Fishy tales from the Aquarium

Looking to buy an aquarium – should you buy a glass aquarium or an acrylic one?
Glass is a long time favourite, and most of the tanks that I have seen are glass, but consider this:

• Acrylic is reputed to be 17 times stronger than glass, softer and more flexible than glass, and hence highly impact resistant.
• Acrylic weighs much less than glass, making it much more portable.
• Acrylic insulates 20% better than glass, which reduces temperature fluctuations and saves on electricity bills.
• The seams of an acrylic tank are molecularly welded, which means they are virtually one-piece, and hence the chances of a leak are very remote.
• Acrylic has a transparency rating of 93%, which makes it as clear as optical glass.

Between the two, glass is usually cheaper, which is also one of the reasons for its popularity. The silicon sealant is pretty strong, and rarely leaks. Glass is also scratch resistant – though not chip-resistant as we recently discovered.
An acrylic tank can also conceivably be made in virtually any shape you want. On the negative side, it gets scratched easily, and while the scratches can get removed, it takes a fair bit of effort. Because of this, you will also need to take care with the tools that you use to clean your tank. It may also get a yellowish tinge, if exposed to direct sunlight.

So, which one to go for, depends on your budget, and where you plan to use it – for a public kind of a place like a pub, bar or a shop where durability gains significance, it might make sense to go for an acrylic tank, while for the home aquarium, a glass tank would be a cheaper option.

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