photo credit: Silvain de Munck
In the past most aquariums were made of glass however modern technologies have enabled manufacturers to start creating acrylic aquariums but which type of aquarium is really best?
On the one hand, glass aquariums suffer from a number of problems. First an foremost they weigh a lot, making the simple act of buying an aquarium and bringing it home something of a challenge. Glass is of course rather fragile and so chips or cracks are not uncommon and an aquarium with a hole in it isn’t going to hold too much water.
On the flip side though glass aquariums come in a massive range of different sizes and shapes and are very reasonably priced. They normally have excellent visibility and are easy to keep clean.
Acrylic aquariums are typically stronger than glass so are less likely to shatter, and they are also normally much lighter and hence easy to bring home.
However one downside to acrylic aquariums is that the surface of the plastic can suffer from scratches which can quickly appear. Not only can this reduce your viewing pleasure but can also make cleaning more of a challenge.
For example many fish tanks develop a “water mark” at the top where minerals deposit themselves and this can quickly look unsightly. Removing it in a glass aquarium is reasonably easy with a scouring pad but great care must be taken with a plastic tank so as to not scratch the surface.
The matter of glass versus plastic aquariums is not a clear-cut one, with many fish keepers having their own preference. Personally I like glass aquariums due to the ease of cleaning and general appearance with the weight being less of an issue as I’m really only likely to need to move the tank when I buy it. But, as the saying goes, the decision is yours.
