Aquariums came into vogue around late 1800's. Those days, aquariums were crudely made, with metal or wood. They had three sides of wood or metal and only one side made out of glass. These ancient aquariums mostly had fish which came from the same region as its owner because only local species were available then. Only fresh water fish could be housed in these aquariums as salt water corroded the metal frame of the aquarium that held the four panes together.
With the advent of silicone adhesive in the 1960's, there was a complete change in the way aquariums were made. Metal frames existed no more and people were able to keep salt water invertebrates and salt water fish. The latest invention is the use of acrylic instead of glass tank material. Acrylic is greatly flexible. This fact made the acrylic aquariums break-proof as compared to their glass counterparts. With glass aquariums, there was the danger that some heavy object could strike and shatter the glass tank, scattering the water and the fish alike all over, leading to the death of the fish. The possibility of this happening is nullified owing to the flexible nature of acrylic tanks. Even for designing the aquarium using acrylic, the possibilities are mind boggling. You can turn your coffee table into acrylic aquarium and so also your gum ball machine.
Like everything, acrylic aquariums also have their pros and cons. The cons consist of easy scratch ability of the acrylic as compared to glass. You need to be very careful while cleaning your aquarium and avoid the use of paper towels or abrasive and harsh chemicals as they would scratch the surface of the acrylic aquarium. You must use a special cleaner labeled safe for acrylic. Even scrubbers need to be of rubber or plastic, rather than metal which are used to clean the acrylic sides of the tank. Special care must be taken not to pick up any piece of gravel or substrate while cleaning the tank from inside. However, even if accidentally scratches appear in an acrylic aquarium, there is no need to despair. There's always a way out. The aquarium can be repaired, unlike its glass counterpart. Acrylic repair kits are available at your local store of hardware, specialty pet stores or online.
You have a wide variety to choose from when you go to purchase your acrylic aquarium kit and the prices will also vary. You can purchase aquarium kits from retail, or aquatic specialty pet stores, or even online. Fish lovers can take their pick from cute little cylinder shaped aquariums that serve as lamps for your coffee table to huge wall to wall aquariums. Although there will be some common basic things with most kits, such as substrate or coral, a filter, even lighting, there can be a great variety in kits themselves. You may purchase your starter kit from anywhere, but do remember that it is very very important to buy the fish from a dealer who is reputed because fish diseases are easily communicable. You need to ensure that you are buying healthy fish. Don't go for fish that hover at the surface or from a tank which has other dead fish. Beware of a fish trader who refuses to take out a specific fish from the aquarium for you. After all, you have a right to be selective when you are taking home your fish.
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