Starfire glass is the brand name for a type of low-iron, a high-clarity glass used for one or more viewing panels on an aquarium. The term may be a bit confusing as people often use the term Starfire in a generic way, similar to Kleenex for facial tissues, to describe any aquarium made with low-iron glass. Low-iron glass is made with silica that has a low iron content that eliminates the greenish-blue tint you see in regular glass applications. The sand used for low-iron glass has just 0.01% ferric oxide, and regular plate glass will have ten times more. You may not notice the tint in small aquariums with thinner glass, but with thicker glass, it makes a significant difference, particularly through crisp, white reef lights in the 14,000K to 20,000K spectrum. As you’ll notice when shopping for an aquarium, Starfire and other brands of low-iron glass are more expensive. High-end aquariums will use the low-iron glass on all the viewing panes, the front three sides on a common aquarium. To cut down on costs many manufacturers will just use low-iron glass on the front viewing panel, helping to make the aquariums more affordable.