Acrylic VS Glass

[surplusrifleguy]

I currently have a glass tank and I'm thinking about purchasing a acrylic tank next time. My only concern is that scraping coraline might scratch the acrylic and create a nightmare. Most of my LFS say to get glass for this reason, however, glass is what they have in stock. I know acrylic is less likely to leak, crack and so on, but is it worth the risk regarding scratches. Also do halides yellow or discolor the acrylic over time?

 

[Reefcraze_1]

I'm a fan of acrylic, just use a aquarium magnet thats designed for acrylic. If it's a large tank go with acrylic, small tank say 55 gallons or less use glass. as long as you use the right equipment scratching wont be a problem. if you use MH above about 10000 K or above, it shouldn't discolor the acrylic

Good luck with the new tank

 

[saltysupply]

they both have pro's and con's, just go with what you are comfortable with and how much weight you want to lift.

 

[SoccerBum474]

but you only need to lift it maybe four or five times...i have glass tank and i love them...but its really up to you just don't bump rocks into the glass..

 

[Frankie]

Once in place your not going to be lifting it much
IMO it all comes down to your husbandry skills. If you are like me and have to clean the glass every day then your a good candidate for acrylic. Not allowing the algae and coralline to grow in the first place is the key to keeping it nice. IMO the pro's out weigh the con's with acrylic.

 

[chrome91]

I would go with acrylic, i wish i did for my tanks, you dont have to worry bout the tanks cracking, bursting, or losing their seal

 

[mps9506]

I currently have a glass tank and I'm thinking about purchasing a acrylic tank next time. My only concern is that scraping coraline might scratch the acrylic and create a nightmare. Most of my LFS say to get glass for this reason, however, glass is what they have in stock. I know acrylic is less likely to leak, crack and so on, but is it worth the risk regarding scratches. Also do halides yellow or discolor the acrylic over time?

Like Frankie said below, if you are wiping your tank down with a mag scrapper every day, then coralline isn't a problem. I high quality acrylic tank will not yellow, fade or bend over time.
A positive with acrylic is you get an ultra clear viewing panel without paying the premium for low iron glass. The negatives of course is it can scratch, although high quality stuff is much tougher than you might expect.
Acrylic is also easier to drill for closed loops or additional overflows if you are upgrading, and cheaper to drill than glass.
I find most of the arguments against acrylic are old school arguments from back when acrylic tanks weren't that great. Regardless of glass or acrylic, you get what you pay for when you go custom. Just keep that in mind