The benefits and drawbacks of glass and acrylic freshwater aquariums
We are often asked by prospective aquarium owners, architects and interior designers to help them design their aquarium. To help with this process, we have written this article based on our long experience with aquariums made from both materials, hoping that we can help you decide one of the initial questions we are most often asked - The benefits and drawbacks of glass and acrylic freshwater aquariums, is glass or acrylic the better material for an aquarium?
Your decision will involve many factors, but we have discussed everything we know about the two materials, which undoubtedly includes some surprising advantages and disadvantages of each material!!
Cost and Pricing
The first factor we should address is cost and pricing. This one is pretty easy to answer - acrylic aquariums are more expensive than glass aquariums of the same size. Acrylic becomes even more expensive once you start considering very large aquariums - according to statistics, many of the largest aquariums installed in the UK are from the US. We think there are two reasons for this - firstly, the US has the ability to manufacture much larger tanks in-house than any UK company. Secondly, acrylic is more widely used in the US for tanks of all sizes, which leads to many more suppliers than in the UK. However, there are actually quite a few manufacturers of acrylic thick sheets in the world, Le Yu Acrylic is one of them, sometimes you can also make appropriate price comparisons and choose a more affordable acrylic supplier.
Shape
The second factor to consider is shape, and this is where acrylic comes into play. Glass can bend and bend, but to a limited extent, so this leads to a limited choice of shapes for glass tanks. Acrylic is more flexible, and all kinds of curves, bubbles, spheres and cylinders are possible. If you want a very unusual or custom shape, then acrylic may be the only way to go.
Lifespan and Scratches
The third factor to decide is lifespan (and scratches!). Acrylic tanks scratch more easily than glass, which is the main drawback of acrylic. While scratches on acrylic aquariums can be removed by polishing, these scratches usually occur on the inside of the tank as a result of cleaning, so the tank will need to be drained before repairing. This is obviously not ideal, especially if the tank is a reef aquarium - these are difficult to dismantle and rebuild!
Glass tanks are not as prone to scratching, but they can still get scratched if you are not careful. Glass scratches can be polished out (ask us for details if you would like to know more), but this usually only applies to the outside of the tank. If you polish scratches on the inside of the tank, after a few months we have found that the repaired area will become blurred due to the repair process and constant contact with water. However, the outside of the tank can be easily repaired and is no longer a concern.
Corners and Seams
The fourth factor is the corners and seams of the aquarium. Acrylic aquariums are held together with glue, which can be invisible in the corners so that your view of the aquarium is not obstructed. Glass aquariums are always constructed with silicone sealant and are usually available in black or translucent. Translucent aquariums are the least noticeable when they are first constructed, but silicone absorbs fish treatments (usually dark blue or green), so once the treatment is applied, they will take on a colored appearance. Another option is black - while black will be more noticeable at first, it will stay the way it was when it was constructed and will not fade or change color. For this reason, many of our customers generally consider black to be a better choice for their aquarium.
Practicality should also be considered when choosing. If you want to run pipes through the bottom or sides of the aquarium, both materials can do this. With glass, you will need to specify where you want the holes to be made at the time of construction, as it is safer to drill these holes before assembling the tank. Because acrylic tanks can be drilled at any time, pipes can be easily added at any time. Acrylic aquariums are also much lighter than glass, so they are easier to handle when installing. In fact, we think weight is a very minor consideration!
Leaks
The final question, and the scariest one, is “Will they leak?” We’d be lying if we said no, because we know that tanks made from both materials leak, but in very different ways. We know that glass tanks can actually explode under pressure after years of being installed, and expel all their contents in seconds!
As with anything, the quality of the initial aquarium build plays a big role in this, so we recommend always using a quality manufacturer.
We trust that the above article has been helpful in deciding what material to use for your new aquarium, and if this article has sparked more questions you’d like answered, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
+86-13584439533 
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