Acrylic Aquariums Vs Glass Aquariums

What most people are aware of, regarding acrylic aquariums vs glass aquariums is that the former is more expensive than the latter. The price does not necessarily make one better than the other, contrary to the common perception of most people. Both of them have their own benefits and drawbacks and are suitable according to different needs. Glass aquariums have been there for a long time in the industry and the acrylic ones are growing to be popular over time.

Pros of Glass Aquariums
Glass is a highly scratch-resistant material. Glass tanks cannot be inflicted upon by any kind of scratches, until a very hard material is used and with a good amount of pressure. Normally, a deliberate attempt, which is most unlikely to occur, may cause scratches on the glass aquarium, otherwise not.

The glass tank's rigidity is another benefit over the acrylic one. It requires less of structural support at the top in order to keep the tank from flexing or splitting its seams under the weight of the water. You need not give any extra support or bracing to the tank.

Clarity is maintained over time and the tank does not discolor. Apart from this, the most important benefit of glass, when it comes to acrylic vs glass aquariums, is its cost-effectiveness. This is because the material is easier to ship and does not require much specialized tools to work with.

Cons of Glass Aquariums
Glass is denser than acrylic and thus weighs more. Normally, the amount of weight by which a glass tank exceeds that of its acrylic counterpart is about 4-10 times.

Glass aquariums have a risk of breaking or getting shattered with a sharp impact. They also do not provide the ease of being moved from one place to another; less mobility, precisely!

Making a fish tank from glass which is not rectangular in shape is a difficult job. This is due to the make of the glass material, which is rigid and brittle. Curved glasses always have the tendency to show smaller or larger reflection of things than their actual size.

Glass tanks are not so easy to be modified and hence it becomes difficult to accommodate any accessories, such as a filter system.

As the refractive index of glass is more than that of water, images inside the tank like that of the fish, etc., tend to get distorted. Sizes, colors, positions will have some kind of error in their view when perceived from outside the glass.

Pros of Acrylic Aquariums
Acrylic tanks being lighter, are easier to be moved if any need arises. These tanks are more crack-proof than their glass counterparts. Other than rectangular shape, acrylic tanks come in a wide variety of shapes. This is due to the fact that these material can be easily molded into any shape. Even if they are curved, they offer less distortion than the glass types.

Ease of modification is another positive feature of acrylic tanks. Accessories can be accommodated without much hassle. Having a refractive index closer to that of water, acrylic aquariums create minute distortion of the images of the objects inside it. Size and color of a fish for example will not be affected, except for a negligible error in the position.

Cons of Acrylic Aquariums
The vulnerability towards getting easily scratched, is perhaps the most pronounced drawback of acrylic aquariums. A mere contact with clothing, bag, jewelry and the likes can easily put a scratch on the tank. Not only this, fish, crabs and other inhabitants can also inflict a scratch from the inside.

Support is required for the entire bottom of the acrylic tank. If not provided, bottom of the tank may pull away from the seams under the weight of the water. The material of the tank is also prone to bowing apart and either splitting seams or spilling water. In order to counter this, the tank requires much more support at the top.

Acrylic aquariums are known to wear a yellow coloration over time and thus clarity is something which is least expected from an older tank. These aquariums will cost you more than the glass ones of the same size. This is mainly due to the higher shipping costs of the tanks.

So, from the above discussion of acrylic aquariums vs glass aquariums, it can be inferred that the acrylic types may be a good choice for people who can take extreme care about the scratches and the cost. For those who are comfortable with the pretty distorted images of their fish pets and give more consideration to the aquariums being scratch resistant and clear, glass tanks fit the bill.