Opinions on New Tank

[Happyfeet]

Hey guys, I'm having NAGA build me a custom cube for me.

 

I

[BowieReefer84]

In terms of what you are asking in your post between acrylic and glass, it would help if you told us the size of the tank you are considering? The larger you go the more likely people will say acrylic. Outside of this answers will be split 50/50.... clarity versus weight versus scratching . . . If you are going bare bottom I would say acrylic, with sand I would say glass. With anything over 120-150 gallons I would say acrylic, anything smaller glass. This is based not on first hand experience, but MANY MANY MANY hours of google at work LOL...

 

On a side note, did you see the one he is auctioning off? There are no bids, and it starts at $280. http://www.wamas.org...2x2-reef-ready/

Not sure what the price will end up, but things seem slow on here and you may get that tank for a great price. I know it is NOT a cube, but the dimensions seem good...

 

Edit: I have seen Oceanic Tech Tanks in person which are Starphire, and they look really really good imo.

Edited October 19, 2010 by BowieReefer84

[Happyfeet]

I'm looking at a 60-70 Gallon cube

 

I'm very torn on the one up on the auctions right now. Yes its amazing, but it's not exactly what I wanted. I'm still thinking about it though. I'll need to do some measurements at home.

 

I guess whats important to me is Clarity weight being least important. I forgot acrylic scratches really easily.. which is kind of a turn off.

Edited October 19, 2010 by Happyfeet

[Der ABT]

ive never seen a starphire tank in person but have always heard good things, i guess if it were up to me it would depend on the pricing mainly (if its 50-100 bucks more cmon you spend more on salt then that, when you get to be more then that i would start to think twice or limit what is starphire and what isnt), then placement, how many sides really need to be starphire, i think most people mainly look at a tank from 1 to 2 sides (cubes probably 2 to 3)

 

I mean acrylic def scartches which is what alwasy turned me off, yes you can buff it out but just needing to be so careful or worry about someone coming over and scratching it by mistake and feeling bad, i love the cheapness of regular glass, more money for coral/equipment. but i am also the king of buying used vs new.

 

I have often though that if i go starphire it would only be on a tank that I am going to be keeping for a long period of time. if you have thoughts of upgrading in the future for me i would wait to spend the money on the upgrade. but if you plan to keep this for a long time treat your eyes...

 

Glass can scratch too and it doesnt really buff out but its alot harder to scratch glass.

Good point on sand vs barebottom, even with barebottom your poind to get some small rock/particles from things breaking or rubbing. at least i do.

 

thats my $.0776

[Jon Lazar]

Glass also cleans up much easier. I have had my acrylic tank for years, and while I love the rounded corners, clarity, and many other appealing features of acrycli, I find it a pain to clean. And the acrylic isn't so clear when it has a buildup of algae.

 

OTOH my glass tank cleans up in a few minutes with a razor blade.

 

Plus my clownfish scratch the acrylic with their teeth.

 

Jon

 

I'm looking at a 60-70 Gallon cube

 

I'm very torn on the one up on the auctions right now. Yes its amazing, but it's not exactly what I wanted. I'm still thinking about it though. I'll need to do some measurements at home.

 

I guess whats important to me is Clarity weight being least important. I forgot acrylic scratches really easily.. which is kind of a turn off.

[DaveS]

What a you going to keep in it? SPS + Acrylic = sore arms.

 

Trust me, I switched from acrylic to glass spending thousands of dollars and hundred of hours while still keeping the same size tank and it was completely worth it. I still get giddy like a school girl when I scrape off the Coraline with my mag float.

 

Now if you aren't doing SPS and have lower light, it may be less of an issue.

[Chad]

I pretty much agree with what has already been posted, but here are my "chad's rules of thumb for tanks"

 

1) Small tanks (<55 gallons) doesnt really matter, acrylic/glass. I choose glass for long term durability and cost (usually small tanks are more expensive out of acrylic).

 

2) Medium tanks (55-180 gallons) to me glass is the clear winner in this group, the tanks are not too heavy and cost is not to much out of glass. Also, to me, starfire doesnt really make sense until you go past about 1/2" glass thickness. Even side by side, to me, the thinner glass tanks just dont make the extra cost worth while. However, for thicker the glass is, the more the starfire glass becomes worth while and very visibly different.

 

3) Large tanks (>180 gallons) at some point, acrylic becomes a pretty clear winner in terms of cost/weight/clarity. That point for me is probably the 300 gallon point. For example, I would buy one of the marineland 300 gallon glass tanks, but I would probably think hard about it and may go acrylic. Anything larger and

 

In general, I prefer glass for most things from a durability standpoint, but for a large tank, IMO, acrylic wins.

[steveoutlaw]

I'm not really sold on starfire. My tank is made of 5/8" glass all around and I don't notice any green coloring to it. The starfire is clearer, but I've only been able to tell a difference when a piece of starfire is sitting next to a piece of regular glass.

[Origami]

For a cube that size, I'd go with glass - starfire or not is up to you. Clean up is so much easier and the weight is really not a big issue.

[Happyfeet]

Even side by side, to me, the thinner glass tanks just dont make the extra cost worth while. However, for thicker the glass is, the more the starfire glass becomes worth while and very visibly different.

 

 

I'm not really sold on starfire. My tank is made of 5/8" glass all around and I don't notice any green coloring to it. The starfire is clearer, but I've only been able to tell a difference when a piece of starfire is sitting next to a piece of regular glass.

 

Ok so I've decided I don't want Acrylic. Did some reading online and with the comments made here, just doesn't seem like a good fit.

 

Glass VS Starfire, it really doesn't make much a difference? If this is the case I probably won't go with the starphire.

[Chad]

I think the glass is a good choice for your new cube.

 

My recommendation to you would be to go find a LFS that carries both (an oceanic dealer that has a tech series tank would work great) and take a look-see and decide for yourself on two tanks of comparable size and glass thickness.

 

Alternatively, you could probably get a glass shop to show you the difference between low iron (aka starfire) glass and standard float glass in a variety of thicknesses (I would probably call Del Ray Glass on this one, they have responded well in the past to my random questions about stuff like this). Although, I think that seeing the glass out of context (like in front of a white background or something like that) may make the difference significantly more obvious than it would otherwise be.

[Coral Hind]

I would definately go with glass. To me the low iron glass does not make a huge difference. Check the price on an A.G.E. tank that some LFS are dealers of.

[steveoutlaw]

You are welcome to come by an look at my tank. It's thick glass and it's not starfire. It's also lit by LEDs so you could get a good idea of what to expect. PM me if you want to come by sometime.