ok so no references

[Torrean]

what's the difference between an acrylic and a glass aquarium. Which is better and why.

bow front and rectangular?

 

[emo]

I'm not an expert or anything, and i've never owned an acrylic tank... but I belive they scratch very easily... they are however, much lighter than glass tanks.

I'm not sure of the other pros/cons

 

[Torrean]

I'm not sure but it seems like they would be less likely to crack too. If anyone knows any downsides to owning an acrylic aquarium please post.

 

[nc_nutcase]

I've always heard acrylic aquariums scratch real easily to the point I've never bought one. General consensus seems to support that...

As far as Rectangular vs Bow Front: I'm sure there are some situations where the dimensions of one is better than the other, but in general one is no better / worse. Bow Front aquariums are more attractive in many peoples eyes yet are more expensive. I personally have my doubts about long term stability of 180+ Gal Bow Fronts but have seen no evidence to support my concern.

 

[Tolak]

Glass weighs more, is more prone to leaking over time due to the silicone seals, and is easier to break. It is easier to clean, as you don't have to worry about scratching, and is cheaper than acrylic.

Acrylic weighs less, is less prone to leaking, and is tough to break. Cleaning algae is a problem, as scraping too hard will scratch it, forget about using a razor blade. It is expensive compaired to glass, and I've heard some plecs & snails can abrade the surface, causing it to cloud.

All the tanks I have running are glass, I have 1 used PetSmart acrylic 28 gallon that is looking for room to be set up. I prefer standard rectangular glass tanks in standard sizes, they're cheap, and easy to find used. Couldn't pass up the 28, $3 is a killer deal.

Tolak

 

[Nospherith]

Another thing about acrylic is that they, well, "bow" out on their own. The long face of my 44g acrylic formed a convex bulge outward. It wasn't that much of a bend, just slightly noticable.

It got some scatches too, but I was careful so it wasn't a problem.

A good thing about owning an acrylic is that if you ever need to use Ich meds, there's no silicon sealant to get stained, so the corners are seamless. It helps the aesthetics.

I don't really prefer one over the other, but if I had to choose, it would be glass.

 

[Macracantha]

Main problem with acrylic, I find, is cleaning off the algae!