I've had both glass & acrylic tanks. I prefer the acrylic. It is much lighter & so much easier to move & work with. I am older now & it makes things easier on me.
Well, I have had both. I agree with you on the acylic. If price is not an issue definitely go acrylic. I used a product called Brillianaze on my acrylic to polish and remove scratches so it was never an issue. I use it to this day on my glass tank.
Both of my large tanks are acrylic and I will never go back to glass. Years ago I had an 8 month old 75 gallon salt water tank leak on me while I was at work. I came home to 50 gallons of water on floor. Fish survived but the damage to the floors and furniture turned me against glass. I wouldn't hesitate to refinish a used acrylic tank if I got a good deal on one as there are great how to tutorials on RU-vid. I would suggest using cleaners and sponges designed specifically for acrylic aquariums to prevent damaging the finish. I agree, the clarity is wonderful with acrylic and fish look better.
It's those kinds of stories that will keep me in acrylics from here on out. Rather than resealing my 60 gal at some point, I might just replace it with a used 100 acrylic. Thanks for commenting Susan.
I'm going to buy an aquarium soon, and I think I will go for acrylic, I read in many places that it scratches just looking at it, but people who have one (very very very few in Spain) are happy. My guess, a 128 liter aquarium with enough oxygenation, cleaning shrimps, fish and snails, plants and CO2, UV light to use punctually and a good filter, will leave such a small amount of maintenance that risks for scratches are very low. I will make an aquarium to decorate part of the room, and I want tranquility. A 160 liters glass aquarium, the cheapest I found was worth ~200€ (+/- 10€), a 128 liters acrylic aquarium costs ~320 euros (+/- 5 euros). Glass scratches as well as acrylic, acrylic can be fixed easily, glass will most likely have marks even if tried to be fixed. Glass unions sealed with silicone need to be resealed every certain period of time and silicone can be damaged, acrylic panels are kind of soldered and the aquarium might break if put into high pressure being of the wrong thickness, but will most likely break in the middle of a flat surface which is weaker against pressure, while glass will might leak in the unions or break anywhere. Scratches are not a stopper for me. I don't mind if glass is better for smaller aquariums, I acknowledge that glass is easier to build up once you have the pieces, but weight and fragility are stoppers, I had a 20 litter glass aquarium years ago and no leaks or anything like that but got scratches, so acrylic, no joints and better view.
I loved my acrylic tanks back in California. Had a 150 and a 100 gallon. If you’re careful it will go forever without a scratch. When it’s time to move they are so much lighter.
Ben I hear you on the weight issue. I just bought a 150 gallon glass tank. OMG!! It has to be at least 200lbs. I ain't getting any younger Ben! I'm pretty sure gravity has gained some strength in the last five years!
I always wanted to get an Acrylic Aquarium,. Two things; 1- do they burst / break regularly? 2. I have extremely Hard Water, will it stain the aquarium like how it does on an Glass Aquarium? We battle the Hard Water stains like nobody else in the USA. Thank you for sharing! I enjoyed watching as usual.
I think if someone is wanting a 55 gallon tank I would tell them to go glass. I think once you get over 200 gallons you go acrylic all day. Just for the simple fact that you mentioned is weight. I have a 125 glass that I think is twice the weight of my 250 acrylic or so it seems. Also being negligent on keeping the seams on a glass tank that has over 100 gallons of water can cause thousands of dollars in damage. Ask me how I know...... I resealed the 125 and it almost made me get out of the hobby. In five years the glass 125 grow out will be replaced with acrylic. Great video and I am always pleased to see a new video Ben. Have a great memorial day weekend!
I know the 2nd hand 500 litre glass Aquatlantis Fusion that we picked up for my brother, was a real pain to lift up and carry! As well as the cabinet that has to hold all of that weight...
I'm getting too old for heavy tanks. Fortunately I have a couple of big sons ... but they're not always around, so weight is becoming more and more a factor for me.
Cost is the number one factor keeping most from buying acrylic tanks. Long term, I believe acrylic is the way to go. There's a lot less chance for acrylic to fail. As you stated, less weight is a big plus for acrylic. You've been on a roll here lately.....excellent video!!! The eye bitter is looking sharp. That is one of my wife's favorite fish. She is growing a group out at present. She started with a small group about 1 inch in length, they're about 4 inches now I see the ole girl is still swimming around fat and happy!!!! LOL!!!!
How much is not worrying about a leak worth? I think a tremendous amount (especially after speaking with friends who have had glass tanks burst...). Thanks for watching Jennifer.
I like acrylic for the same reasons ! Own both as well . I have a 180 glass tank in my garage right now and wondering how I'm gonna get it in the house 😁😁😁 wanna come help
You can hire movers for the project. Just be very clear of the task/weight. They may even move it on a heavy duty cart until it would have to be lifted. Prices can vary greatly!!! I love those Red Sea 175 tanks with 1/2in low Iron glass and intergrated systems (bucket list...lol). But the weight is tremendous...lol.
