrylic which is a cost factor. The support for acrylic is often just a sheet of plywood so the cost of that in factoring projects like this barely need mentioning.

Coralline algae tends to grow more heavily on acrylic, mainly due to the scratches. Scratches provide protective valleys for the tiny buds of new coralline to get a hold on your tank walls and they increase the surface area for the coralline algae to grow.

More expensive: Acrylic material prices depend on petroleum prices. Even with petrolleum price where they are larger glass tanks are more expensive than acrylic ones and if you take into consideration the money it costs to move a large glass tank vs. an acrylic one you will find the acrlic wins that battle

 

 

Strength:

It is widely accepted that acrylic is 16-17 times stronger than glass of the same thickness, with much better impact resistance. Because the joints are chemically bonded, not simply siliconed together, they are also stronger as well, and much more appealing visually. They do not run the risk of blowing out as siliconed joints can. The strength of acrylic tanks give their owners the peace of mind knowing that their tank will not crack, shatter, or blow out unexpectedly.

 

Weight:

Acrylic is roughly half the weight of a glass tank built out of the same thickness materials. This allows for easier moving, installations, less expensive shipping, and will require less persons to get it to where it needs to be. You will not need to lie about the level of difficulty when soliciting help from friends to move your tank.

 

Better viewing properties:

Acrylic of any thickness is clearer than glass due to its natural composition and properties. It does not have a greenish tint and will not ever turn yellow, like the acrylics of yesterday could. Acrylic will not distort like glass will, especially when viewing your tank at an angle. It also has a better light transmission level. You will find few larger public displays that are not done out of acrylic.

 

Better insulating properties:

Acrylic will not conduct heat and cold as well as glass will, thus making it a better insulator by 20%. Acrylic aquariums will regulate and minimize temperature fluctuations better, giving you a more stable system. This characteristic also saves on electricity, as your heater (or chiller) does not need to work as hard.

 

Forming characteristics:

Because acrylic is a thermoplastic it can be formed in almost any way, which makes tank design possibilities almost limitless. Custom curves and bends are much easier to do with acrylic, and sometimes impossible to do with glass. Glass has limitations on size while acrylic does not. For many custom shapes and unique designs, there is no other choice. Spectacular viewing possibilities are available because of the versatility of acrylic. It is also possible for anyone to drill their own acrylic tank while it is often difficult to find somebody to drill a glass tank if you need it done. Acrylic tank joints are also more visually appealing as they are clear and do not require the use of silicone. They may also be rounded over for extra beauty as well as to eliminate sharp edges.

 

Acrylic is refinish able:

The one disadvantage of acrylic is that it scratches easier than glass. However, a wide variety of scratch removal kits are available to the consumer and are relatively easy to use. Scratches in glass are nearly impossible to remove. Scratches in acrylic are easily preventable with proper care and precautions. When cleaning the interior of your tank, do not go all the way down to the gravel line right away. Do the entire tank but leave an inch or two above the gravel line. Do this last. This reduces the chance that you will pick up a bit of gravel on your brush or magnet and scratch the tank. Trying to get too creative with decorations by stacking them up precariously has led to many scratches as well when they are toppled by fish or currents. Scratching is usually the #1 concern of persons considering an acrylic tank, and is easily preventable with proper care.

[/b]

Glass

Much heavier, thick glass shows 'coca cola bottle' green tint (not optically clear), brittle (more challenging to drill), hard material (difficult to scratch), stiffer. BUT WHEN YOU SCRATCH IT YOUR DONE

Stiff: Because the material is stiff, the tank's bottom support requirements for a stand are minimal.NOT TRUE A LARGE GLASS TANK REQUIRES SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT..........FOR THAT MATTER SO DOES ANY LARGE TANK, PLYWOOD OR ANY OTHER MATERIAL

Heavy: My tank weighs 1500 lbs empty. It is a bit of a job to move it around.[/color][/b]AND HOW MUCH DID THAT COST?

Optical purity: Starfire ( a brand) glass is made by a process that eliminates ferrous (iron) content in the glass. This rids the glass of the 'coke bottle' green tint and makes the glass optically clear like acryllic. Material costs about 30% more than regular glass. You will have to judge what thickness of glass produces enough green tint for you to notice. For me the threshold is about 1/4" thick, which means only shallow tanks are not green enough to warrant Starfire glass if the green tint is important. All sides don't have to be made of Starfire glass. You can get them made with whichever sides you want to view through made of Starfire and the other sides and bottom made of regular glass.

Can't drill holes if glass is tempered.

Much less expensive.

Coralline algae will grow on glass, but is a bit easier to keep ahead of because there are no scratches to provide refuge for new (tiny) coralline algae.

Edited June 12, 2008 by NAGA

[Grav]

It makes me sad at times to see that Jeff (NAGA) still has yet to open up and tell us what he is really feeling.

 

I get to tease Jeff for ALL of June, because I'm getting a 10*2*3 tank and stand from him next week... no not inches.

 

Everything good for pickup early next week Jeff???

[jamesbuf]

It makes me sad at times to see that Jeff (NAGA) still has yet to open up and tell us what he is really feeling.

 

I get to tease Jeff for ALL of June, because I'm getting a 10*2*3 tank and stand from him next week... no not inches.

 

Everything good for pickup early next week Jeff???

 

 

Is that 3' front to back, or top to bottom?

[L8 2 RISE]

.............................uhhhhh........................

 

I thought I was on a soap box......

 

I got the warping part from a neighbors 65 gallon acrylic tank that is 8 years old, they just replaced it because if you looked down the side of the tank you could literally see the fron warping out from the sides and bottom by about an inch and a half.

[Gadgets]

Well.. It's all preference anyway. Glass and acrylic are both good for different reasons. Just get the tank and concentrate on making it the best reef possible. these threads always turn to crap anyway when the glass vs acrylic debate starts.