SC Aquariums Owners Thread

[clk51212]

quick question about the return lines did anyone have issues with leaking when threading the lockline thru the hole in the overflow.

 

[Bpb]

So the pictures of the new stands available for the 80 gallon and under look pretty good on the website. Anyone received one yet and care to comment on the build quality and the overall fit? Considering ordering a 80 from them in the next year or so but it depends on that stand quality.

 

[ReeferBill88]

hi everyone. sorry if i stray from the topic a little. i just started filling up my new sca 120gallon 4x2x2 and noticed that the front and two side panel edges were the same color, tint as the back pane (green). i thought that was off because my tank was ordered with the front 3 panels starfire and the back pane normal plate glass (how most sca tanks are advertized). reading on r2r, google, here,and vids on youtube. say that low-iron or starfire glass has a bluish clear tint on the edges of the glass wear as normal plate glass will have a greenish tint. the more iron the greener the tint.

so my question is, does your sca tank have a blue or green tint to the edges?

here are some links on the difference between low-iron and normal glass.

http://www.austinstairs.com/faqs/16...ison-of-regular-glass-and-low-iron-glass.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bra7LbV1rA

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1815476

https://www.*********.com/threads/how-to-differentiate-between-glass-and-starfire.86633/

 

[ReeferBill88]

not sure if the pics are posting or not, but these are just some shots of the edges on my SCA 120 gallon tank.

[/IMG]

 

[clk51212]

My 80 gal has greenish tint to the edges as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bracka345]

I've did some research myself and it looks as if its starphire but not the high end stuff which has more of a blueish tint. Its still a lot lighter than regular glass. i can look down the entire 5' length of my glass on the edge.

 

[Bracka345]

This guide is helpful.

 

[ReeferBill88]

so far, all the info i have come across on the internet has been the same on that blue for low-iron, green for normal plate glass. and sca lists all of their tanks/systems as "Starfire" with the exception of one the "50 GALLON PNP SYSTEM EcoTech Marine Edition" kinda makes me wonder if everyone with a sca "starefire" tank possibly got a knockoff? or if every source i have checked on how to distinguish normal plate glass from low-iron glass has been 180* off...?

 

[ReeferBill88]

This guide is helpful.

nice, where did you find this?

 

[soulpatch]

The color chart above answered your question. The starfire is not impurity free thus green hue that darkens over distance. Here is another article decribing:

http://riku-glass.com/onami-crystal...ass-edge-color/starfire-glass-edge-color.html

Put the tank next to regular glass and you will see no knockoffs....

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[ReeferBill88]

thanks for clearing that up for me,and sorry for the confusion.

 

[Bracka345]

nice, where did you find this?

I found it by googling starphire vs regular glass.

 

[faterikcartman]

I have two SCA 150s. One has low-iron on all four sides, and one has regular glass on the back panel. But when I first opened the all low-iron tank and saw the greenish-blue tint on both front and back I panicked and thought I had been scammed.

I too scoured the net for info. Note the example pieces in the photos linked above aren’t 24” deep. Eventually I opened the other box with the tank with a regular back pane. Clearly deep green and not clear looking through it edge on.

I did then confirm with Steve that sometimes they are made with all low-iron panes.

I want to add that I have met Steve in person a few times and picked up my tanks in person. He strikes me as an honest businessman and all around decent guy. Obviously I could be mistaken. But that’s how he came across to me. If I remember correctly Steve said his brother owned the factory in China. And I got the impression Steve was the ultimate authority as far as things went here in the US. Apologies to Steve if any of this is incorrect.

Finally — and again this is just a guess not something I’m sure about — the low-iron glass they use is likely a Chinese version. Not Starphire branded glass made by PPG. Hence the incredible pricing.

 

[ReefCowboy]

My 150gal is clearly low iron, as the front and side pannels are significantly clearer from another rimless tank I own. I would check with Steve if you suspect the front(most important) glass is not low iron and ask for a solution.

Red sea reefers and many other “low iron”tanks are made from glass from China.

 

[luckyk0505]

Tiny hole in silicone

Tiny hole in silicone

I noticed this tiny hole in silicone between the front and side panel. Tank has been up and running for couple month and it does not leak currently. It seems like the hole is on outside and I am not sure how deep it is. Should I worry?

thanks,

 

[pfan151]

Has anyone actually had a SCA leak or fail? Seems to be a ton of post about silicone worries but I can’t remember ever hearing about a failure.

 

[luckyk0505]

Mine does not leak yet, but I am really concerned. I cannot get response from Steve either.

 

[soulpatch]

That dot in your silicone is obviously on the bead that they put over the structural. It is on top of your glass and thus not a real concern. Steve responds to email so you can contact him but from your picture the silicone in between the glass panes is solid.


pfan - Yes there have been a tank here or there that have had issues which is to be expected with any manufactorer. Some were from shipping issues that were overlooked whereas others were in fact from manufactoring. With ANY brand one MUST go over their tank with a fine tooth comb prior and during filling. Just too much money involved to not ensure there is no defect or damage.

 

[Reef Dude]

To Steve's credit, he is very responsive to emails. However, I had many concerns with the silicone on my tank and he would either contradict himself constantly to feed me answers that he thought I wanted to hear or flat out dodge specific questions I had regarding silicone, safety factors, and the tank being out square and out of plane. After 10 or so emails asking him for a new tank I just gave up.

The attached photo shows one of the bubbles in the seams, which spans almost the entire span of the structural seam. Otherwise, approx 75% of my tank does not have silicon 100% in the seams as other have recently posted about. I posted about these issues myself over a year ago in this thread if you want to see photos of what I'm talking about just look back in this thread. I'm not going to trash them or start quoting Steve in any of his messages to me, but I was not happy with the tank I received or the responses I got from Steve, as it seemed that he just wanted to say anything to avoid shipping another tank to me.

With all this said, my tank is still full of water over a year later with no leaks and no signs of the seam deficiencies expanding or growing. However, I manage risk and safety for a living, so I'm a little extra cautious of these issues than most. I do worry about water on the floor each time I come in the house or wake up in the morning, and at this point I consider this tank a temporary solution until I save up for a better one.

 

[Reef Dude]

Sorry here's a less crappy photo (although I still needs rotated) of what I was trying to show in my prior post. Like I said, it hasn't grown over the last year, but it doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy either.