Realistic Lifespan of glass aquariums?

I've been digging around for some info on the subject. In the range of 125-180g tanks how long can I expect a brand new tank to last, assuming it's going to be continuously running and on an adequate stand?

I'm less than a year out on purchasing my first home. The wife and I are finally in the position to save some dough. We're stashing about a grand a month into the down payment fund. I'm so excited. ...Excited to have my very own basement! I've got my eye set on a 6ft tank that's still kind of manageable to move and will be setup as long as possible without having to move or replace it.

I've got a 40b I just retired that was from 1988 that was in rough shape. If it were a larger tank I don't believe it would have held.

So basically my dilemma is that I don't know whether to just buy a $500 petstore 125 or spend the cash on a custom built 200ish gallon tank for about a grand or so. I see people say large glass tanks are only good for about a decade, if so then I don't think it's worth buying a really expensive tank. The tank will probably be in an unfinished basement and if I can get close to 20 years out of the tank then I think a custom tank is a viable option.

Do any of you have any big glass tanks that are around 20 years old?

I'm still not really interested in acrylic at this time.

I'm considering welding up an angle iron trim piece with center supports to silicone over the factory top trim as I've read many large tank failures are from stressed or broken center supports.

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Thanks a lot for the replies.

I have an AGA 40b from 1991 sitting under my 90 as a sump. I have another 40b from 1990 setup right now, and I recently broke down a 40b from 1988, that tank was danger close to catastrophic failure....I know old tanks - I just don't have any experience with large old tanks.

And I also don't think the "they don't make em like they used to arguement" applies to this situation either. I recently just gave away an AGA 75g built in 1994. The glass was only 1/4" thick and the trim was super thin, the centerbrace was narrow. Like pencil thin. The tank was starting to bow quite a bit. Comparing that to a 2014 aqueon 90g with 3/8" glass and super beefed up trim. The center brace was about 3 times wider and was ribbed on the backside. I know a 90g is a few inches taller so I kinda wrote it off. Then a month or so ago I bought a topfin branded aqueon 75g, the glass was much thicker at least 5/16" I didn't measure it but it's almost the same thickness as the 90g. And the topfin 75 shared the same beefy trim pieces as the 90 too. I am really impressed with the quality of the newer aqueon tanks. The workmanship on my 90 is exceptional. The alignment of the panels and silicone is flawless as far as I can see.... my older tanks... not so much.

I appreciate the input. I just want to be sure a large tank will be worth the money in the long run. I'm done with buying used tanks and want to choose my next one carefully.

If I can get 20 years out of a big glass tank I'm gonna seek out one of the two tank builders in know of in Wisconsin and price out a 180 versus the aqueon tanks at the LFS. If I can get the seller to drill it and save me the time and stress it'll be well worth it to me.


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