Starfire glass?
 

I have done a search and haven't found much on this topic. I am looking into a new tank and have read that starfire might not be the way to go. People are saying it scratches easy and is not worth the money difference. What is your opinion please and thank you? oh yeah im looking at building a 60x26x30 tank if that makes a difference.

I've got Starfire and glad I did. As for scratching I didn't make a single one in the 5 years I've had the tank.

Will say though Starfire is soft enough dog's nails can scratch it. Was ready to kill mine as when come back from holidays found scratches for the first time. Seemed the dog developed a bit of an obsession with the fish in the 2 months we were on holidays (guessing the house/dog sitters weren't giving her a lot of attention).

I have heard it does scratch easier but i got one pane of my frag tank done and it is awesome so clear.

I recently bought my first starphire tank, I didn't know what all the hype was all about until I got my starphire tank...I don't know if it's only my imagination but everthing just looks so much sharper...

.... and lack of the green tint.

I haven't had any issues with scratching.

I've had a scratch that has been there since day one, and haven't seemed to get any since.

-Joe

I have a starphire peninsula tank and I have a couple of scratches that I put in it when I was placing the rocks in the beginning of the build. It was my own fault......none since. Love the clarity. I will always go with starphire......fronts at least.

Research any topic and you will find the nay sayers and the yeah sayers. Nothings perfect and someone will always point that out.

The facts are, it's clearer, more expensive and scratches easier than regular plate glass. Most will say that it is still relatively scratch resistant, but that's somewhat subjective and harder to measure.

My tank is starphire on three sides and I am very happy with my decision.

- Brad

It's only slightly easier to scratch than standard glass, chances are if you scratched your starphire it would have scratched the standard as well in most cases. I've had a few starphire tanks and don't have any more issues with scratches than I did with standard. Worth the money IMO, especially anything thicker than 10mm. Some say they can't tell the difference but I think those people need glasses :cool:

i have starfire for my three pains and my one piece eurobrace and i must say it is super clear and looks awesome, and no scratches so far.:lol:

Our cube display is Starphire with the same light as you have and it looks amazing. We also just installed an 8ft 2 side starphire tank and without a doubt the only way to go!! They look fabulous! Very clear glass. Makes the tank look as though it is in HD!!

Craig

I've always gone standard def. Ignorance is bliss and so is saving a bunch of skrilla.

Just got my tank Tuesday and extra cost was well worth it ! Only on the back and front panels :biggrin:

Agree with most, starphire/low-iron glass is worth every extra penny. And if you think the glass tank is expensive.........find a new hobby!!!

Well, the way I looked at the whole issue of cost (starphire vs. reg.) the tank is the most important piece of equipment in the fact that any other component is easily swapped out and upgraded, If you want to swap out the tank, all the time invested is lost and you almost have start off from scratch with a new box...

I do... and I won't =)

Careful planning, finding deals and making connections within the hobby (especially for frags) goes a long way to making it possible for people like myself who have pretty humble budgets. Personally I think the cost of starphire is significant but of course it's nice to have.

What is the difference in price?

The other thing to consider on the subject of clarity which is often over looked is proper tank design with the correct thickness. I don't know how many times I see people brag about their superior built tank which is, well built like a tank and the glass is almost twice as thick as it needs to be. Even with starphire if you build your tank out of 15mm (5/8) instead of 10mm (3/8) you've achieved absolutely nothing except making it harder to move. Even 10mm glass is extremely strong and can be struck with a hammer without causing damage. If you want a stronger tank go with tempered glass which is more effective and will cost much less in comparison. Tempered glass is 4 times as resistant to impact and it won't effect clarity, just don't temper the base.

Depends on the supplier or builder but for something along the lines of a 90 gallon tank (custom built, not off the shelf price) you can expect to pay $100-$150 more to get three viewable sides in starphire. Lower volume builders or suppliers may charge more and it pays to shop around.

It'd be very likely that the front pane would be tempered if you skimped on thickness. Sure it'll maybe take a hammer to the face of the panel but watch that you or your kids don't tap the edge of that pane. POP!

I guess you don't believe in glass showers either or car and home windows? It takes a lot to cause thick tempered glass to shatter even by chipping the edge, it's not as easy as you might think. You can chip the edge of 10mm tempered glass it won't shatter, plus the chip won't spread to a crack as the crystal structure is realigned into a compression stress instead of tension. Plus if safety is a concern tempered it way safer. If you kid managed to blow out your tank at least a huge sharp piece of glass won't take his head off, with tempered worst case they get wet. Smart design doesn't mean cheap.

Yeah good point I guess shower doors sometimes are tempered. Not all of them of course I've seen them cut <-BVA joke.

I've heard from a glass guy that he's had big (thick) sheets of tempered just pop sitting in his truck overnight. I'm certainly not a glass expert only heard forces on the edges of a tempered panes are a risk.

I'm not that bothered about paying for it as I have done it with the tank I have now. Back then I never heard of it scratching more easily. I just want to make sure that as this is the tank I want to be my last for a long time I make the right choice. Thanks for the info so far. Im thinking I'm going to go for it again. :biggrin:

If the tank you have now is Starphire, and you've probably had others that weren't, what is your opinion?

I like the star fire and that's why I want to do it again. I had never heard of it scratching easier that's why I'm asking the question. I will have to come see your tank again sometime soon. :biggrin:

Hahaha yeah the old showers made into aquariums obviously aren't tempered but the rest are :wink:

Typically if the tempered glass shatters it would have likely cracked or chipped fairly badly if it was standard float. There are variations in quality when it comes to tempered but typically everyone on the city would get from one place so it shouldn't be an issue for us. I suspect something isn't 100% accurate with the glass guy, the amount of tempered glass in the industry far exceeds the amount of non tempered. If you look around shopping malls that's all you'll see and glass railings are typically held by the edge. If there was even a chance of the glass breaking from someone leaning on the railing the glass wouldn't be as popular as it is. Never heard of tempered glass just exploding for no reason, seen a few tank bases blow out which is why I wouldn't recommend tempered for the base however these are usually a result from using store bough mdf stands which sag over time which changes how the glass is supported, seen just as many standard float bases crack for the same reason.