confused

[john hampton]

looking for any info on a sca tank and are they worth the money. LFS is telling me that there really is no difference in clarity between regular glass and low iron glass. I'm looking to up grade from a 54 corner bow-front to a 90 or 100 gallon tank. LFS has a 90 reef ready for i believe $340 , not sure if the low iron glass is wort the extra $500.
Thank you and keep reefing!!!!

 

[GabeM]

I have an SCA 50 cube and I think it is pretty well built. The glass is absolutely clear.

The thicker the glass the more you would see imperfections.

 

[GabeM]

To add to that 340 seems ver cheap is it used?

 

[JMM744]

Mine has a low iron front glass ( 180 ) and my 120 is just regular glass. To be honest I don’t know as I see the difference. Maybe someone more discerning could.
My tank is very well build compared to what I see in the stores. To me the length of mine had me wanting a high quality build. Cost more but it’s the real life blood of the entire setup. It leaks and it’s all gone.
Jim

 

[john hampton]

To add to that 340 seems ver cheap is it used?

no it's not used, I believe the tank is a Aqueon . I can get a 120 from him for $650 but just don't have the room for it.

 

[albano]

IMO there is no need to spend that much for a low-iron 90g tank... there will be many other things to spend that $ on!

 

[KrisReef]

looking for any info on a sca tank and are they worth the money. LFS is telling me that there really is no difference in clarity between regular glass and low iron glass. I'm looking to up grade from a 54 corner bow-front to a 90 or 100 gallon tank. LFS has a 90 reef ready for i believe $340 , not sure if the low iron glass is wort the extra $500.
Thank you and keep reefing!!!!

If there was no difference between the two kinds of glass there would be no motivation to make the more expensive one. The cheaper tanks generally have more of a green tint to the glass. So your LFS may not be giving you the whole story about the difference.

That said, if you can't see the difference, or don't care about the green tint than there is no reason to purchase the higher-priced unit.

I like acrylic tanks because they are clearer to look at, but they do scratch easier than glass. The low iron glass is clearer, more like acrylic than regular glass imo. If I was getting a glass tank I would pay for the low iron because my eyes are poor and the green tint makes the corals that much harder to see.

HTH. Buy a bigger tank, you can't go wrong either way.

 

[LadyMac]

I have a waterbox which is made of low iron glass and it absolutely is much more clear.

 

[lavoisier]

I've had regular glass and now I have low iron. I think I can see a difference. There is certainly a difference in the properties of the glass. If I had to do it over again, I think I would still go with the low iron.

 

[LadyMac]

https://agmglassdesign.com/news/starphire-glass-or-low-iron-glass/ this helps to explain and also shows a good visual of the two

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

The rule of thumb I hear is that if the glass thickness is 1/2 inch or less, it is really hard to tell the difference. Another factor is low iron glass scratches more easily