When choosing to buy an aquarium, it is important to know the differences between glass and acrylic before making your purchase. Each type has its benefits and drawbacks.

If for some reason you will need to move your aquarium often, acrylic might be a better choice than glass for you because it is considerably lighter. It is also much harder to break an acrylic aquarium than a glass aquarium. However, you should keep in mind that acrylic will scratch fairly easily, and you will end up with scratches no matter how carefully you handle the tank. The water contained in the aquarium will be the bulk of the weight, so this should not be your sole deciding factor.

Glass is especially difficult to scratch. Movement of the fish in the aquarium which disturbs the rocks or decorations in the tank can scratch an acrylic aquarium, as well as many algae cleaning tools. The same is not true for a glass aquarium. Deliberate force applied with a hard material is usually required to scratch glass. Polishing kits can be purchased to remove the scratches from acrylic, but only on the outside of the tank. Using these kits inside the tank will probably kill your fish and any fish that go into the tank in the future.

If you are looking for an aquarium with a unique shape, acrylic is the best way to go. It can be shaped easily into almost any design, making it a nice choice to compliment your decor. It is possible to find unusual or uniquely-shaped glass aquariums, but because of the nature of glass, it is likely that the contents will appear distorted due to the way the light is bent.

Unlike a glass aquarium, an acrylic aquarium will need full support that covers the bottom of the tank, because it cannot support the weight of water on its own without becoming damaged. It is also important to use an aquarium top for this reason. A glass aquarium is able to support many times its own weight, and does not need to be supported fully across the bottom. An aquarium top is not necessary for glass because it is able to hold the weight of water on its own.

Acrylic can handle sharp impacts or blows better than glass can, although it does take a considerable amount of force to break a glass aquarium. An acrylic aquarium which will reside in a daycare center or classroom with rowdy children may be a better choice than glass if breaking is a concern.

Acrylic can often become discolored over time, and even more so when exposed to lighting which may be necessary for your aquarium. Glass will not cloud or distort color; it will keep its clarity forever.

Glass tanks are generally available at much cheaper prices than acrylic tanks. The main reason for this is because shipping acrylic is more expensive, as it needs special packing materials and handling to minimize scratches during shipping.