Glass Aquariums Or Acrylic Tanks – Some Things To Remember

If you have been thinking about acquiring a pet fish for your home or office then you have obviously been thinking about some sort of fish tank to put the fish in. Right. So you should already know the range of choices can be a little overwhelming at times. Do I choose glass or acrylic? Now I know the well-being of your fish is the most important thing in the world to you and that is why you need to make an informed choice, not a guess. The choice you make will greatly effect the well being of your fish.

Pros for Acrylic Aquariums

• Crystal clear clarity
• Stronger than glass for less chance of fracturing
• Many shapes are available for that extra touch in your home or office
• Lightweight to cause lower stress on stands
• Crack resistant
• Won’t leak
• Holes may be cut into them to help with the addition of accessories
• Greater insulation than glass
• More commonly available for delivery from online stores

Disadvantages of Acrylic Tanks

• Higher cost
• More susceptible to scratches
• Difficult to repair
• Certain amount of visual distortion
• Over time cheaper grades of acrylic can turn slightly yellow

With Acrylic you have more options when it comes to custom work since it can be formed into pretty much any shape and form you can think of. This definitely makes for an awesome conversation subject. An good thing to remember if you do take the fancy design route is that you must make sure that the air to water ratio of the tank is correct. If it isn’t then your fish could very well suffocate from lack of oxygen.

For this reason your choice of fish tank supplies need to be correctly picked out for your application so your pets stay healthy.

If you are plannig to keep your aquarium tank for a long time glass could be a good option for you. Although glass refracts light a little more than acrylic it will not yellow over time giving you a longer lasting experience in the years ahead.

Because glass tanks are not as robust as acrylic ones and are more prone to breakage, it makes sense to keep your marine tank out of the high traffic zones in your home. And unless you throw yourself or something else at it, it’s not going to break on you.

Some Advantages for Glass

• Multiple sizes and shapes
• Will last for years and years
• Not easily scratched
• Not as expensive
• Will not yellow
• Do not need extra support or bracing
• Very popular type of aquarium

Glass Aquarium Negatives

• Not as light as acrylic so will need a much stronger stand
• Has a higher risk of breaking or cracking
• Making modifications like holes for additional accessories is very difficult
• Not very mobile after it has been filled
• Custom work for glass is very limited
• Poor insulator
• Less selection if purchasing online

With acrylic tanks there are so many different ideas and designs available that you really are only limited by your imagination. Just make sure that you do not overfill the aquarium with pets so that they are still allowed to function and flourish properly.

A couple of final things to remember is if you plan on having a lot of stuff like coral, plants, fish or rock in your aquarium then glass is a good selection as it can expand and breath to accommodate the extra weight. The acrylics can bow under too much pressure, wherein the glass will only expand and breath to facilitate the added weight.

Lastly the most important thing to consider is the health of your wet pets. If you keep their welfare in the forefront of your mind and choose the appropriate aquariums tanks then everything will work out just fine.

One choice that is starting to be extremely popular with many new and seasoned aquarists is the biorb fish tank. What makes this a good pick is the fact that it is kind of old school meets new school. It is small enough to fit on top of a desk or shelf but large enough to still be a popular center piece in any room.