# Are Low Iron aquariums worth the price?



## p2002 (Nov 25, 2015)

I'm thinking of buying a Mr Aqua 22 gallon long tank. My LFS told me that the low iron version is $20-30 more.

Is it worth it? I haven't seen it in person and the LFS will be ordering it for me so I won't have a chance to compare.

Is it really that much clearer?


----------



## Xiaozhuang (Feb 15, 2012)

More so for larger tanks with thicker glass; especially if you use bright lights and have very clean glass/clear water. Larger impact in real life than in pics. If you're the type of guy that buys glass lily pipes, and use surface skimmers because you want perfectly clear water surface, and use purigen in your filter, then buy the low-iron version for sure.


----------



## IUnknown (Feb 5, 2003)

And for photos it looks a lot better, if you plan on taking nice photos.


----------



## Jeff5614 (Dec 29, 2005)

I think it's just a better overall look than a rimmed tank with greener glass. The tank itself becomes less noticeable and what's in it becomes more so. If you plan on staying in the hobby I think you'll find it worth the extra money.


----------



## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

When weighing out your decision you may want to factor in that low iron glass is not as hard and will scratch a little easier.


----------



## number1sixerfan (Nov 10, 2006)

For $20-30 more, I saw why not. It's definitely a clearer tank, there's absolutely a real life difference. I was considering for a much larger tank, but then it becomes hundreds of dollars difference. I say go for it for the 22.


----------



## Clinton Parsons (Apr 11, 2016)

It is worth the money, scratches easily and you will definitely notice the difference in person. 

Look at this.









It scratches so easily I already have a scratch on my new 90-P and I have no idea how. I handled it immaculately.


----------



## MCHRKiller (Jul 25, 2008)

IMO if you are going to invest the extra cash just go for acrylic....it is clearer than low iron glass and totally seamless. It also scratches more easily BUT you can fix them.


----------



## p2002 (Nov 25, 2015)

Xiaozhuang said:


> More so for larger tanks with thicker glass; especially if you use bright lights and have very clean glass/clear water. Larger impact in real life than in pics. If you're the type of guy that buys glass lily pipes, and use surface skimmers because you want perfectly clear water surface, and use purigen in your filter, then buy the low-iron version for sure.


Ha ha. Those are some good guidelines. I do love purigen but don't have surface skimmers or glass lily pipes. That's good to know!



IUnknown said:


> And for photos it looks a lot better, if you plan on taking nice photos.





Jeff5614 said:


> I think it's just a better overall look than a rimmed tank with greener glass. The tank itself becomes less noticeable and what's in it becomes more so. If you plan on staying in the hobby I think you'll find it worth the extra money.


Just to be clear, both the low iron and regular versions of the Mr Aqua tank are rimless. Thank you for the advice.



Kubla said:


> When weighing out your decision you may want to factor in that low iron glass is not as hard and will scratch a little easier.


Whoa I did NOT know that. That's great to know thanks! Will it get scratched by just regular scrubbing using sponge pads to get off algae? Or are we only talking about scratches due to moving it around.



number1sixerfan said:


> For $20-30 more, I saw why not. It's definitely a clearer tank, there's absolutely a real life difference. I was considering for a much larger tank, but then it becomes hundreds of dollars difference. I say go for it for the 22.


Thanks! It is good to know that there's a real noticeable difference.



Clinton Parsons said:


> It is worth the money, scratches easily and you will definitely notice the difference in person.


Great picture that's very helpful thank you!



MCHRKiller said:


> IMO if you are going to invest the extra cash just go for acrylic....it is clearer than low iron glass and totally seamless. It also scratches more easily BUT you can fix them.


But aren't acrylic *very* expensive? I'll look into though. Thanks!


----------



## IUnknown (Feb 5, 2003)

Kubla said:


> When weighing out your decision you may want to factor in that low iron glass is not as hard and will scratch a little easier.


Where did you read that? Its just glass? I have used acrylic and the first time you clean the tank you will get scratches and its really disheartening.


----------



## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

MCHRKiller said:


> IMO if you are going to invest the extra cash just go for acrylic....it is clearer than low iron glass and totally seamless. It also scratches more easily BUT you can fix them.


I like watching Tanked, those acrylic tanks look heavy as all heck.


----------



## MCHRKiller (Jul 25, 2008)

Acrylic is considerably lighter than glass, I can easily carry my 50G acrylic on my own. Weight is about half what glass is. 

I paid $200 for a Seaclear 50G with black back shipped to my door a comparable sized ADA tank would have been much more expensive.


----------



## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

My wife would divorce me if I spend $200 on a tank.... so I just buy lots of small tanks.
I did get two 2nd hand 60 gal tanks for about $13 each though. I only have hardware for one so far.


----------



## MCHRKiller (Jul 25, 2008)

I would probably not go the acrylic route again on a tank less than 100G. Expense and the fact the need scratches fixed is my reasoning, my 50G has exterior scratches which is an easy fix with a Novus kit. Interior scratches require the tank to be drained; which I haven't invested the efforts into yet. 

Now a large tank I would go acrylic due to the weight reduction and fact cell cast acrylic is probably the most durable tank out there.

Personally standard glass tanks are fine to me, perfectly adequate and if the scape/fish are nice enough only some seriously OCD person would focus on the glass not low iron. lol


----------



## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

IUnknown said:


> Where did you read that? Its just glass? I have used acrylic and the first time you clean the tank you will get scratches and its really disheartening.



But, it's not just glass, it's low iron glass. Glass can be formulated to make it harder, softer, break resistant, more flexible etc. It's a generalization since different glass companies have their own formulation and there is really no benchmark for "standard glass", but for comparison purposes, low iron, or starphire glass is typically softer than "standard" aquarium glass. Not to the point of being like acrylic, but softer.


----------



## Clinton Parsons (Apr 11, 2016)

I like glass because I like to clean with organic solvents, and I clean often. You could ruin your acrylic tank that way. 

And for what it's worth, your tank will still look green even with low-iron glass if you get a big enough tank. Just not AS green.


----------



## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

$20 isn't really that much, I'd say go for it. 

With that said, I'm not sold on any of this sort of stuff and it just isn't my cup of tea. But generally speaking, people are into the low iron glass.


----------

