once you go black you never go back?

[spit.fire]

So from the looks at it tomorrow i will be picking up a 125g tank that im going to be using as a display tank, unfortunately for me the tank is scratched as it seems to be the case with every tank Ive looked at in the last 2 weeks (looked at over 10 tanks and they were all scratched)

so now ive decided to just say the hell with it, im buying the cheapest scratched tank i can find and replacing the front pane of glass.

so the hardest part of this is deciding on silicone color, if i go clear i don't have to completely cut the tank apart, but if i go black i have to separate all the panels and re glue them

so i want opinions

who thinks black looks better on a full out reef tank
who thinks clear looks better on a full out reef tank

[madchild]

Black

[Ryan]

Black.

But why not just order a new tank? I used to be just like you, always looking at used tank and I was never happy with them because eventually I found the smallest scratch.

Think of it this way, by the time your reef is stocked you have $6,000+ into a 125 gallon tank, why cheap out on the tank? Especially when your ghetto rigging it with a new front pane of glass.

Ive heard prices went way up but Concept builds some really nice tanks.

[Zoaelite]

^^^ +1 on all accounts.

In addition you never REALLY know what a used tank has been through in its life, the silicone could contain copper from medication or it could be on the verge of tank death.

Concept provides a year warranty on their tanks, they are also relatively inexpensive & have some of the best work in the industry.

More like once you go Concept you will never go back :razz:.


and ya... Black all the way but I'm bias.

[Proteus]

I like black, but clear is more forgiving. :)

[daniella3d]

I like black, black is cool :)

my new mantis tank...

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy143/daniella3ds/db2s_zps52cbe6bd.jpg

[reefgirl189]

I've had both black and clear and I prefer the black look also.

[mseepman]

Black for me too! Plus I just ordered a frag tank from our boys at Concepts and its black too.

[Nizzmo]

black is professional looking for sure

[spit.fire]

Black.

But why not just order a new tank? I used to be just like you, always looking at used tank and I was never happy with them because eventually I found the smallest scratch.

Think of it this way, by the time your reef is stocked you have $6,000+ into a 125 gallon tank, why cheap out on the tank? Especially when your ghetto rigging it with a new front pane of glass.

Ive heard prices went way up but Concept builds some really nice tanks.

In all honesty this tank is an "in between tank" I sold my 8' tank, setting this one up until I move and when I move ill be setting up a much larger tank

After all is said and done the tank will look and be as trustworthy as a new tank and cost a fraction of the cost

What can I say I prefer diy

[Ryan]

If its an "in between tank" then stop being so picky and just deal with a few scratches until you move.

I like DIY as much as the next guy but I also know when its time to just buy new instead of ghetto rigging something. The amount of work to swap in a new piece of glass justdoesnt make it worth while over buying a new one.

[spit.fire]

If its an "in between tank" then stop being so picky and just deal with a few scratches until you move.

I like DIY as much as the next guy but I also know when its time to just buy new instead of ghetto rigging something. The amount of work to swap in a new piece of glass justdoesnt make it worth while over buying a new one.

I figure make it look nice that way after I move I might just set it up as a freshwater tank full of cardinals and Plecos

Front glass is simple to replace, I figure 1hr tops to replace it with some fancy hammer work. 4hrs to do all 4 sides. I'm on a "budget" and if I buy a new tank, build a new stand, etc etc I won't have enough for the skimmer and LEDs I want

[Ryan]

You realize to do this properly you will need to take the tank right apart and reseal the entire thing right. Silicone will not stick to dry silicone and eventually the tank will leave if you just do the front glass.

[Delphinus]

The conversation seems to have drifted a little but here's my take on the original question.

Clear silicone is sort of better in theory than in practise, because you might mentally associate "clear" to mean "transparent" ... but in the end it's hardly invisible. Black on the other hand gives a nice contrast and is easier to blend in to things because overflows and trim are most often black, and very often a tank stand can be black too so it all ties together.

I prefer a black background too nowadays. It makes the colours pop. I put blue on my big reef tank and it looks OK but black would have looked so much better.

So black silicone totally gets my vote.

As far as where the conversation is now ..... my take on it is a tank is a tank. They all get scratches. The question is whether you can live with the scratches. If not, and there really are no good alteratives in the used market, then I don't see the harm in looking into what a new tank would cost you. If the cost differential is really huge and you're comfortable with DIY'ing in a new pane then go for it but to be honest I sort of see the point the others are making .. there would have to be a fairly significant cost difference for ME to consider it (knowing full well everyone's groove is different so ultimately, whatever works for you is cool, of course). To me the glass box is generally not too hard to replace under a small budget, a tank with a stand already is worth way more in my opinion so personally that's probably what would sway me one way or the other..

[viperfish]

I agree with Delphinus, the contrast definitely makes a tank look classier with black silicone.

[spit.fire]

You realize to do this properly you will need to take the tank right apart and reseal the entire thing right. Silicone will not stick to dry silicone and eventually the tank will leave if you just do the front glass.

Yes I do, isn't the first tank I've done and won't be the last

[lockrookie]

Good on ya IMO I replaced a broken pane on my 180 and it was a huge price difference than buying new. As fr the topic I thought of going black but in the end I cover the corners in wood moulding so I dont see either of the clear or black. But I do agree the black looks nice. Always wondered what white would look like... I may test this out on my frag tank since I accidentally bought some

[spit.fire]

Black wins

I'm gonna start a tank journal for this one