Clearer
Glass has a transparency rating of 70% and thick glass will always have a green tint to it. The transparency rating of acrylic is 93%.
Stronger
Acrylic is ten times stronger than glass. In fact acrylic just over one inch thick (32mm) is bullet resistant. Acrylic also has flexible properties, so much so that you can sometimes slightly depress the side of a biOrb with your finger. This shock absorption means that a biOrb is less prone to breaking than a conventional glass aquarium.
Warmer
The insulating properties of acrylic are better than glass as well, the water in an acrylic aquarium will be more stable in terms of temperature and less heat is required in order to maintain a tropical climate.
Lighter
Acrylic aquariums are approximately 50% lighter than glass aquariums. It would be difficult for someone to carry an empty 60 litre aquarium while a 60 litre acrylic biOrb is light enough for a single person to pick up and carry without a problem.
So, why aren’t all aquariums made from acrylic?
Quite simply, glass is cheap. Virtually all major public aquariums are made of acrylic for the reasons listed above. Acrylic may be more expensive, but because of its superior properties we construct all of our aquariums from it.