Is Starphire Glass worth it?

[carlagracie]

Im going to to be buying my dream tank in a couple weeks and im having a hard time choosing between Starphire glass or not? I have never had Starphire Glass before but would like to try it. If anyone has it on their tank and could post a picture that would be great thanks.

 

[DaveK]

The question comes down to how big a tank are you getting, and how thick is the glass.

On a small tank, using glass 1/4 inch think or less, you would hardly see a difference, but on a larger tank, with glass 1/2 inch or thicker, it's going to be quite noticeable.

While starphire glass does cost more, it's not that much more in the overall cost of a reef system.

I would recommend going with it.

 

[Eric]

I agree definitely worth it, I have only seen a large tank with it and it was noticeable

 

[IamELMO]

It's great, my only problem is that is does scratch easier. But with a little care it'll be a worthwhile investment

 

[carlagracie]

Thanks everyone! The tank is going to be a 150g tall 48*24*31. I think I am going to get the tank from glasscages.com but not sure of the thickness of the glass. Also its going to have fish and coral.

 

[carlagracie]

I also read on here that glasscages.com was not that great? What do you all think?

 

[surff]

I also read on here that glasscages.com was not that great? What do you all think?

Having purchased a Glasscages tank, I can say, for me, that I would walk in hell before I'd buy another tank from them

The workmanship was abysmal. (60 x 24 x 24). There was almost as much glass on the top as was on the bottom and silicon rubber all over the place. The overflow was oversize and ate up real estate.

I sold it at a loss and purchased a custom build that is exactly what I wanted.

I'ts Starphire fron and sides. This is my 3rd Starphire tank...

 

[DaveK]

Having purchased a Glasscages tank, ...

I sold it at a loss and purchased a custom build that is exactly what I wanted.

...

OK, but then who did your custom build? The world wants to know. (grin)

 

[BigAl07]

I'm with surff on this one. GC isn't worth MY money. In fact I had a PM that I got yesterday from another RS member who just picked his tank up. He asked me about GC but he had already placed the order. He tried to cancel immediately after the order but they would not allow it. Said he could cancel but they were going to charge the CC just the same. His CC said unless the tank arrived in UNUSABLE or less than standard shape they could not do anything about it unless a "Pro" in the hobby would sign saying it was bad workmanship.

He got the tank and IS very upset. Structurally he said the tank "should" be alright but the workmanship is way less than par and he would NOT deal with them again.

GC (I wont even give them the benefit of spelling out their name to increase any GOOGLE hits) should be making doghouses instead of aquariums. That's my 2 cents and if you'll search RS (Notice I didn't even say the WWW as a whole) you'll see more people regretting the GC decision than you will people applauding them. Don't get me wrong.. .some people have a nice experience but they are the exception and NOT the rule.

Buyer Beware! Spend your hard earned MONEY ELSE WHERE!!

 

[carlagracie]

Thanks Bigal and Surf. I have been doing a little research today and found a place right here in Michigan called Great lakes Aquariums that makes tanks. I will give them a call tomorrow and see what they have to say. I also called a few LFS today and they order custom tanks from them and say they are really good. We will see. I plan on ordering in the next couple weeks as soon as I get everything figured out as to which way to go as far as filtration and just about everything else. To many choices! LOL

 

[BigAl07]

Thanks Bigal and Surf. I have been doing a little research today and found a place right here in Michigan called Great lakes Aquariums that makes tanks. I will give them a call tomorrow and see what they have to say. I also called a few LFS today and they order custom tanks from them and say they are really good. We will see. I plan on ordering in the next couple weeks as soon as I get everything figured out as to which way to go as far as filtration and just about everything else.

I think you'll be MONEY AHEAD by avoiding GC all the way around.

To many choices! LOL

That's a GOOD problem to have

Keep us posted

 

[Val]

I don't know how they do on glass, but I bought an acrylic cube for my fuge from glasscages and don't reget it at all. It's sweet, I'll order from them again if I need another acrylic tank.

 

[Typhon]

IMO, you should avoid GC. In this hobby you really get what you pay for. And in the long run the tank will be one of least expensive parts of your system, but the most important.

Also, I am not sure if things have changed with them, but they don't use Starfire glass. They use some type of low iron glass.

 

[reefornot2reef]

Nope nope nope

 

[reefornot2reef]

and GC is a joke

 

[BigAl07]

and GC is a joke

Very true!! I wouldn't ALLOW them to build a tank to hold air let alone one to hold water long-term. With so many people talking about First Hand Experience (not just "I read on a forum about someone getting a crappy tank from them a few years back") with GC I don't see how they are even still in business.


To put is simple.... GC just plain SUCKS!
beat_dead_horse beat_dead_horse beat_dead_horse

 

[BLAKEJOHN]

OK back to the subject. Starphire glass........Is it worth it? and what does in look like compaired to regular glass or acrylic? cause I dont know and I wanna......

 

[BigAl07]

I think if it's a thicker glass tank then YES! The thicker the glass to more apparent the "tint/hue" is.

It looks "clearer" than regular glass especially when you're looking at thicker panes of glass. If you were to compare standard glass with starphire side by side you'd say "WOWIE! There really is a big difference!"

 

[BLAKEJOHN]

Is it like a polarized glass to give more contrast and clarity?

 

[BigAl07]

It is just so much CLEARER. Have you ever looked at a thick pane of glass and see how green it looks? The thicker the glass the more pronounced this look is.

Here is an online exert about Starphire Glass

Because of its unmatched clarity, Starphire glass provides exceptional color fidelity as a harmonizing element for spandrel glass

It's a low-iron composition which gives it more clarity than "normal" glass but it comes with a price premium as well.