How do you tell the difference between acrylic and glass walls of an aquarium? Can you drill through acrylic?

Answer 1

One is certainly the price tag, acrylic is far more expensive in most cases. Secondly is the feel. Acrylic is plastic and for lack of a better way to put it feels like plastic. Glass will feel harder and colder as well. Another dead give away is the corners. Glass tanks are held together with silicone while acrylic tanks are bent to form seamless corners.

Either glass or acrylic can be drilled if handled correctly. Acrylic is far easier to drill.

MM

Answer 2

GE has an acrylic branch that components suggestions on their internet website approximately water pressures and required length of acrylic for aquariums. the main serious part of an aquarium is top. Water rigidity is desperate by technique of the top of the water column and rigidity is the terrific determinator of the width of the glass/acrylic. Aquarium length performs a area in this besides nonetheless it quite is a a lot smaller element. length is a greater physically powerful element in acrylic than glass simply by acrylic's flexibility nonetheless with a completely enforced suitable in an acrylic tank you are able to eliviate this. I even have over 2,000 gallons of aquariums with the smallest being a hundred gallons and that i strongly recommend glass till you're in an earthquake services area nonetheless i'm no longer addressing the earthquake concern, seem for a hobbyist in CA. the only earnings to acrylic is weight. because of the fact that a typical a hundred twenty five gallon tank is 6' long it takes 2 people to hold the tank any way. in case you have get right of entry to to 2 consumer-friendly length men then they are able to attend to a a hundred twenty five gallon glass tank so weight isn't an argument. you are able to in all hazard purchase a a hundred twenty five gallon tank for $3 hundred or much less. in case you element your expenses, time and the risk of putting that a lot water into an aquarium once you're merely learning a thank you to make an aquarium i'd think of you're way merely before the game in case you in basic terms purchase a tank. a hundred twenty five gallons of water on your floor with the further risk of flying glass or acrylic makes determining to purchase the tank a greater physically powerful selection. I even have journey thoroughly disassembling and reassembling tanks and that i want to recommend no longer beginning from scratch for a a hundred twenty five or much less.

Answer 3

Acrylic scratches very easily. I've polished many tanks over the year, but glass holds up better, though I've re-caulked many of them too. You can drill through either, though for glass, special tools are needed.