Chengal vs Balau vs Kapor

[tench1]

Hi all senior experienced bro/sis, please share your experience of the above 3 difference material for Marine Tank Setup..

From my research so far, Chengai is the more popular wood compared to the others.

However, the cost can be quite significantly higher as well.

Please share your experience/knowledge/thoughts.

Cheers!

Ten

[Jameshong]

Hi all senior experienced bro/sis, please share your experience of the above 3 difference material for Marine Tank Setup..

From my research so far, Chengai is the more popular wood compared to the others.

However, the cost can be quite significantly higher as well.

Please share your experience/knowledge/thoughts.

Cheers!

Ten

IMHO, kapor wood should be good enough for marine tank setup unless you want the cabinet to last you for 8~10 years long !

[tench1]

Hi James, thanks and noted.

Are you saying that safety wise, kapor woods are less than 8 yrs of durability?

And even chengal material can last only 10 years?

[Jameshong]

Hi James, thanks and noted.

Are you saying that safety wise, kapor woods are less than 8 yrs of durability?

And even chengal material can last only 10 years?

Hi bro,

I have no concrete data to show that chengnai wood can last more than 10 years however, one of my colleague, who have a marine tank with kapor cabinet for more than 5.5 years before decom so I presume chengnai is more solid than kapor so should be able to last longer.

IMHO, beside soild wood used, the cabinet need solid design structure to last longer therefore engaging a good carpenter is very important too !

[tench1]

Thanks James for your input, now im collecting info, as to which wood material should i be using for my upcoming project

[Eniram]

Reborn uses kapor wood for their display tank. Some of the supporting fram are more than 10yrs, so basically its the workman ship and how they take care of their wood. If you notice they are painted over. So there you go REBORN a living example of using kapor wood.

[tench1]

Thanks bro! That's a good example!

[DUCADOS]

Changai wood is the common material use in the marine so I feel should stick with it.

Cost higher abit nevermind. Most important save hassle.

Imagine u need to change cabinet from time to time given u r very rich u will also find them very troublesome

[tench1]

Noted Sir, do recognise that Chengal is the most prefered material for marine related cabinet.

If im richer, i will upgrade my tank and the cabinet as well. Cause my ambition is greater than what im going to do soon,

Thanks for your input!

[DUCADOS]

Actually dun have to be richer in order to do that la.

Just tell yourself pay a little more to get something better n more durable.

End day u will find your $ spent worthwhile.

Anyway if lasted for the years u used,come to calculate it,it merely cost a few cents/dollar more per month to enjoy all this

[Jameshong]

Actually dun have to be richer in order to do that la.

Just tell yourself pay a little more to get something better n more durable.

End day u will find your $ spent worthwhile.

Anyway if lasted for the years u used,come to calculate it,it merely cost a few cents/dollar more per month to enjoy all this

Yes..true that pay a liitle more to get something better n more durable !

But think back...how many reefers will use the same tank and cabinet for more than 10 years? Many reefers tend to either upgrade or downgrade after a few years down the road and sad to say that the resale value of the chengnai cabinet is not much different from kapor cabinet which is 70~80% loss when posted in "Sell off/Pasar Malam" thread.

Btw, the above was just my personnel opinion and experience so pls don't gun me hor...!

[tench1]

Thank you Bro Ducados and James for your valuable inputs.

They post great benefit for other forumn hobbist out there.

Since there`s no disucssion before in this forumn, i treat this as a sharing thread for whoever entering this hobby to best select their ideal Marine tank material in the future.

I guess the final choice lies with each individual end-user on their preference and "how deep the pocket" is and how long the tank is going to last etc.

Silicon tank does give way after a period of time.

I experienced a flooded house before in the middle of the night, and i do know how bad such experience can create for the user. So there fore the question again, how long can 1 tank last? No one will have the answer.

Hence, there's no right or wrong answer to this question posted.

[DUCADOS]

Yes..true that pay a liitle more to get something better n more durable !

But think back...how many reefers will use the same tank and cabinet for more than 10 years? Many reefers tend to either upgrade or downgrade after a few years down the road and sad to say that the resale value of the chengnai cabinet is not much different from kapor cabinet which is 70~80% loss when posted in "Sell off/Pasar Malam" thread.

Btw, the above was just my personnel opinion and experience so pls don't gun me hor...!

those reefer may not be using the same tank n cabinet for 10 years but u notice they sell it.

So basically buyer will take over it n use. So in another words,the tank n cabinet has not been stop from using

So the possibility of lasting 10years is there.

[DUCADOS]

Silicon tank does give way after a period of time.

I experienced a flooded house before in the middle of the night, and i do know how bad such experience can create for the user. So there fore the question again, how long can 1 tank last? No one will have the answer.

Hence, there's no right or wrong answer to this question posted.

no choice wan bro. All glass tank need silicon to get them together.

Unless u r super rich then u can customized a 1pc glass tank using no silicon at all

anyway silicon on glass can last pretty long I believe.

I have a 2 tier 4 feet tank (crappy tank to me) with me for about 7 years already.

Now using to keep some LS but it's a fresh water la. The glass got some chip,workmanship no good.

Silicon also not very nicely done but at least till now it's still serving it's purpose

[shiraz]

Reviving this 10 year old thread!

How's the longevity of the kapur stands vs chengai (chengal) now? How about the new extruded aluminum stands that are popular now?

Are there any methods or coating that you can apply on kapur stands to let them last longer? Reason for failure is is mainly due to it being wet often? Can adding vents in the cabinet help to reduce the humidity therefore extending the lifespan of the stands?