Glass or Plastic Aquarium which is best?

[FishHeadSoup]

Why does it say "Egg" under my name?

the fishy changes as your post count goes up.

 

[water_baby83]

Acrylic distorts much less and is clearer than glass.
If a transparent object is surrounded by another material that has the same index of refraction, then the speed of light will not change as it enters the object. No reflection and no refraction will take place, and the object will appear invisible and without distortion, even at increased viewing angles. In addition to having a slight green tint, glass has an index of refraction that is considerably different from water. Incidentally, clear acrylic plastics have almost the same refractive index as seawater so there is no bending of light as it passes from the plastic into seawater, providing better and brighter color and sharper shapes in acrylic aquariums. The huge viewing windows in large public aquariums and oceanariums can be more than 12 inches thick, but because they are made of acrylic, they afford a very clear view of the water and ocean life they enclose. Acrylic also allows better penetration of your system lighting, which is especially important for reef systems.




Acrylic seams are stronger than glass.
Acrylic seams are molecular bonds and actually stronger than the acrylic itself. Silicone seams used on glass aquariums can dry out and weaken over time.


Acrylic seams are visually superior to glass.
Acrylic seams are polished and nearly invisible. Silicone seams are clearly visible and have been known to discolor when exposed to certain fish medications.


Acrylic is easily refinished.
If glass scratches it can not be repaired. Acrylic can be repaired with a variety of scratch removal kits. Even internal scratches can be repaired without removing the fish or water.


Custom formed designs are possible with acrlylic.
Acrylic can be formed to create interesting aquarium designs which you won't find with glass aquariums.

And now we know that Del is a dork!!! LOL Just kiddin Del, luv ya!! But no seriously, so that explains why my dive mask is plastic huh! LMAO - I prefer glass, but yeah I will admit that s-o-m-e-t-i-m-e-s, acrylic can be better! Ok, I am done, lol

 

[HarpoGarza]

I prefer glass, but that is mostly due to me being married to a wife who "tolerates" my little hobby and doesn't understand the reasons for the difference in price between glass and acrylic. That, and I'm a cheap S.O.B.

 

[Princley]

LOL............... Petrochromis would be fine in a Plexi tank .. i like plexi only because it's lighter.. but i would rather have Glass

 

[zebramoray14]

dont by plastic tanks i have a lot of times where the plastic changes cloer and takes a tint of green it also warps a lot with heat. acrylic is good but it scraches so easiley if yo breath on it to hard it is going to scratch. just go with glass it is strong cheap and simple.

 

[Dominator]

Acrylic is harder, lighter, and Brighter, view fish better, but easily scratched. There is a chemical that can make it smoothen the plexi surface, If you go to plexi store, they should have that for sale. And you cannot use a heater(I never used it in a glass tank anyway).
Glass tank is heavier, has a green tint built within the glass(not as clear as the acrylic), scratch resistant, more likely to leak(when glue gets old) and easily smashed.

I would definantly go with acrylic tank if its cheap enough..

 

[dmopar74]

Acrylic is harder, lighter, and Brighter, view fish better, but easily scratched. There is a chemical that can make it smoothen the plexi surface, If you go to plexi store, they should have that for sale. And you cannot use a heater(I never used it in a glass tank anyway).
Glass tank is heavier, has a green tint built within the glass(not as clear as the acrylic), scratch resistant, more likely to leak(when glue gets old) and easily smashed.

I would definantly go with acrylic tank if its cheap enough..

hey thanks for bringing up a near 4 year old thread!