Starfire or Acrylic? For New Aquarium.

[Omega_rains]

Well guys I am back in the hobby and have the bug! I have had the 90gal for about 4 months now and like many need more room. So now the dilema what tank material to go with. I know there are pros and cons to both it's just a hard decision and you want to invest the money in the right product. I would appreciate your feedback on your experiences with these types of materials. I know Marineland has some pretty cool Starfire Tanks 250 gallon 60 X 36 X 27 in dual Corner-Flo, or I could have an Acrylic made. I have about 5 ft to work with some I am thinking I can go a little wider vs the length. Thanks and Advance for the Advice :fish1:

[prodman]

I chose starphire for my last two builds. I did not choose acrylic because of scratching and I like rimless tanks.

[mfinn]

I'm a big fan of glass tanks and starfire glass is a plus.

[kayaking2]

I'm getting a new 150g starfire glass tank.

[Omega_rains]

http://www.marineland.com/sites/Marineland/products/productdetail.aspx?id=2054&cid=3600&mid=3228

This is the Starfire I a am looking at - been looking at one at the LFS looks pretty sweet... My Tanks and lookdowns will have a ton of room to swim around..

[jlocascio]

i have an acrylic tank. its always getting scrached and very hard to clean.

[Omega_rains]

Pros & cons with both - Acrylic Scratch but you can buff those out. Glass scratches and your stcuk with it. Plus the silicone my Sea Urchin always seems to chew on it and it ends up looking like crap. Another plus side I like of the Acrylic is the insulating factors.

[oscar.millan]

I've had both, I feel better knowing that my acrylic will not have issues with waves over time. My 65 gallon just gave out at the seems - I attribute it to the wave action. Acrylic being bonded at the molecular level would not have this issue.

Also, living in Earthquake prone zone, acrylic would be the safer choice. I do love the ease of cleaning of glass tanks and the euro brace look.

Hope that helps,

0scar M.

[drtrash]

Envision acrylics are a work of art, crystal clear, lighter and stronger than glass, will custom build any overflow, just need to be careful cleaning.

[psychostieg]

I have to say being a DIY guy that likes to modify.... Acrylic has never ending possibilities..... You can always modify your tank (unless you are one of those crazies that gets it right on the first shot.LOL)...you can add closed loops.... Returns.... Drains.... All things that you're stuck with on a glass tank.
I always go thicker than retail on acrylic. It seems like manufacturers are always trying to save a buck by going thinner on the plastic..... Last yank I had was a 36 inch cube that was 1" on the sides and bottom and 1&1/4 on the top...... It was a tank of a tank...... I just get tired of People showing me their beautiful 400 gal reefs that are crazing and bowing like a balloon.... Go thick....
I also insert a panel of 1/16" acrylic on the front inside panel.... You can't tell it's there and when it scratches up you simply replace it. It actually works believe it or not.

[widmer]

Starphire glass gets my vote -

People say when you scratch glass you're stuck with the scratches... But I don't know what it takes to scratch glass, because in the decade+ I've been keeping aquariums, I've never seen it happen.

Also, almost every acrylic tank I've ever seen seems to have some degree of bowing if you look down the length of a panel, which I find really unattractive. For glass tanks, I've never seen this.

It used to be a difficult decision about whether to go glass or acrylic due to the fact that glass would lend a green tint, but now that low iron glass exists, the choice is pretty clear to me.

[Apparition]

[QUOTE=widmer;17892760]Starphire glass gets my vote -

Also, almost every acrylic tank I've ever seen seems to have some degree of bowing if you look down the length of a panel, which I find really unattractive. For glass tanks, I've never seen this.
QUOTE]

That's kind of why I prefer acrylic. Acrylic can bow under pressure. Glass just breaks. For short to mid term tanks and smaller sizes glass is definitely the way to go. It is very scratch resistant and while you can buff out acrylic scratches, including underwater, it takes a lot to scratch glass. However, you're looking at having to replace the seams in 8-10 years and having to drain the tank. You also have to worry about shatter from a high impact, definitely a concern if you have kids or big dogs or just are around clumbsy people.

Acrylic is forever and if you plan on buying a permanent tank (this may be a hard concept for most reefers :) ) then I'll always vote for acrylic. But shorter term tanks you'll love the ease of cleaning and scratch resistance of glass. Acrylic can also be cheaper than starphire glass in the larger sizes, but in the smaller end glass is certainly cheaper, but again, it's going to fail eventually. If it's high quality, it'll last a good decade or more, but it'll always fail. Melev can attest to that as he had to recently take down his 280g because it started leaking at the seams. This won't ever happen with acrylic and that's why it would get my money, but it's all a matter of opinion and what you value. They both have significant pro's and con's so I don't think one is better than the other. Just some are better for certain people. To each their own.

My first tank was acrylic, but my next tank will only be up for a few years so I'm certainly looking into glass. Oh, that's one more negative of glass, it's less open to drilling and modding. Not that it can't be done, just not as easy as acrylic.

[Omega_rains]

Thanks for the advice guys - on a serious note I am going to talk to get prices on a Acrylic with thicker material.. Only bad thing is I just bought 2 VorTech MP40w :(

I would have to get the new models for the 1inch stock.. Acrylic is forver, and I do like the insulation aspects of the material Vs Glass..

With a Starfire I would be looking at 2500k for the Marineland, I think Acrylic will be cheaper with 1 inch walls.

[Indymann99]

I went with Acrylic.. as others have said pros and cons.

The manuf is 10 E Cor and I am happy with the work. The order turnaround was 45 days AFTER promised but this seems to be the norm with custom makers. It didnt affect me as I had to store the tank for 1 month after delivery while the room was being finished.

If you do go with acrylic I recommend the "feeding port" works great for flake and other food that needs to absorb water and sink vs floating on top and going into the overflow.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn10/Indymann99/Feedingporttop.jpg

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn10/Indymann99/Feedingport.jpg

[James77]

People say when you scratch glass you're stuck with the scratches... But I don't know what it takes to scratch glass, because in the decade+ I've been keeping aquariums, I've never seen it happen.
.

Exactly. I have owned about a dozen various sized glass tanks over the last 10+ years, and have only put one faint scratch in one. That is with years of careless cleaning, metal blades, and plowing through aragonite sand with magnet cleaners. Alos, buffing acrylic is no easy job, especially with depper scratches.

I would go with the starfire glass. I see far more people with acrylics wishing they had gone with glass than the other way around.

[Omega_rains]

That is a pretty good idea... I lookd at some tanks today at the local LFS and am going to get pricing through Ultimate Aquariams and also Clarity Plus there local companies here in Michigan and I can probably save on shipping.