Rate My Fish Tank

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If you're going to keep fish in your house, you're going to need to put them someplace! Historically, glass has been used but for the last 50 years, acrylic has become a very popular material for fish tank. This article covers the History of aquariums, pro arguments for using acrylic tanks, con arguments for using acrylic tanks, common sizes, and online sources for you.

History of Fish Tank Materials

While keeping fish for both food and pleasure has been an interest documented to at least 4,000 years ago, keeping fish in aquariums is a much more recent development. Supposedly Madame Dubarry, a mistress to King Louis XV in France, invented the fish bowl sometime in the mid 1700s. In 1805, Robert Warrington is credited with developing the first sustainable glass aquarium.

During the Victorian period in England and in Europe, fish keeping as a hobby developed quite a following. At that time, hobbyists would use slate or steel bottomed tanks which were heated from underneath with flames! Their tanks were ornate affairs, glass enclosed in steel contraptions that were hardly waterproof. These glass tanks often were "caulked" with a putty to try to help "waterproof" the tank. While continuously improved upon, aquariums didn't really reach a true period of innovation until the mid 1960s where glass framed tanks were replaced with glass sealed tanks. Instead of using metal to frame the tanks, glass aquariums were sealed together using silicone based adhesive.

By the early 1970s, acrylic tanks were being offered to the public. For most of the smaller size tanks, you'll find just as many glass tanks as you will acrylic tanks. But as you get into the larger size tanks, you'll find that acrylic is a most popular choice for most people because of its lighter weight when compared to glass.

Pros of Acrylic Tanks

We'll first cover the positive aspects of acrylic tanks. There are many reasons that people prefer acrylic over glass to house their fish. Compared to glass tanks, acrylic tanks are:

• Lightweight
• Crack resistant
• Easier to cut holes into to accommodate plumbing
• Can provide better views because of curved front corners
• Can come in many interesting molded shapes
• Provide better insulation

In terms of weight, acrylic tanks beat glass tanks hands down. Acrylic tanks are about half the weight of their glass counterparts. A 20 gallon acrylic tank weighs about 17 pounds, which is about half the weight that a glass tank the same size would weigh.

Acrylic tanks are more crack resistant than glass. Some brand name manufacturers even claim that their tanks are 17 times stronger than regular glass tanks. Acrylic tanks will resist knocks and drops much better than a glass tank could ever hope to. Related to that is how easy acrylic tanks are to cut than glass tanks are. If you should want to customize your tank to accommodate plumbing, you'll need special equipment to make cuts in a glass tank. Acrylic tanks are easier to customize.

Acrylic lends itself to more interesting shapes because of the way it can be molded. Besides the regular rectangular shape that we're all accustomed to, you can also find acrylic tanks in hexagons, pentagons, bullets (tanks that are curved on one side and square on the other, they resemble firearm bullets in this fashion), columns, round spheres; the list goes on and on. Some acrylic tanks have a bowed front (curved front corners) which gives an interesting view of the tank from the front.

If you're keeping tropical fish, you might be interested to know that acrylic tanks provide better insulation than glass tanks. Acrylic is a better insulator than glass. This may not matter if you have cold water fish but if you're keeping a tropical tank, you probably want to consider this factor. Acrylic tanks can retain heat 20% better than glass tanks. This, however, may not be such a huge plus in reef tanks where you don't want that much insulation (and have more difficulty keeping tanks cool).

Cons of Acrylic Tanks

Although Acrylic tanks have a lot going for them, there's always a flip side! The four largest cons regarding acrylic tanks (versus glass) involve:

• Higher cost
• Greater tendency to scratch
• Chance of changing appearance over time
• Need for increased support

Probably the biggest con that an acrylic tank will have to newcomers to the fish keeping business is cost. Acrylic aquariums will usually cost more than glass tanks for the same size. For example, your basic 20-gallon acrylic aquarium will run $130 to $140. A basic 20-gallon glass aquarium will run approximately $50. That's a big difference! You might find good deals on smaller tanks or bowls that are acrylic but overall, acrylic tanks will cost you two to three times the price that a glass tank will cost you.

Another issue that can arise with acrylic tanks is that they are easily scratched by cleaning objects or gravel. As long as you're careful when you're cleaning the tank, you should be okay. And just because you scratch a tank doesn't mean you have to scrap everything. You can buy scratch remover kits that do a pretty good job remedying the blemishes. Pentair Aquatics makes a popular one. You can buy it for about $23 from Doctors Foster and Smith. Novus Plastic Polishes is another highly recommended one. You can buy it from OceanProAquatics for about $28. The downside to making repairs to your tank is that you'll have to empty your tank to repair the scratches!

Another criticism about acrylic tanks is that they can yellow over time due to exposure to UV lighting. Watch for newer acrylic tanks built with UV stabilizers which are supposed to resist yellowing. Ask the manufacturer for what types of guarantees they may have about the tank yellowing.

The final criticism regarding acrylic tanks when compared to glass tanks is that acrylic tanks require support. While technically stronger than glass blow for blow, acrylic tanks will bow under the water weight and need support. Usually acrylic tanks will be encased in support stands which provide extra stability. The top bracing can impede your access within the tank. Glass tanks don't need extra support; they won't bow under pressure.

Although there can be plenty to recommend glass aquariums, the fact that acrylic tanks are so much lighter and crack resistant really make them a more practical choice today, as long as cost is not an issue. Also, with the way that acrylic can be heat molded and still be strong enough to hold water, you'll find acrylic tanks in interesting shapes that you won't find in traditional glass.