Let’s be real, choosing the perfect home for our fishy friends can get quite confusing, especially when you’re spoilt for choice! Fret not, as in this article, we’ll break down the differences between normal glass aquarium, crystal clear aquarium and acrylic aquarium for you!
Normal Glass Aquarium
This is your typical, standard glass aquarium and you’ll be able to find it in any fish store! Normal glass aquariums are much cheaper and sturdier compared to crystal clear aquariums. However, you’ll find that the glass has a slight greenish tinge to it and it will slightly distort the colour of your aquarium, inhabitants and plants. The greenish tinge of the glass is due to the much higher iron content found in normal glass.
Normal glass aquariums are perfect for the everyday fishkeeper. We also recommend normal glass tanks for those who are keeping monster fish as they are much sturdier.
Crystal Clear Glass Aquarium
As the name implies, Crystal Clear Glass Aquariums (CC Tank) contain low iron content, giving them a “crystal clear” appearance.
The light transmission is much higher, giving out a much brighter light perception. Thus, you’ll be able to view your tank and its stocking with accurate colour rendition a.k.a as how colourful and vibrant your plants and inhabitants are, with no colour distortion.
However, due to its low iron content, it is much weaker compared to a normal glass aquarium. So, it is advisable to go for thicker glass, when choosing your crystal clear aquarium.
Crystal clear aquariums are gaining popularity, especially among aquascape communities. Planted tanks look absolutely amazing with a crystal clear tank. It’s also great for photography or filming.
If you’re interested in joining an aquascape contest, crystal clear tanks are the way to go!
Please note that the type of lights you use for the crystal clear tank will also affect the colour rendition of your tank & its inhabitants.
Acrylic Aquarium
Acrylic aquariums are common but not common enough to be found in every fish store.
Let’s talk about the pros of acrylic aquariums first.
Acrylic aquariums are light. Thus, it’s very easy to move them around. They also give out a clear view of the tank and do not shatter like glass do.
However, they are very prone to scratches. Pufferfish especially will go to town, making scratches on the acrylic surface with their teeth. Absolutely anything can scratch them. So, you’ll have to be careful when handling acrylic aquariums.
Nevertheless, if this happens, you can try to polish and buff the scratches off.
As acrylic is porous, it does absorbs chemicals easily. Medicine like Methylene Blue will definitely tinge the tank. One thing to keep in mind is that acrylic aquariums will get yellow overtime.
Acrylic aquariums tend to be more expensive compared to glass aquariums.
So, there you have it! Which one do you prefer? Let us know in the comments. Enjoy your aquariums!
