age old question starphire or acrylic for a large tank

[bullitr]

i am getting close to my upgrade 96x36x28 to replace my current 300 gallon inwall and i am still debating.
pros and cons
starphire
no more tiny scratches
cons
more expensive than acrylic for 3/4" thick glass
earthquake liability
acrylic
light
stronger than glass /more flexible during earthquake
cheaper
cons
i have to look at tiny scratches again and again.
any suggestion?

 

[garick]

Just make the side you look through your tank at starphire and the rest normal glass. Its a waste to make parts of your tank expensive when they serve no purpose.

 

[bullitr]

thank you

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by Garick
http:///forum/post/3213310
Just make the side you look through your tank at starphire and the rest normal glass. Its a waste to make parts of your tank expensive when they serve no purpose.
+1
Best/most cost effective way to do it. Our next tank will be in wall and we're only getting the front Starphire.
I was very skeptical about this glass until I saw a tank in person that had it. I'm sold.

 

[jackri]

I've heard the same thing about starphire -- it's like going from standard def to a HDTV.

 

[cranberry]

California = acrylic.
We were just talking about this last night. If anyone was online shopping for fish some time back, you probably remember the site Jeff's Exotic Fish. (they went out of business so I'm not breaking rules... they were big at the time.). Well he was telling me a story of how customer's front panels would literally slide off the tanks... and it also happened to him once. If ya get a particularly bouncy quake, that baby is gonna skip like a school girl.
He said they were no particular brand and included from the best to the worst.
I've been lucky. Ours have swayed more than anything and the one that really hopped (and even hurt my neck because it threw me forward so hard) that one hopped in the right direction so my tanks didn't do too much.

 

[btldreef]

I honestly did not read your post and answered on the thread name.
Acryllic if you live somewhere prone to quakes.
I live in NY no risk of that here so I'm going w/ starphire

 

[bang guy]

There is just no way I would have a 300 gallon glass tank in Southern California. Not a chance.

 

[ali19]

Originally Posted by Garick
http:///forum/post/3213310
Just make the side you look through your tank at starphire and the rest normal glass. Its a waste to make parts of your tank expensive when they serve no purpose.
I don't know how well this can be done. I'm sure it can but glass wont adhere to acrylic that well so correct me if I'm wrong but it could cause problems on a tank that size.

 

[garick]

I was saying make the front the starphire and the rest normal glass. Not the front starphire and the rest acrylic. That'd just be silly

 

[bullitr]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/3213472
There is just no way I would have a 300 gallon glass tank in Southern California. Not a chance.
420 gallon actually.

thanks that what i am thinking but i hate the scratches..
my current 300 splash so much water on the floor last year's earth quake without damaging the tank. i live on a top of the hill and it seems like the intensity increase here.
i wish they can make a tank with starphire on the inside and acrylic on the outside without breaking the bank... since i am already broke.

 

[bullitr]

Originally Posted by Garick
http:///forum/post/3213548
I was saying make the front the starphire and the rest normal glass. Not the front starphire and the rest acrylic. That'd just be silly
i already have 2 template for months from the manufacturer
its going to be starphire front and back its see through .
the salesman are really patience with me . because i still can't decide.

 

[cranberry]

Originally Posted by bullitr
http:///forum/post/3213671
420 gallon actually.

thanks that what i am thinking but i hate the scratches..
my current 300 splash so much water on the floor last year's earth quake without damaging the tank. i live on a top of the hill and it seems like the intensity increase here.
i wish they can make a tank with starphire on the inside and acrylic on the outside without breaking the bank... since i am already broke.
Not ALL tanks break 100% of the time. Doesn't mean you'll be saved next time.
I like glass better than acrylic... oh the photos I could get through starfire. But I can't turn a blind eye as to where I live.

 

[ali19]

Originally Posted by Garick
http:///forum/post/3213548
I was saying make the front the starphire and the rest normal glass. Not the front starphire and the rest acrylic. That'd just be silly
Ah my bad, I miss read the post. I think i was taking into account that they said they couldn't do all glass then I was assuming that you were talking about acrylic. Sorry!