Plastic or Glass?

[Deleted]

Is it better to have a plastic tank or a glass tank?

It's really difficult lifting my heavy 10 gallon tank up the stairs when I want to relocate it. Even moving it into the next room is difficult.

Any advice?

[etana]

Well, glass tanks are usually prettier, easier to heat up with a heatmat for exotic snails, and more see-through. Plastic ones are easier to move around, they don't break, and with some snail species the heating is not such an issue either. So it's between weighing those things.

Almost all of my snails are in glass tanks (and I plan to get glass tanks for everyone in the long run), because they're so pretty and I need the heating to work. I just had to find the best spots possible for the tanks so I wouldn't need to move them for a long, long time. I'd ask for a hand from someone in the house if I really had to move any of them with everything inside. Especially my biggest tank I wouldn't even try to get anywhere by myself.

[astana]

I find that the main problem with plastic tanks is that they don't tend to be completely see-through. Other than that, plastic tanks are more durable and less heavy. But I use a glass tank, because.... as etana said.... they're purty.

[muddydragon]

i much, much prefer glass. So much easier to see through and is much easier to heat. i like to watch my snails so i want to be able to see them . I don't have the issue with them being heavy as i very rarely move the tanks (if i want to do a partial soil change for example i take a bucket to the tank). if i do have to move them (for example when i moved into this house and was still buying furniture) i tend to empty them first - makes it much easier.

[Deleted]

Hmm, I guess I'll just stick to the glass tank and have someone help me move it next time.

Thank you!

[Cashell]

Though the general consensus seems to prefer glass because it's clearer and holds heat better, I personally prefer plastic. The reason being is that it's lighter, cheaper, just as easy to clean, easier to drill holes in and can be extremely tough and sturdy like the brands I use. I also do not have visibility issues with the plastic I use, so I'm pro plastic, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with using glass.

[Deleted]

Jul 27, 2015 3:38:57 GMT Cashell said:

Though the general consensus seems to prefer glass because it's clearer and holds heat better, I personally prefer plastic. The reason being is that it's lighter, cheaper, just as easy to clean, easier to drill holes in and can be extremely tough and sturdy like the brands I use. I also do not have visibility issues with the plastic I use, so I'm pro plastic, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with using glass.

Could you tell me the best plastic containers to use?

Is it a specific type of plastic?

[Cashell]

I use KIS Omni (probably the better of the two I use) and Kitchen Essentials, but brands like Rubbermaid and GSC are also durable alternatives that you could try if you decide to choose plastic over glass. One disadvantage with plastic is that if you stain it badly and leave it unattended for too long, it may never come out.

[mangoandlemon]

I use a 10 gallon glass tank and a 16.43 qt rubbermaid bin, However the plastic is easier to clean and takes care of humidity very well. I like my ten gallon because it looks good and is good for viewing my snails in.

[Cashell]

Jul 27, 2015 16:04:07 GMT mangoandlemon said:

I use a 10 gallon glass tank and a 16.43 qt rubbermaid bin, However the plastic is easier to clean and takes care of humidity very well. I like my ten gallon because it looks good and is good for viewing my snails in.

If you have ever accidentally dropped your rubbermaid bin, how sturdy was it? And do the holes drill smoothly or does it crack like a cheap Chinese dollar store tote?

[mangoandlemon]

It is quite sturdy and i just got it so i haven't drilled holes yet.

[Cashell]

Good to know. I want to upgrade my cepaea's vivarium to a much larger space, but wanted to see if there's anything out there that could be even tougher than Omni KIS. I'll look around and see what works best.

[Katan]

I have plastic at the moment, but I bought a glass 10gal and I'm so excited to transfer. I'm just waiting for my coir to come in the mail

[Jade]

I like to keep them in glass as it looks better on display, pride of place in my living room ^.^

[mangoandlemon]

Jul 27, 2015 19:35:19 GMT Cashell said:

Good to know. I want to upgrade my cepaea's vivarium to a much larger space, but wanted to see if there's anything out there that could be even tougher than Omni KIS. I'll look around and see what works best.

The brand is called clever latch by rubbermaid.

[Deleted]

So glass holds more humidity then plastic?

[Liguus]

Jul 28, 2015 23:11:45 GMT @missjuniper said:

So glass holds more humidity then plastic?

I don't think that there is much of a difference, and humidity should mainly be dependent on how much air is allowed to flow into the terrarium.

I have a few glass terrariums, and prefer them since it looks nicer and is less likely to scratch. But with 8 different species and over 200 snails, I'm not always able to set everyone up in a glass aquarium, and plastic makes the cleaning a bit easier since the terrarium is lighter.