I have both glass and acrylic tanks glass is more forgiving when cleaning and even though I’m very careful with the acrylic you always have that crap moment where you put a scratch it. over time the acrylic does haze and the only way to buff it is to break it down. I’ve done it with very little water in tank with fish in it and I had fish die off don’t know if it was from stress or it anything got in water
I'm finding it so hard to find a stand for my two 20 gallon tanks. I don't want them so tall like most. I also am not good at all with building or I know I could devise one. I know acrylics need support all the way across the bottom not just corners. One thing is that both of my 20 gallon acrylic ones bow on the top.
I prefer acrylic over glass for the reasons stated, less weight, clarity, less likely to leak, better shatter resistance & also the flexibility of the designs. I own several small size acrylic tanks ranging from hexagon, half-moons, cylindrical to a 28 sphere (BiOrb) a recent purchase. I will not consider purchasing large glass tanks after having a 75 gallon leak many years ago something I have yet to experience with my acrylics. I hope in the future to purchase a 115 gallon cylindrical acrylic tank.
Now that weight is no longer an issue since I'm in a garage fish room (see some of my recent videos) and low iron glass is so clear, all my tanks are glass.
I tuned in to see what your thoughts on the thermal properties of both. I’m planning a huge basement setup and wanted to know which retains heat better. Lol, California peeps don’t need to worry about that lol.
I live in the NYC area where both type tanks are really available. I must admit, having to have one buffed out intimidates me. But the clarity is awesome. I am also concerned about scratches and out right dents. I love Holley rock. They are dense and heavy (some 10 to 20lbs in weight). There have been many times during my aquascaping where the rock has slipped and gone up against the glass (causing mild panic attacks of course that I was about to crack or blow out the tank). The damage to acrylic would be quite significant.
Believe it or not, with acrylic, you could literally remove scratches with a heat gun...no need to buff them out. Just run a heat gun back and forth over the scratched area and you'll literally see the scratch melt away into the acrylic.
Gurvinder Parmar But you would have to break down the tank to do it. I try hard to be careful but I also like changing things around in my 120 periodically and definitely bang up the tank glass. The crazy thing is that my fish (African Cichlids) love changes in the rock work too from time to time.
@@migueleespinosa2632 I have a 150g African tank with half inch Acrylic...I've used the heat gun on the outside of the tank to remove scratches no problem...they're gone very quick if your handy with the heat gun. Inside scratches will obviously require draining...I'm a sand guy so scratches on the inside have been pretty low.
Nice video.i think you gonna make me buy acrylic tank now lol.i always watching your channel even from my work related tablet the main reason i don't leave comments .now that im in fresno i wanna know if there good fish clubs around.
Acrylic is the way to go, my two largest tanks are acrylic, and it was much easier to setup; I had a bad back, and just one helper and we moved a 135 gallon acrylic easily. Glass ones may be phased out the way soda bottles went from glass to plastic. Also, for many high-end set-ups today, acrylic is just so much more practical. If you pay attention to the show "Tanked" all the celebrities and millionaires who make the special and elaborate custom aquarium orders get acrylic. Glass is half the price or even less depending on the brands, but if you can go acrylic, just use your credit card and pay it off!
I have had glass in the past and had no issues but I love the clarity of the acrylic tanks. I now own a 65 and a 36. I take precautions on cleaning and have made some minute marks on the tanks but they are not noticeable. I prefer the acrylic also because the fear of leaking or a seam coming loose is gone. Some people were saying you couldn't put heaters in the acrylic tanks but that is not true. I have heaters in both of mine and have no issues. The acrylic tanks are molded at about 2000 degrees so I don't think my heater at 78 degrees is going to hurt it, even if if over heated I don't think it would be an issue. I also like the fact that i can order my acrylic tanks with a black, blue, or clear background. I use the black and I don't have to worry about accidentally scrapping off my background with my HOBS or other equipment. They are substantially more expensive but are study enough to become a family heirloom! LOL
I agree with you on all points, and I'd like to add that being acrylic the weight and stress on our floors is much less! Thanks for watching and commenting.
I hope you do not mind these questions, as I am sure you have heard them thousands of times, but how do you prevent scratches while cleaning the inside of limited access openings in the top? What tools do you use? How do you prevent the hazing that I have seen with acrylic? Also, how do you clean the outside of the tank? I am torn between glass or acrylic for a 7ft long x 36 wide by 30 tall tank.
You need to have scrubbers that are designed for acrylic and there are exterior cleaning agents that polish and are specific for acrylic like Novus and Plexus that work great. I'm currently in a garage with a concrete slab floor so weight is no longer a concern, but inside the house I would much prefer a much lighter acrylic tank. A fellow and I, just the two of us, moved a 150 gallon acrylic. It's going to take 4 people to lift the 90 gal glass tank I just got. The weight difference is huge. If you care for it correctly, acrylic is the way to go (if the price is not prohibitive).
Acrylic is clearer glass puts a slight green tint to the water the thicker the glass the more green tint you get . just look at the thickness of any glass and you will see the green I’m talking about .
