# Marineland or All Glass tank ?



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What are your preferences?
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## 12 Volt Man

no contest here.

All Glass (aka Aqueon) by a landslide.

on their larger tanks, they use thicker glass and have much thicker silicone seams than the Marineland (aka Perfecto) ones. their cross braces are also much stronger and not flimsy. The marineland ones sag. the Aqueon ones do not (at least on the 6 footer sizes) On some tanks like the 125 and 150g sizes, Aqueon tanks have an additional cross brace for added strength and the glass tops are also thicker.

I compared both directly when researching manufacturers when I bought my 150g in 2008. I was surprised at the differences in build quality at least in the large size tanks especially when you consider that they are very close in price. The Aqueon/Allglass ones are usually a bit more money but the cost increase is well worth it IMO.

Another good brand is Miracles.


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## BillD

Thicker silicone on the inner seams is not a sign of quality. I have a 20 miracles, and there is virtually no inner seam. It is very small and uniform, as if machine made. I haven't looked recently to compare, but I do remember the AG tanks having very flimsy braces on the 55. I have a new 75 Perfecto in the basement, and the centre brace does not sag. I would suggest you look for yourself to compare. I personally don't know for sure which is better, but I have heard that neither compares with a Miracles of the same size, from someone that has a number of AGs and Miracles, all in large sizes. For what it's worth Rusty Wessel has 94 Perfecto tanks in his 1400sq. ft. (awesome) fish house, half of which are 265s, although to be fair, Marineland is one of his sponsors. Perhaps the easiest way to determine would be to inquire about leakers for sale, and determine the brand.


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## gucci17

BillD said:


> Thicker silicone on the inner seams is not a sign of quality. I have a 20 miracles, and there is virtually no inner seam. It is very small and uniform, as if machine made. I haven't looked recently to compare, but I do remember the AG tanks having very flimsy braces on the 55. I have a new 75 Perfecto in the basement, and the centre brace does not sag. I would suggest you look for yourself to compare. I personally don't know for sure which is better, but I have heard that neither compares with a Miracles of the same size, from someone that has a number of AGs and Miracles, all in large sizes. For what it's worth Rusty Wessel has 94 Perfecto tanks in his 1400sq. ft. (awesome) fish house, half of which are 265s, although to be fair, Marineland is one of his sponsors. Perhaps the easiest way to determine would be to inquire about leakers for sale, and determine the brand.


+1

Silicone quality is also important. Take a look at Elos tanks. Their rimless tanks have what appear to be very little silicone used.

Bill's suggestion about determining leakers is a good starting point.


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## 12 Volt Man

BillD said:


> Thicker silicone on the inner seams is not a sign of quality. I have a 20 miracles, and there is virtually no inner seam. It is very small and uniform, as if machine made. I haven't looked recently to compare, but I do remember the AG tanks having very flimsy braces on the 55. I have a new 75 Perfecto in the basement, and the centre brace does not sag. I would suggest you look for yourself to compare. I personally don't know for sure which is better, but I have heard that neither compares with a Miracles of the same size, from someone that has a number of AGs and Miracles, all in large sizes. For what it's worth Rusty Wessel has 94 Perfecto tanks in his 1400sq. ft. (awesome) fish house, half of which are 265s, although to be fair, Marineland is one of his sponsors. Perhaps the easiest way to determine would be to inquire about leakers for sale, and determine the brand.


I should clarify my comments. my comments about marineland tanks really only apply to the large sizes (125, 150, 180s and 220s/265).

all the tank manufacturers including miracles have braces that are a bit flexible on the smaller sizes up to 55g or so.

on the smaller tank sizes, I really don't think there is much of a difference in build quality between either miracles, marineland or aqueon.

my main problem with marineland tanks is that on the large sizes, they use thinner glass than either Aqueon or Miracles. For those of you that shop at Big Al's Mississauga for example, they have an All Glass/Aqueon 150g and a Marineland 220 setup opposite each other. The glass on the marineland 220 is a little thinner than the Aqueon 150. same with the 265g at Big Al's hamilton. its still thinner than the glass Aqueon uses on their 150s and up.

granted, its not that much thinner, but a hair thinner none the less.

I love Miracles tanks, (i have a 50 and 65 from them) but they did not make a 72x18x29 tank. they only make 72x18x*27* tank so when I was doing homework for my 150 purchase, I ended up going with Aqueon.

I got a quote from Miracles for a 29" tall 6 footer but it was going to be about $900 which didn't really make sense when a stock 220 from them was cheaper. For some reason, Derek wanted to use 5/8" thick glass for my custom order, which I guess is why it was so much more expensive..weird.

normal miracles 220s aren't made with 5/8" thick glass, so Im not sure why they wanted to go this route for only a 150??

good discussion fellow fishkeepers!


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## Jordin

12 Volt Man said:


> my main problem with marineland tanks is that on the large sizes, they use thinner glass than either Aqueon or Miracles. For those of you that shop at Big Al's Mississauga for example, they have an All Glass/Aqueon 150g and a Marineland 220 setup opposite each other. The glass on the marineland 220 is a little thinner than the Aqueon 150. same with the 265g at Big Al's hamilton. its still thinner than the glass Aqueon uses on their 150s and up.


Since when was thinner glass a negative? If it holds the water, it's fine. As glass gets thicker, it takes on a green hue and is less clear.

Thinner glass means better clarity which is exactly what you want in an Aquarium.


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## 12 Volt Man

sure it may hold water, but for how long?

thinner glass will bow more which places greater stress on the seams over time.

look at Big Al's Hamilton. their 265 Perfecto reef displayed leaked after 2 years. the tank that is there now is the second one (first tank had clear silicone, this one has black)

did it leak from seam/stress issues? who knows. its impossible to say.

I just think when dealing with very large (and very heavy) volumes of water suspended in mid air in our houses LOL, you don't want to go with a company that cuts corners.

even if it is only a hair difference in thickness lol


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## BillD

While a tank which is braced won't bow, even if the glass is thinner, the silicone in the butt joints has less surface area to adhere to. This can be mitigated with the use of stronger silicone. However, the stronger silicone is probably being used in the tank with the thicker glass, also. A properly assembled tank will hold water without the inner seals. It is meant to be more an insurance against leakage than as a dam to cover sloppy building. Most of my tanks were purchased as leakers (most from BA's) and I think I have most manufacturers covered; Perfecto, All Glass, and Hagen for sure.


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