Acrylic vs. Glass
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For a normally shaped tank, I would go with glass, hands down. The advantages of Acrylic are, as you pointed out, ease of use and also amazing clarity. Also, acrylic is not as rigid and can withstand a blow much better than glass. But if you expect your tank to recieve such a blow, chances are you have other problems...
By planning ahead and getting all your holes drilled that you will ever need before setting up your tank, the ease-of-use argument for acrylic is overcome. And when you take into consideration the inevitable hairline (and deeper) scratches that acrylic will amass over time, going with crystal-clear low-iron glass you are much better off in my opinion.
One other argument can be made for glass over acrylic is that acrylic needs to be supported across its entire span, whereas glass only needs support along the edges.
That being said, I have an acrylic tank and I love it! But it's an odd shape with bent corners (another acrylic nicety). But it's only 6 months old and despite the care I take in cleaning it and protecting it, there are still scratches already, and if I had to do it over again, it would be a low-iron glass tank for me.
By planning ahead and getting all your holes drilled that you will ever need before setting up your tank, the ease-of-use argument for acrylic is overcome. And when you take into consideration the inevitable hairline (and deeper) scratches that acrylic will amass over time, going with crystal-clear low-iron glass you are much better off in my opinion.
One other argument can be made for glass over acrylic is that acrylic needs to be supported across its entire span, whereas glass only needs support along the edges.
That being said, I have an acrylic tank and I love it! But it's an odd shape with bent corners (another acrylic nicety). But it's only 6 months old and despite the care I take in cleaning it and protecting it, there are still scratches already, and if I had to do it over again, it would be a low-iron glass tank for me.
I have had 2 glass 180s and 2 acrylic 180s hehe...it would suit me just fine if i never owned another acrylic tank. Too easily scratched which brings the arguement the scratches can be polished out which is true...but i have better things to do with my time like sit in front of my scratchless glass tank drinking beer =)
Acrylic Cons: bows over time (in most cases), scratches more easily, is more expensive, most acrylic turns color over time, hard to scrape algae and coraline off the surface and have to be very careful when doing it
Acrylic Pros: No seams that can fail, can be built in unique shapes, usually more clear than glass, acrylic weighs MUCH less, won't crack or shatter nearly as easily, easier to drill, no wierd distortion of creatures when viewed at an angle, scratches can be buffed out
Aside from reverse pros and cons above glass panels can be replaced and glass tanks can be built on site. Cleaning the inside with a razor blade is a HUGE time savor if you like a clean surface look on the front, sides and in some tanks the back.
If you are going to keep LPS or SPS, glass is virtually a must unless you are VERY careful. I have scratched my glass tank simply by accidentally bumping an SPS into the glass while I was moving a coral.
Acrylic Pros: No seams that can fail, can be built in unique shapes, usually more clear than glass, acrylic weighs MUCH less, won't crack or shatter nearly as easily, easier to drill, no wierd distortion of creatures when viewed at an angle, scratches can be buffed out
Aside from reverse pros and cons above glass panels can be replaced and glass tanks can be built on site. Cleaning the inside with a razor blade is a HUGE time savor if you like a clean surface look on the front, sides and in some tanks the back.
If you are going to keep LPS or SPS, glass is virtually a must unless you are VERY careful. I have scratched my glass tank simply by accidentally bumping an SPS into the glass while I was moving a coral.
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Two notes on that. A flame polished seam has a very high chance of failing. I'm also taking care tank by Sea Clear that the seam has a high probablility of failing because it was constructed out of too thin acrylic.
If the tank is built properly, it should not fail. If the manufacturer cuts corners, those corners will break.
Another pro for acrylic is that is insulates better. That can be a con if you're trying to rid yourself of heat, which I gues most of us are.
Unless I absolutly had to, I would never go acrylic. I clean many and have to be 1000x more careful so that I don't scratch them. It's much more time consuming and frustrating.
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That I can agree on.
One point to consider: I'm having my 240g acrylic made again b/c I want perfect seams (having the occasional bubble has annoyed me for years). I searched for a month to find a good, reputable glass manufacturer. It's much easier to have a quality custom acrylic tank made than a custom glass tank.
