120 Gallon tank specs

[Arjento]

Hi guys,

Okay so I've gone to 3 LFS and they've all told me something different. It is time for me to upgrade from my 75 to a 120 Gallon for sure. The question I have is how thick of glass do I want. One local fish store said go bold laminate glass, the other said I can do what they use in their display tanks which is 1/2 inch glass all around and safely drill the tank (he's the lowest priced) and lastly the other store said that I can do 1/2 inch glass but I had to use 5/8th glass on the side the holes would be in. I have no clue anyone know what thickness of glass I can do and get away with? I can't afford to pay for the laminate that's out of the question. But the price difference between the 5/8th's one and the 1/2 inch all around is dramatic like 250 dollars. Suggestions? experience??? I think I'm gonna trust you guys more than I would the LFS. They've been ripping me off from day one.

[shadowspank]

If you plan to drill the tank I would stay away from glass. PLEXIGLASS would be your best bet. I would just get a tank with bulit in over flow system a box on each side. This would suit you just fine for some time.

[Geoff]

i on the other hand do not like plexiglass. i can not stand the refraction gradient of acrylic. i prefer glass.

i have a 125g tank with 3/8" glass with 7 holes on one side without any problems.

1/2" is fine expecially if this tank is less than 24" tall. it is the height of the tank that determines the glass thickness.

with all of the cleaning that needs to be done on a SW tank acrylic tanks get scratched very easily. if coralline is allowed to grow on the tank it can be extremely difficult to remove from an acrylic tank. acrylic is also a good insulator so keeping a tank cooler is harder on an acrylic tank than a glass tank.

G~

[Arjento]

Good to know. Yeah I just got an email back from the tank builder in town and they are SeaStar tanks now H2O aquarium. Anyways they said they won't drill anything less than 5/8ths at 24 inch high. I'm doing a 4x2x2 tank so they said the side with the holes whether it be bottom or back must be 5/8th. Thanks though guys.

[Jflip2002]

Im with Geoff, I like glass better. If glass were more expensive, Id even buy glass. So acrylic definitely isnt worth it to me. I wont own another acrylic tank, its such a PITA to keep clean without scratching.

[Twitterbait]

I disagree with geoff and flip about acrylic. I have owned a bunch of acrylic tanks and never had a problem with any scratching. you just need to use the right scraper. yes it does insulate the water better, but that also means it is easier to keep your temperature consistent (I was running a dual 90g setup with MH on both and didn't need a chiller). Acrylic is lighter and the seams are much better than glass when done right.

as for the glass situation, i think it is ridiculos that they are trying to force you to 5/8th" glass just to drill. i have drilled 1/4" without issue many times. if i am not mistaken 1/2" should be fine for that tank.

but i still recommend acrylic.

[Leastbay]

Originally Posted by Twitterbait

I disagree with geoff and flip about acrylic. I have owned a bunch of acrylic tanks and never had a problem with any scratching. you just need to use the right scraper. yes it does insulate the water better, but that also means it is easier to keep your temperature consistent (I was running a dual 90g setup with MH on both and didn't need a chiller). Acrylic is lighter and the seams are much better than glass when done right.

as for the glass situation, i think it is ridiculos that they are trying to force you to 5/8th" glass just to drill. i have drilled 1/4" without issue many times. if i am not mistaken 1/2" should be fine for that tank.

but i still recommend acrylic.

it has nothing to do with the thickness Im sure the place can drill 1/4 in. glass but who would build such a large aquarium out of 1/4 in. unless it was 10 inches tall, the taller it goes the thicker it needs to be 1/2 glass would be fine I would get quotes from other places also