What makes some tanks so much more expensive than others? I understand the difference in materials (glass, acrylic, low iron) but I'm thinking when comparing similar tanks. Is there really a noticeable difference?
Workmanship comes into play. If you are comparing a standard tank made by a large company vs a custom builder then volume is key. If you are comparing smaller builders like Cadlights then it's build quality.
Workmanship comes into play. If you are comparing a standard tank made by a large company vs a custom builder then volume is key. If you are comparing smaller builders like Cadlights then it's build quality.
I think I'm leaning towards building my next tank/stand/sump. I was just curious if there was something special that they were doing in the expensive ones that I could be overlooking. I built two 75 gallon acrylic tanks about 15 years ago that were perfectly fine. They never leaked as long as I had them. I'm not sure what as far as build quality goes would be any different from what I could build.
The workmanship is definitely what you pay for, and also over engineering to a point. Cheaper tanks seem to try and get away with less material...
If you're comfortable with a diy build then why not. . I'm planning to give acrylic a try and build a little 5g sump and top off tank for the 2g Nano im planning for work.