Glass Aquarium

Today you can find two main types of aquariums on the market: glass aquariums and acrylic aquariums. Glass aquariums and acrylic aquariums are used for freshwater aquariums as well as saltwater aquariums, and can be purchased reef-ready. (A reef ready aquarium will be equipped with specially made holes.)

An Glass Aquarium will typically be sealed with a silicone rubber cement that keeps the glass structure from leaking. Stability is added by reinforcing bands and braces. Plastic frames are common and can be obtained in a wide range of colours.

Today, you can find Glass Aquariums with multi-sided shapes, such as octagons, but the standard rectangular shape is still by far the most common design. Rounded aquariums are made from acrylic, while aquariums with straight sides can be Glass Aquariums as well as acrylic aquariums.

Two advantages of the Glass Aquarium are that it is inexpensive and more resilient towards scratching. An Glass Aquarium will however by much heavier than an acrylic aquarium. If you want to have a really large glass aquarium, an Glass Aquarium must be made from very thick glass which will make it especially heavy. This means that placing your Glass Aquarium on a piece of furniture can be a bad idea. Using a special Glass Aquarium stand is much better.

The glass in an Glass Aquarium should be plated or tempered to improve safety and durability. An Glass Aquarium made from plated glass will not shatter if broken, and plate glass is therefore the most common type of glass in Glass Aquariums. Drilling holes in a plated aquarium is much safer than drilling holes in tempered glass. Tempered glass is however stronger than plated glass.

Acrylic aquariums are created in one single piece which makes it possible to use fewer seams than in an Glass Aquarium. Acrylic is therefore commonly used in innovative aquarium designs where glass would be difficult to handle. Another advantage is that acrylic is less heavy than the Glass Aquarium. Acrylic aquariums are however usually more expensive than the Glass Aquarium. The acrylic aquarium is less likely to break or shatter compared to an Glass Aquarium, but is on the other hand more sensitive toward scratching. Even algae scrapers and aquarium ornaments can scrape the acrylic aquarium. If you accidentally scratch your acrylic aquarium, you can purchase a scratch-remover kit and try to buff out the scratches. Be careful when selecting and using your scratch-remover kit since some rubbing compounds are toxic to fish.

If you encounter problems with a leaking Glass Aquarium, you can usually fix it your self. Leaks in an Glass Aquarium are usually caused by problems in the sealant. The weakness can have been there from the beginning, or have been gradually formed as the sealant becomes weak over time. Small pin-hole leaks can sometimes be healed from the outside of the aquarium which means that you do not have to empty the aquarium. Make sure that you select a non-toxic silicone sealant since other sealants can poison your fish.

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