The beginning of the upsize

[Lorna]

After being on a fish/aquarium hiatus....not allowed to buy anything......at least anything noticeable for a while......I went and got a nice pair of bangaii cardinals for my 75 and a pygmy angel for the 20......and what does my husband say.......but...... you need a bigger tank.......so the discussion is underway to upsize to a 120g. Now I start soliciting opinions.....glass versus acrylic.......any thoughts.

 

[Fishckabibble]

i like glass tanks but i hear acrylic is better, dont know because i have never had an acrylic (besides my little 2.5g) the good thing about acrylic is it weighs less and is stronger, so you could put in more LR without worrying about the bottom busting out.

 

[saltwater4life]

yea i only have had small acylic tanks i liked them but i didn't know they were stronger...

 

[Joe Fish]

I do know acrylic is stronger, but it scratches easy. You can get scratch remover though. I do like how it is lighter and easier to drill. Actually very easy to drill. I would love for my wife to say something like that to me. I would be on the way to the pet store before she finished her sentense.

 

[kevin4052002]

Acrylic is strong, but glass's strength is sufficient upto a few thousand gallons. In the sizes that we typically deal with, glass is a little more convenient, even for its weight. If you want a completely custom shape, it is much cheaper to do it in acrylic.

I would go for a 125 glass, unless cost of lighting, plumbing, rock, etc. is an issue, than a 120 glass would be an easy upgrade.

 

[Lorna]

I was sticking with the 120g due to the footprint size... I am somewhat limited to space. I would move my existing rock etc into the new tank and add a bit. I think I would like to keep my 75 and start up a fowlr predator tank......as opposed to a reef that is. I will start saving my scheckles for now.......figure the upgrade is a nice new second mortgage....hahahaha.....

 

[aresgod]

I would recommend the 125 as well, the shape of the 120 is difficult to work in and aquascape, the extra 2 feet would be huge for swimming room too.

 

[SALTY WATERS]

I have only heard that the acrylice will scratch extremly easily, so my opinion would be glass.

 

[S.Reef]

Well...when it comes to glass vs. acrylic there are a few questions to ask yourself. How much do you want to spend? Acrylic will cost about double that of glass. Do you have any little kids that will be around the tank? I know my boss had a 120 acrylic that was scratched down the front by his 3 year old. Personally I would go acrylic if I had the money, was not planning on tearing down the tank in the next few years. At the same time glass will cost a whole lot less and the extra money can be put towards a few very nice specimens...or upgrade some equiptment.

If you go Reef stick with the 120...it gives you 6 inches or additional sandbed and you can really achieve a natural look. With a 125 I would find the 18 inches front to back too shallow for building up rockwork.

 

[Igor The Cat]

for that small of a tank i say glass, unless you have tankbusters that is.

cheers

-Java

 

[Lotus]

If you're making the decision of glass or acrylic, you might want to think about your life for the next few years. If you're planning on moving house, or have a lot of decorating etc. going on in the future, you should seriously consider acrylic. It's much easier to move, and not as easy to break. Two of you should be able to lift an empty 125g acrylic with no problems. Should you ever go for tankbuster fish, acrylic will be harder for them to break, too.

Acrylic does scratch, but scratches can be buffed out (if they're on the inside, you'd have to empty the tank). You also need to watch out on what kind of scrapers you use for algae removal or maintenance on an acrylic tank.

 

[Lorna]

Thanks for the input.....I think s.reef is right as to the aquascaping aspect of the 120 vs the 125......I was drawn to the 24" depth as it gives some great rock potential. The benefit of the 125 is of course the length.....but that is where my size issue comes into play, I can't fit a 6ft tank in that spot.....and I don't want to hide it away in another room....I want it in full view....