240g for sale on e-bay again

[don-n-sa]

as some of you know I have been shopping around for a large aquarium and I came across this one on e-bay yesterday and I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on it.

this guy tried to sell this same one a while back and I am skeptical about it since it seems like a good deal

also I would prefer a glass tank due to that is what I have always had but if anyone who has acrylic let me know what you guys/girls think :D

thanks!

here is the link
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4312862336#ebayphotoho sting

[Nano_Steve]

ive had my 30 gallon acrylic for a little more than 6 months...........go with glass!!!

i hate the fact that acrylic scratches everytime i touch it!!!.......um.......well it seems like that :P but seriously, i like glass so much better. i cant tell a visual difference like some people claim to be able to, plus its a sinch to clean coralline off of glass. with acrylic you risk lowering its value considerably.

-steve

[ratboy]

When you start getting into tank sizes > 200 gallons glass tanks get VERY heavy due to increased glass thickness. I just bought a used 280 gallon tank (3/4" glass, 7' x 3' x 2') and I had to get a moving company to move it (~ 1400 lbs!!). Acrylic does scratch easily but it also buffs out relativly easily. A new large glass tank will probably cost more that a similar sized acrylic tank too.
-Erik

[ratboy]

If you are interested in that tank Id find out who made it, what brand and thickness of acrylic was used. There are alot of tank manufs out there and not all of them use good quality acrylic and may craze or bow over time. That tank looks a little bit DIY to me....

[Bigreefer]

I've had both acrylic and glass 125G. I prefer the glass for all the mentioned benefits plus my glass seemed to radiate heat better. The acrylic runs 3 degrees hotter than the glass in the same environment.

The acrylic weight is sure nice however it's not so easy to buff out the scratches on the inside of the tank. Even on the outside, you will always have a light haze in the buffing area.

[z28pwr]

I've seen that tank on ebay for about a year now. I sent the guy an email a while back explaining to him how that stand was not appropriate for an acrylic tank and that the owner of that tank would have some major problems if he used that stand but he didn't really seem to care.


Regarding the glass acrylic debate. I've had numerous tanks from 10 gallons all the way to 720 gallons and my personal preference is glass for anything under 300 gallons and acrylic for anything over that. On a reef system coraline will stick to acrylic and you will have lots of fun removing it, and the reason why I don't like glass tanks over 300 gallons is because they are very hard to move and most of the time cost more money then an acrylic tank the same size.

[Sunhutch]

Forgive me asking, I dont know much about acrylic tanks, but why is that stand no good for that tank.

Ken

[dan]

my 250 is acrylic and i am also looking for a bigger tank and it will be acrylic. looking for a 448 that would be a 6' x 4 ' x 30'' high. probably go to get it from tenecore. all they want is MONEY. waiting for someone in the family to win the lotto.

[matt]

Probably because it doesn't support the entire bottom of the tank?

There's an easy way to buff out scratches on the inside of an acrylic tank, provided you can reach the area. I wouldn't be too concerned about scratches, but you'll have to learn this method of buffing. It's not too complicated. Acrylic does insulate twice as well as glass, which means in the summer less heat will escape through the acrylic, but in the winter they'll stay warmer. Acrylic tanks that are well made are beautiful, with much better light transmission than glass, and will last forever if cared for. Whether or not this one was well made is another story. You'd have to see it, and find out what kind of acrylic it's made of. There are huge differences in acrylic quality. If you found out that it was made with either Spartech polycast or Cyro GP, then it would be worth looking at. In particular, you'd want to see what the joints looked like, and what type of solvent or cement was used in the construction. The absolute best would be if it were made with chamfered edges and a polimerizing cement like weldon 40. The worst would be if it were poorly solvent welded with lots of bubbles in the joints.

FWIW, 2 sheets of 1/2" spartech would be at LEAST $600, probably more, and that's how much acrylic this would take; one sheet for the front/back, one for the ends/bottom, and the drops for the top bracing. That's with 5 X 8 sheets. That makes me think this might be imported (asia) acrylic, which I certainly would not trust in my house filled with water.

I'd love to have a nice big acrylic tank. There's a guy in Portland who makes GREAT tanks, does alot of work for pro aquariums. His name is James, email acrylics@aol.com. You might send him an email if you're seriously looking for a big tank.

[z28pwr]

Forgive me asking, I dont know much about acrylic tanks, but why is that stand no good for that tank.

Ken

Because an Acrylic tank requires full support of the bottom since all it does is transfer the load onto the stand, unlike a glass tank which only requires perimeter support. By having a stand like that the tank will start bowing from the bottom and may eventually break a seam or make a crack.

[don-n-sa]

thanks everyone...your info/expertise is appreciated.

[Tim Marvin]

I'm with Z28, a tank that big needs to be acrylic for the joint strength. I have seen too many large tanks leak that are glass, and have yet to see an acrylic leak that wasn't due to abuse.