Opinions on Acrylic

[darkdep]

Can I get some feedback from those of you who actually HAVE Acrylic tanks? 

Basically, are they really THAT easy to scratch?  And if so, is it THAT hard to remove them?

[busdriver]

Chris, check out these sites, the second source explains how great their tanks are.


www.crystalaquariums.com/

www.aquariumsource.com/

[darkdep]

I'm actually reading that page right now   I've read all the literature; what I need is someone who HAS them who can tell me their opinion on the scratching thing.

I've found another builder in the states with very attractive pricing.

[az]

I'm actually reading that page right now   I've read all the literature; what I need is someone who HAS them who can tell me their opinion on the scratching thing.

I've found another builder in the states with very attractive pricing.

very easy to scratch if you are not careful, kent proscraper is the only thing that works, thanks.

[murgus]

If I'm not mistaken, jimskoi 400 gallon tank is acrylic...

Andrew

[audioslave_36]

Yes Jim's is acrylic, and it does scratch easy, I witnessed it first hand at his house, but he did say the nice thing about scratches in acrylic is that you can almost always get rid of them.  I am having a custom made 90g diamond corner tank made right now in acrylic also.

[AdamR]

Contact Redbelly, his main coral tank was scratched badly, it looks good now buy it was a lot of work.

[redbelly]

It really depends on the type of acrylic. Some is harder to scratch but then is also harder to remove the scratches.
As for my coral bed Mark and I spend over 80 hrs buffing it with an electric grinder.

[darkdep]

But you still like Acrylic, right?

I'm more concerned about scratches showing up on the inside...

[BigMomma]

I've been doing the same research on acrylic since I would eventually like to get a custom half cylinder tank. One of the products that seems to get rave reviews is Everclear for buffing acrylic http://www.etr-inc.com/shop/cart.php

Why would you be worried about scratches inside the tank? Once the tank is full I don't think the refraction of light would be that noticeable ... maybe I'm wrong, I'd like to know ... 

[darkdep]

I guess it's just because the tank will have Africans...which means rockpiles...which means rockslides at times   Plus cleaning the inside glass, although the Kent Proscraper looks like that could take care of that.

If I know I can deal with the scratches if they occur easily enough, I'll stop worrying.

[greddy]

I have a 40 gal hex, and it scratches quite easily so i'm extremely cautious.  I've never tried buffing it out (but its similar to automotive wet sanding), I have a scratch kit collecting dust.   

[Brine]

I know you only wanted opinions from people who have acrylic tanks but I worked for Canus Plastics every summer through University and one full year as a design intern. I can tell you that acrylic does scratch more easily than glass but with care you can avoid most of that.

Scratches can be sanded out and buffed exactly like scratches in a vehicle paint finish. Progressively finer and finer grits of sand paper then progressively finer grits of buffing compound and finally wax. There is also a liquid two part epoxy that can be used to fill gouges but this is a lot of work.
All in all I would say Acrylic is a good idea if you plan to drill or plumb the tank. It is also more flexible than glass so a bow front can be cheaper in acrylic. It is much easier to machine into odd shapes and profiles. If you are careful you can avoid scratches and if you do get scratches you can repair them unlike glass. Of course if the scratch is inside you'll have to empty the tank to repair it.

Be aware that you should NOT use glass cleaner or any cleaner like vinegar because it can react with the methylene chloride which is used to bond the pieces together. This leads to "crazing" which is not very attractive and can weaken the polymer matrix. Looks like this http://www.lichtenbergfigures.com/images/crazeb.jpg That is an EXTREME case but gives you the idea.
The best thing to use is a non-abrasive cleaner with no solvents such as mild dish soap. Most glass cleaners have some form of solvent in them, usually to aid in fast drying time.

Good luck.

[greddy]

Regarding BigMomma's post... Its not really the issue of light refraction, but more of aesthetics.  When your marine tank inner walls become scratched certain algae can build up a lot faster in the scratches.  So it really just makes more work and cleaning required.  Also pending the depth of the scratches some algae build up may be very hard to remove due to their depth (ie: a mag float may not remove it)...  Last off it just doesn't look as good as it should when its scratched up...

[Brine]

It occurs to me that you could always go to Canus or some other place and get a sample of the material you intend to use in the right thickness and grade and then test it. Scratch away, put it under water and look at it, leave it in a tank for a while to see if algae does grow in the scratches, in general mistreat it. This way you would know exactly how easy/difficult it is to scratch and what, if any, effects that would have.
Good luck.
I bet if you implied that you wanted a sample and that you were considering having an 8 foot tank built they might give it to you for free.