Acrylic vs Glass

[saucz]

Wat are the pros and cons of both. Why do most people go with glass?

http://reefgeek.com/products/categories/aquariums/10949.html

Would it be easy to DIY an acrylic tank?

 

[drunktank]

glass is :

heavier
almost scratch resistant
cheaper
doesnt fade

Acrylic is:

lighter
more expensive
fades a lil yellow over time
scratches real easily

 

[marrone]

Actually you can scratch glass very easily. Glass thens to have a green tint to it while Acrylic is very clear. You can buff out scratch in acrylic tanks which you can't do with glass tanks. With glass tanks there is a better chance for a leak compared to acrylic tanks which if they do leak are easier to fix. You need to be careful with lights on acrylic tanks as because of the heat could cause the top of the tank to seperate or warp.

In general most people pick glass over acrylic because of the cost. I have glass and acrylic tanks and I can tell you the acrylic tanks really glow and are much more clearier than glass tank. But you need to be really careful not to scratch the front of the tank.

 

[herman]

And then there is Starphire or low iron glass. No green tint and more $$$

 

[marrone]

And then there is Starphire or low iron glass. No green tint and more $$$

Seen both and Starphire still doesn't come close to the clarity of Acrylic and I'm not sure is worth the additional $$$.

Another big plus on the acrylic side is that you can get tanks of different size and shapes, even though they do make alot of different size glass tanks nowadays.

 

[NYPDFrogman]

Would it be easy to DIY an acrylic tank?

depends on the size, there is a technique to getting bubble free, strong joints

might want to do some small stuff before you attempt anything large.
I'm building a 450 gallon tank out of 1" acrylic