Ben Ochart yes Ben there is a German low iron glass that is clear as acrylic but I personally never seen it I had one of the first acrylic tanks that they sold in the early 90,s and that was one of the selling point they had both tanks next to each other and said how glass will give a slight green tint to the water and showed you why . the acrylic tanks were called clarity plus I had a 110 gallon back then I think the name of the glass is starfire glass I’m a acrylic man all the way for lightness and plumbing ease I’ve plumbed a acrylic tank many different ways and had a 180 gallon one with beams in it where I was able to drill rocks and tywrap then to the beam to keep them suspended in the air making a real cave affect a lot different then piling rock on each other
Dear friend Ben, Maybe I'm too traditional, maybe I'm too old I do not know ... Possibly the acrylic aquariums are of an excellent quality, I do not doubt it, but I choose "glass", and with a good thickness. The glass of my smallest aquarium, has a thickness of 8 millimeters, the rest are all 10 or more millimeters ... I like and choice glass without doubts... . A hug from Germany PS: In your last video "SunSun vs Fluval who won" , I asked you for advice on the SunSun filter, I urgently need to change the filter of my 240-liter aquarium, and if opinion and advice are very important to me ... And I know it's difficult to answer everything the world, I understand ... Please, with your experience and knowledge, could you give me advice, your opinion and solve the questions I raised in my question in your last video, about the SunSun filter and the usefulness of the UV lamp? Thank you very much in advance.
Hello Francesc, did I ever answer your UV quesiton? I do have difficulty keeping up with comments sometimes. I only use the UV on weekends and it helps with water clarity. It is not as effective as some of the "twist" UVs that cost a lot more. I would consider the UV a huge advantage in the purchase of a SunSun.
@@BenOchart Thank you very much Mr. Ben, then I will buy the filter with UV, now I can only decide the exact model, the dealer says that 2,000LPH (528 gallons) is too powerful for my aquarium of 240 liters (63 gallons, but I think there are around about 54 gallons of water really). The dealer here in Germany says that the 1,400LPH (369 gallons per hour) is more suitable for my aquarium. But my experience tells me that normally all the external filters that I have had lose around 40% to 45% of their power as soon as they are loaded with material and functioning. With which, the SunSun HW-703B would move about three times the liters of my fish tank, and the HW-704B would move around 4 to 5 times the liters of water in my tank ... Assuming they lose the usual 42% power that usually lose almost all the Canister Filter. What do you think? What would be your choice? (is an aquarium with enough plants inside) really loses a lot of power SunSun filter to be loaded with material? Thanks in advance A big hug from Germany
I will never use acrylic again back in 1999 I spent 2800 bucks on a clear for life 300 gallon to set up my first reef tank and the triggers and some of the reef cleaners in the tank destroyed the inside of the tank taking big hunks of acrylic out of it, it looked so bad I bought a glass 265 to replace it that was in 02 I gave up on salt water in 05 its been a American cichlid tank since, 17 years seals still look great its never set empty some of the tanks when set empty seems to harden the silicone and then they fail I could not see having acrylic again with my cats they would scratch the heck out of it the way they go at the glass . This is just my opinion acrylic would work for most in areas where you have no sharp clawed animals and don't have some kinds of fish
Novus 2 does a great job of removing scratches. Follow up with their polishing finish (I believe it's Novus 1). If scratch inside tank, lower water level below scratch to treat. Product on Amazon.
@@BenOchart hello Ben, yeah thanks Susan I ordered will be here soon, I just make a little scratch outside the glass in my water change, I need to be more careful
Im still trying to figure out im looking to buy a 150 gallon for my koi fish they are babies right now but they are in danger of being eaten by my 2 red ear sliders
Hi Ben, what product(s) do you clean acrylic tank so you don't scatch it. I am strongly considering buying an acrylic tank but am worried about scratching tank while cleaning. Do you have any videos cleaning your acrylic tanks?
Fritz makes a spray that is good for both glass and acrylic. For inside cleaning use a soft sponge and constantly check to ensure that no sand or gravel has been picked up.
@@19boykin someone ordered it online from petsmart but got the one other the blue background so they returned it and I saw it on the shelf marked highly discounted
As tank size gets bigger, the difference in price between the two gets much smaller. For tanks in the house, I only use acrylic. In the garage, 40g and smaller are glass, above that is acrylic. Weight - when I had my 180g delivered, it was one guy who showed up (I helped). He said if I had bought glass there would have been 3 guys that showed up (with me helping) - and a higher delivery fee. I often add VERY BIG rocks to my tanks (75-100lbs) Even with gravel, I'm a little nervous about putting that much weight in one spot in a glass tank, as the bottom pane is only supported at its four edges. In an acrylic tank, the entire bottom rest on the stand, so no issues of weight in one place. Acrylic is a much better insulator - less money to heat and less fluctuation in temperature. Scratches has never been an issue for me - I've had acrylic since the early 90s.
LOL! Don't tell the trolls that when they rate a video, up or down, it helps the video in the RU-vid rankings ... so I'm getting that last laugh 😉 Thank you for watching Don.
