subject: How To Choose Your Acrylic Fish Tanks [print this page] So you want an aquarium for your home and aren't quite sure weather to buy an acrylic fish tank or a glass one. Acrylic fish tanks are very often the best choice, other than the increased price most of the differences between the two are considered an advantage for the acrylic side. But to be sure you feel the same we will review the differences and you can make a decision for yourself.
For the average size aquarium, and by that I mean around 55 or 75 gallons typically 4 feet long, or the smaller ones like the 10 and 20 gallon variety, glass is substantially more popular. For the very large aquariums, the 125 gallon plus sizes that are at least six feet long the exact opposite is true. The reason for this is that the benefits of having an acrylic tank are greater for larger tanks and also as the size of the tank increases the price variance between the two level out. The glass for a very large tank needs to be so thick in order to be strong enough that it becomes incredibly heavy to move and just as expensive to make as acrylic.
Another difference between the two is strength, acrylic is able to withstand a greater impact than glass. A standard size quarter inch thick glass aquarium usually could explode at the impact of an object thrown at it, this could lead to a big mess and possibly many more problems with that much water in your house. However an aquarium made of acrylic with the same thickness could take this beating and quite a bit more. Tanks much larger than 55 gallons usually have thicker glass and can stand up against most household accidents but the added strength is always a good thing.
There are a few other slight advantages to having an acrylic tank. Glass is more reflective than Acrylic is, this is often very distracting when viewing the tank particularly if there is a light or window across from the fish tank however if you do end up getting a glass aquarium good placement of the tank itself and the lights in the room can often make this problem very nominal. Glass fish tanks also have a little bit less clear of a view through them than acrylic, this is minor though and special glass can be purchased for a little more that has an even better view than typical acrylic tanks. Glass is also much harder to scratch than acrylic is, but acrylic can be repaired much more easily than glass can if it is scratched. If glass is scratched it is severely impractical to attempt to fix it and often impossible, the scratch is pretty much there for the life of the aquarium.
Hopefully this short article helped you understand the difference between the two common aquarium tank materials feel free to check out my site if there is more information you would like on the subject.
