Acrylic Fish Tank or Glass Fish Tank?

1. Understand the nature of the material

1) Acrylic fish tank

Acrylic is a transparent plastic, often referred to as plexiglass. It is known for its high transparency, light weight and strong impact resistance. Acrylic fish tanks are generally lighter than glass fish tanks of the same size and are less likely to break.

2) Glass fish tank

Glass is a hard material formed from silica sand (silicon dioxide) melted at high temperatures. Glass fish tanks usually use tempered glass, which is specially treated to be harder and more durable than ordinary glass.

2. Compare key factors

1) Transparency

The transparency of acrylic fish tanks is usually higher than that of glass fish tanks. The light transmittivity of acrylic can be as high as 92%, which means that the visual effect of viewing the inside of the aquarium through acrylic is clearer and brighter. However, acrylic is easy to scratch and may affect transparency over time.

Glass fish tanks, although slightly less transparent, maintain clarity longer because of their high surface hardness and are not easy to scratch.

2) Weight and installation

Acrylic fish tanks weigh about half as much as glass fish tanks of the same thickness, which makes large fish tanks easier to handle and install. For those situations where space or floor load bearing is limited, acrylic fish tanks are a better choice.

3) Durability and safety

The impact resistance of acrylic fish tank is better than that of glass fish tank, and it is not easy to break, so it has certain advantages in safety. But acrylic is easy to scratch, which may affect the beauty of the fish tank.

Although the glass fish tank is more likely to break, its hardness is high, and the surface is not easy to be scratched. Once cracked, the glass aquarium may produce sharp debris, which poses a safety hazard to a certain extent.

4) Price

In general, the price of acrylic fish tank is higher than that of glass fish tank. The cost of acrylic materials is high, and the processing cost is relatively high. Therefore, if the budget is limited, a glass fish tank may be a more economical option.

5) Maintenance and cleaning

Acrylic fish tanks are easy to scratch because of their soft surface, so they need to be more careful when cleaning and avoid using hard cleaning tools. Nevertheless, the light weight and impact resistance of the acrylic fish tank make it easy to move and maintain.

The hardness of the glass fish tank is higher and it is not easy to scratch, so it is more convenient in daily cleaning. However, due to the heavy weight, the movement and installation of large glass fish tanks is relatively difficult.