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Acrylic aquariums
In the past acrylic aquariums were not thought to be feasible since acrylic is a combustible material. In 1975 Japanese scientists ran a series of tests on the flammability of acrylics. It was discovered that an acrylic tank would not combust when filled with water. Liquid keeps acrylic from reaching the high temperature necessary for it to catch fire.
Acrylic differs from glass in several ways including:
• It has greater impact strength and breaks into large, dull chunks rather than shattering like glass.
• It is softer and scratches more easily than glass. In the case of acrylic aquariums this problem is solved by the use of scratch-resistant coating materials.
• It is less dense and processed at lower temperatures than glass.
• It is easier to join than glass with materials that are a basic form of “super-glue”.Over the last thirty years acrylic aquariums have been gaining in popularity although acrylic still cannot be used in other types of construction. Acrylic is particularly popular in large public aquariums. In 2003 the North Sea Museum in Denmark burned to the ground. A few of the aquarium’s acrylic panels were cracked by falling debris and had to be replaced. All of the other panels were virtually unharmed. They were simply polished and the aquarium reopened less than two years later.
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