Tempered or not?

[zoobug]

I am in the market for a large tank and they offer a tempered glass for a higher price - I just wondered if there was any advantage to that? This is a 300 gal tank - I would assume a crack in tempered or non tempered would cause huge problems either way or am I wrong?

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Or not.

Tempered glass doesn't crack, it is designed to shatter and fragment into smaller pieces. It's a safety feature.
Sometimes it gives up for no reason, I've been around tough glass for a few years and it just goes, not often but it happens.

The higher price would go toward the additional process of heat treatment etc.

Personally float is better, (polished plate) slightly better optically, low iron has a less green look (optiwhite)
Laminated is safest but is not a common glass type for tanks.