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Do I need an Acrylic Aquarium |  |
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Do I need an Acrylic Aquarium Home
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Unless your setting up an exotic saltwater tank... the answer is probably no!Let's take a closer look a Acrylic aquariums.Acrylic aquariums cost 2 to 3 times the price of a glass aquarium of equal size. Acrylic aquariums are half the weight of glass tanks, yet several times stronger. This is an important consideration if the supporting floor was not constructed to today's modern building codes. Acrylic aquariums are easier to transport and lift. Acrylic aquariums insulates much better than glass. The reason for this is because acrylics have a much higher R value than glass. If you ever have the chance to put your hand on a heat acrylic tank and a glass tank... you'll notice that glass conducts more heat thru its sides. There's no such thing as a glass skylight anymore! Acrylic aquariums appear to be seamless. Rectangular or square acrylic tanks do have seams... you just can't see them. That's because acrylics can be worked much easier than glass. Craftsmen are able to sand and polish the seems so that they become virtually invisible. This is not possible with glass. The seems of an acrylic aquarium are said to be much stronger than glass. This is due to the molecular bonding process during manufacture. Acrylic seems are actually stronger than the side walls of the tank. Acrylic aquariums transmit more light than their glass counter parts. Both from the inside out... and the outside in. This is why acrylic tanks appear seamless. The joining edges posses the same refraction index. The refraction index on glass joints differ making a glass tanks seams more noticeable. Acrylic also has nearly the same index rating as water... so there is virtually no transition between the tank wall and the tank water. Due to better light transmission and seamless edges, acrylic tanks produce very few shadows or reflections. This is a huge plus for those with saltwater tanks or freshwater planted tanks. Acrylic aquariums are much easier to scratch than glass tanks... but scratches are easily repaired in acrylics. This is not true for glass! Scratches can be repaired with acrylic scratch repair kits. Scratches can be removed from the inside of the tank without draining or removing the decorations or inhabitants. Acrylic aquariums are easily molded into nearly any shape or size... where this is not possible with glass. If you have a special application, or need a custom shape or size... an acrylic aquarium may be your best choice. |
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