Anyone have input on glass tanks

[BobinCovington]

I have room for a 70 -120 gallon tank and want to finally upgrade from my 29 gallon tank I have had running since 1997 (same two clownfish). My wife is on board and we want to set up a beautiful tank. Part of me wants acrylic but then I think about the ease of cleaning glass. Does anyone local know much about how well the different glass tanks hold up? Oceanic vs Allglass vs? or even a custom glass tank. Are any of these brands better than others? Are there reliability problems? What is the best one to have drilled for a drain?

Also...I have been a PSAS member on and off for a few years (mostly off, because I am always so busy). There have been many people that have offered their time to help me. Is there a way to give back for all the help and advice I have received? I was thinking I could donate some $ for the years I missed paying. I think this club is a wonderful thing to bring all of us together.

 

[surf_buddy]

Going to tag along here... I'm having too many issues with cleaning my acryllic, and I'd like to see the suggestions

 

[jesshimom]

Hey Bob good to see you again. All you have to do is come back to the meetings! We miss seeing the old timers!!

I have had a couple acrylics - always ruined them cleaning. I switched to glass and would never have acrylic again. For those who are more careful than me, they love acrylic. My most recent tank was All Glass; 90 gallon megaflow. I loved it.

 

[mfinn]

Blue Serria has had some really great deals on rr glass tanks. I was going to go with them last year, before deciding to go with a custom tank maker.
I'll bet they do discounts for PSAS members.

 

[BobinCovington]

thanks...
I have heard that oceanic are the best ones (I think they have a line with starfire glass). All glass is the next best and others like perfecto may be unreliable or too poorly constructed.

As far as drilling the bottom, I guess drilling through tempered glass is a no no and I would have to order it predrilled??

 

[mfinn]

You can get predrilled tanks. I've seen them just sitting, ready to go out the door, at Blue Serria.

 

[BobinCovington]

I checked out some at Blue Sierra...they had a nice selection and were very helpful. I just didn't prefer the drilled overflow location in the center of the back glass (I would prefer a corner overflow or two)

 

[mfinn]

I always thought that corner overflows were better, but they are visible when you look in the end of the tank.
I had my custom tank drilled about 10" from the ends so the overflows were so noticeable.

 

[mfinn]

Barrier Reef has some really killer looking rimless tanks. I'd bet you could custom order them.

 

[seabeaver]

Seems like more custom builds are made of acrylic due to ease of fabrication and lower weight, though I've always gone with glass with for the same reason jesshimom stated. An oops moment created with a grain of sand isn't worth it to me. I'm under the impression that oceanic tanks typically have thicker glass. I've drilled my glass tanks in the back with a dremel and diamond bit successfully, though I leave the bottom drilling through tempered to the pro's. Edgeless tanks through BR sounds pretty sweet...good luck

 

[plack]

A similar Thread---

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26946

Glass can scratch-- But then again I have heard of people owning Large aquariums made of acrylic wanting to go for starfire glass tanks next time around.

I think if you are planning and buying a NEW tank then I would look into a glass tank drilled the way you want and beefed up with some supports

 

[servicky]

i have a starphire glass tank i wouldnt trade it for anythign else... i clean it all the time thank god i dont own acrylic i would have been screwed....

 

[user 2204]

Tanging along.

I may be getting a 65 gallon tank (non-RR) that I would have to get drilled to my liking. I like glass because it is less scratch prone.
Does anyone know where I could get custom drilling of a glass tank done locally?

Thanks,Alex

 

[dnjan]

Many acrylic tank owners have perfected the practice of periodically buffing out the scratches with micromesh (or similar) sheets velcro-d to cleaning magnets. It is hard to argue with the clarity (lack of light absorption) of acrylic.

Close to the same clarity can be achieved with starfire glass, at a cost.

Also be aware that thicker starfire glass is achieved by laminating two thinner layers together (at least it was the last time I researched it). Last time I checked, single layer starfire maxed out at 1/2" (which equates to about a maximum 24"-deep tank). So in the range you are talking, you will probably be OK. Going much larger, and you would probably need thicker glass which would be a loss of clarity.