Need opinions on this acrylic cube

[spikehs]

I heard of this guy off of ebay from the people at RC. I was hoping someone here who has some acrylic experiance could chime in.
http://cgi.ebay.com/16X16X14-RIMLESS...item2c5043b4a8

The tank is 16x16x14 (15.5gallons), Rimless with bent corners. The acylic is 3/8 of an inch. I'm curious if that is thick enough to prevent bowing. From what I've read on acrylic one of the main reasons they get scratch up is because there is bowing when you scrape the tank, leaving two pressure points to cause scratches.

Thanks!

[Myka]

Acrylic was all the rage in the early 2000's because of their light weight and super clear panels. Then we all found out that the lightweight only counts when you move it which doesn't happen often, and the lovely clear panes get all scratched up super easily! I know of a couple people that had sand-sifting fish in their acrylic tanks, and just from them blowing sand around the acrylic got teeny little scratches that gave it a hazy look. It was awful. Glass is once more far more popular than acrylic. I wouldn't buy an acrylic tank.

[sphelps]

It may bow a couple mm but nothing too drastic, it also depends on the quality of acrylic. The cell cast is the hardest so it shouldn't bow at all if that's the case although the price is pretty low for that type of acrylic. There is also continuous cast acrylic which is common for 3/8" thickness and is still good stuff but it's cheaper than cell cast and not quite as strong. Either way it's a great deal, I couldn't purchase the material for much less and if the manufacturer took the time to bend the corners it means they know what they are doing so the seams should be solid.

If you're OK with an acrylic tank and like the size and look of this one I would say go for it. You won't get a better deal and besides the overflow box being a little small it looks really good.

I wouldn't worry about the scratches, nanos are easy to clean carefully and you can always buff them out if you make a mistake. They don't scratch as easily as Myka mentioned, they won't scratch from sand blowing around unless it's in a sandblaster

[fkshiu]

Originally Posted by sphelps

I wouldn't worry about the scratches, nanos are easy to clean carefully and you can always buff them out if you make a mistake. They don't scratch as easily as Myka mentioned, they won't scratch from sand blowing around unless it's in a sandblaster

I would definitely beg to differ in my experience. Acrylic scratches far too easily when you've got a reef even if you are extremely careful because virtually anything - a speck of sand caught in a magfloat, moving a piece of liverock, even a frag that falls - can cause a scratch. While you can buff you scratches, it is a massive PITA after you've done it a few times and it always seems that right after you've buffed out one another one appears. Reefkeeping is high maintenance enough without having to add another job to the mix.

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by fkshiu

I would definitely beg to differ in my experience. Acrylic scratches far too easily when you've got a reef even if you are extremely careful because virtually anything - a speck of sand caught in a magfloat, moving a piece of liverock, even a frag that falls - can cause a scratch. While you can buff you scratches, it is a massive PITA after you've done it a few times and it always seems that right after you've buffed out one another one appears. Reefkeeping is high maintenance enough without having to add another job to the mix.

Yes acrylic scratches easily when compared to glass but lets not get carried away. My point was it won't scratch from sand blowing around the tank. A glass tank will also scratch if rocks or corals fall against it or if sand gets stuck in your magnet cleaner. I've owned my fair share of acrylic tanks and have worked with acrylic for years, you simply have to be a little more careful and only use cleaning products made for acrylic.

[Mrfish55]

I think what it will all boil down to is personal preference and how you are with your maintenance, I swore I would never have another acrylic tank yet here I am, VERY happy with mine, I do find it is easier to clean but I am cleaning more frequent, I am only doing a FOWLR and I am not so sure I would use acrylic for a reef as scraping coraline could prove more damaging. I have successfully buffed out a few minor scratches both on the inside and outside. Comparitively speaking I feel this tank at 5 years old looks as good as or better than any glass tank I have had set up for the same amount of time and will only be better as it ages (never have to deal with discolored or peeling silicone in the corners)

[Mrfish55]

I used to swear I would never own another acrylic tank (had a 40 gal one about 20yrs ago, scrached up real easy and looked terrible in about 6 months) and then I just picked up my 750gal monster (used) This tank is 5 years old and has no more scratches than a comparable glass tank the same age, only difference is you can polish a scratch out of acrylic far easier than glass. I think the key to acrylic is to buy a high end tank, there are many grades of acrylic and the saying "You get what you pay for" is certainly true here. Whatever you do make sure it is cell cast and not extruded, extruded is not as strong and is softer making it easier to damage.

[sphelps]

It's not likely extruded because the heat from bending the corners would have caused stress cracks when the solvent was applied. Extruded also isn't much cheaper than continuous cast when it comes to thicknesses of 3/8" or more.

[Mrfish55]

The listing does state it is cell cast but looking at how tight the radius is on the corners I would suspect they are glued up and then machined to give the rounded edge, my old tank was 1/2" bent and the corners were nowhere near as tight as those look. Perhaps an e-mail to the seller could clarify the construction of this cast cube

[Ryan]

14" deep with 3/8 glass and there will be bowing??? I dont think so.