Aquarium Glass

Aquariums are built from specially enforced glass to make sure that when the water is added to the tank and all the equipment and the fish are in, the tank doesn’t fall apart and end up all over the floor. The glass itself is terribly heavy and when you add water it is impossible to lift, unless you are the strongest man or woman in the world! Fish tanks don’t just need to be made from glass; they can be made from acrylic too.

Aquarium glass is basically extremely thick and strong glass that is built to withstand the pressure and the weight of at least ninety litres of water. Some tanks are as big as eight or nine feet long and three or four feet wide so you can just imagine the amount of water needed to fill that tank and then the pressure that is on the glass, but the glass never beaks. It is sealed at the sides to make sure that it can withstand the weight of the water. You would not want that tank to break and splash out all that water on your living room floor!

Fish tanks can also be made from acrylic. Acrylic is known to be at least twice as strong as glass and half the weight. The benefits of acrylic tanks are that it can be moulded when heated to suit whatever shape or style of tank that you want. Also when the sides are moulded together with heat they are said to be stronger than the sealant used to hold the glass together. Acrylic tanks don’t sound like a good option to me; I think I will be sticking with glass tanks. Acrylic tanks are new and not many people have used them yet. The glass is still the best alternative for me and my fish!

Aquarium glass is easy enough to pick up although it is quite expensive. As with everything else you can get your aquarium built to suit you, so you don’t have to purchase one from the shop, although unless you are someone who can build a tank it is going to cost you a pretty penny or two!