Acrylic Vs Glass Aquariums

You hear of acrylic and glass aquariums, but do you know what the difference between the two of them are? Do you know which one's best for you? Looking at the pros and cons of each aquarium will help you decide.

Pros of acrylics - Acrylic tanks provide crystal clear aquatic views of your fish scenery. With a 50% clearer view then glass, the acrylic is favored for its picture perfect look.

Being about 10x stronger then its opponent, glass tanks, the acrylic makes the best in wall aquarium system. People like having the comfort of knowing there's less of a chance for breakage.

Since acrylic is so flexible, it comes in more shapes and sizes then glass tanks do. So if you're into fancy shapes then the acrylic would probably be your best bet.

Now that you've looked at some of the positive things about acrylics, it's time to look at some of the negatives.

Cons for acrylic - Aquariums made from acrylic are easily scratched, and they are not easily repaired. Even though it's not easy to repair a scratched acrylic tank, it can still be done if you buy a repair package, and knowing how to repair it would help.

Acrylic aquariums usually cost more then glass aquariums. The need/want for acrylic tanks are slowly raising, thus making the price rise. Acrylics range between 1,000 - 25,000 + dollars.

It's time to give the pros and cons to the glass aquarium.

Pros of a glass - Glass aquariums also come in several shapes and sizes, still, the acrylic tank takes the lead in numbers. If you don't care about the shape of your tank and could handle any shape, then you could get a glass with no problem.

Old fashion glass tanks have been around for a long time, now. I have a glass aquarium that's going on twenty years old, and it still holds fine. It all depends on how well you take care of them, the better the longer.

Even though the acrylic is very strong, the glass holds a good amount of weight, too. I wouldn't get a glass tank if you plan on filling it full of heavy rocks and a lot of gravel.

Unlike the acrylic, glass tanks are not scratched easily. It would take something big and sharp to put a nice sized scratch on a glass aquarium.

Cons of a glass - Glass tanks aren't as strong as acrylics, and can't with stand a huge amount of weight. A heavy amount of: rocks, water, gravel, décor, ect… can not be supported by a glass tank, leading to breakage.

Glass tanks don't have a wide variety of shapes out, but you can get other shapes besides just squares.

Now that you've seen a couple pros and cons for both aquariums, which one is best for you? If you're the kind of person that wants: a small tank, smaller fish, simple little décor, a tanks that's on a stand, then the glass tank would be more of your type. If you want: big in wall aquarium, something met to hold large fish, a tank strong enough to hold heavy décor such as rock caves, the acrylic tanks would be more of your style.

No matter which tank you get, it'll still be pricey. After adding all the décor and fish together, you're looking at a good $80.00 at the least (for a small tank.)