renman303 Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 (edited) I am looking at various 200 gallon setups to upgrade my 55 gallon. Does anyone have experience with Acrylic? I was looking at Tenecor who specializes in acrylic tanks. They do make some compelling arguements for acrylic http://www.tenecor.com/info_lib_2.html like light weight, clarity bettter than any glass tank and the ease of removing scratches (I have some in my 55 gal glass tank as well) and it's usually the only material used in very large applications. Edited February 14, 2008 by renman303 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I have a 150 acrylic I bought on craigslist. I had to refurbish due to the scratches. I love my acrylic tank. Most complaints are they scratch real easy. I have yet to scratch mine! Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I personally will never own an acrylic tank because I have seen the scratches they get. I prefer glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismunn Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 if you think about it, people normally scratch the inside of a tank when moving rocks, adding corals, or scraping coralline. sure you can buff out scratches, but what are you going to do when all the scratches are on the inside of the tank, and the tanks full of water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 You have to be SUPER careful. And you gotta love the clarity. But they both have there good and bad points. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bmwaaron Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I went with Starfire glass for my 200 because I have almost the clarity of Acrylic that wont scratch as easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I vote starfire too. :showoff: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismunn Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 i would agree, starfire is that way to, at least for the viewing panes.... if you can afford it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Key word here is afford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headless_donkey Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I have a Tenecor tank. The construction is fantastic. I will NEVER own another acrylic tank! It is clear when you can keep it clean which is almost never. Starfire is the way to go. I asked at Kingfish about a custom tank and they said it added very little to upgrade to starfire/low iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatic-J Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I have almost always owned acrylic tanks. Yes they will scratch and yes they are a little tougher to clean. I always clean the inside with the white filter pad you can get in bulk at the LFS and as far a cleaning the outside I always used the plain white wash cloths you buy in a 12 pack at Walmart. Wet one for wiping the dirt and smudges off and another one dry for polishing the tank dry. The other drawback is if you are using MH lighting avoid placing the bulb directly over the braces, could soften the acrylic, just a precaution. Other than that you can't beat the clarity. I also lived in California for a while and that is all you can use in the earth quake areas because acrylic gives and won't shatter like glass. Just my input hope it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropy Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I have had both and prefer glass because of the scratching. In a saltwater environment there are just too many things that like to attach to the sides/front and glass is just simple easier to clean without damage. I did have an acrylic 60g for 7 years as a FW community tank and never got a single scratch so it can be done, but coralline makes it tough unless you like to clean daily. Another point that is often brought up is weight. A 200g glass tank is a 4-6 guy lift, while a 200g acrylic can be done with 2 guys IMO. But that advantage is only one time so it is worth it to get the extra guys IMO. Once the tank is full of water, sand, and rock the weight difference is minimal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renman303 Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 (edited) Rich, Thanks for the insight. Same to everyone else. Great point on the weight, being it's a one time shot. Who's going to lift it after that? I'm sure I can muster 4-5 guys to help me put the tank in place when the time arises? Cindy....great point on the MH heat. I can't find anyone that makes a "brick" tank with no supports on top, especially one that is 6' in length? I've decided that I'm going with a tank that's Starphire glass on both long sides since it will be viewed from two sides. If I'm going to drop a few G's on a tank what's a few hundred to make it look rights??? Next is to decide on a tank from Oceanic , Glasscages or (someone told me about "Deep Sea" but, I'll be dipped if I can find them anywhere on the net???? Edited February 15, 2008 by renman303 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos@River City Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 For starfire tanks we use DSA http://www.deepseaaquatics.net/ and AGE http://www.acrylicandglassexhibits.com/ Both do amazing work although AGE seems to have the edge when it comes to custom work and the PVC bottoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renman303 Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 Carlos, Thanks for the link....The DSA tanks look really nice! I've heard that this is the company that bought out Oceanic? I was looking at Glasscages as well. They have a 240 gallon that is 72x24x31 tall that is Reef Ready, bulkheads, 2 overflows, Starphire glass on both sides including stand for $1900 delivered to Dallas. I'd still have to drive up there but I'm sure the tank and stand would fit in my pickup. Seems like a really good price considering that I got a price on an Deep Sea 215 the other day with oak stand and it was also $1900. But the DSA did not have Starphire Glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headless_donkey Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Please search reefcentral.com and nano-reef.com for "reviews" of Glasscages. I don't have any personal experience and don't want to spread rumors, but I HIGHLY recommend looking for reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Thanks for posting that. I have been looking all over for the thread. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 FWIW http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=1171533 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismunn Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 oh my god! i know what company ill never use for a custom tank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renman303 Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 I'm convinced....I want nothing to do with this company now! I phoned them for a quote and the lady who answered was very curt and snappy. I just chalked it up to someone falling off of the wrong side of the bed...I guess she did, and landed square on her head ! I will now check out "Aquarium Obsessed" and others. I'm going to post some pics here in a sec to show you where I want to put this tank. I'll start a new thread though so you can all see the progress. Great help guys! Thanks for covering my 6 !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 ABout the only real reason I could give you to get an acrylic besides being able to customize it whenever and however you wish (think drilling holes for closed loop) is that I can lift and move my 400g acrylic with only the help of my girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semperfimarine1 Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 i own a 110 acrylic by tenecor. i am currently in the process of about switching it out to a glass tank! like its been said before they both have there highs and lows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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