Bowfronts

[jrnannery]

Hey guys, I have some questions. What is the general feeling on the matter of bowfront reef tanks? Before long, I would like to start planning a bowfront tank build. I think that it would fit in with the design of my house better than a regular flat-face tank, I think the wife would agree (bonus) because it would feel more contemporary, and I generally think they are cool!

Questions are:
1. Acrylic or glass -- I have no experience with acrylic, and just don't think I would prefer it...or if they make 'em out of plastic.

2. How tough are they? -- I don't know how strong the bond is between a curved piecve of glass mating to a flat edge. Pretty strong, I guess. They've been used with good success, I wager, no?

3. How much do you prefer yours over a flat-face tank?

Thanks
Richard

[Europhyllia]

I manage to scratch glass just fine so acrylic would not even be an option for me

I was just shopping for a corner bowfront and after talking to a previous bowfront owner I decided against it and went with a cube instead (less distortion -optical- and more stability) After having a 125g burst on me I am all about stability...

[Mr Cob]

I had a 144 half circle....distortion on it is much less than a bowfront....but I do love bowfronts. I saw a very nice one tonight... Robert's! GsXtC_21

I found that distortion is not bad if you are looking straight on. If you look around without moving your body then the distortion can be bad.

So...I'm just commenting on aesthetics. Listen to Karin about stability.

[jrnannery]

Two sorta-strikes in a row! Please, everyone else chime in. I want to hear everything.

[Mr Cob]

You can count mine as a +

...because I would buy a bowfront for a display tank. I would be careful about a used one....but definitely a new one. I would love to have a large one in the wall. Honestly, I go for aesthetics first and deal with the rest later... that has gotten me in trouble a few times though.

[TaknByD]

I have a 55g corner bow front tank... I absolutely love my tank... But I only find one draw back to have an odd shaped tank. Finding the right lights to fit right was a little pain to me. My wife actually just bought me a 36" T5 setup with 4 bulbs that are working fine. My stand is lacking a place to hide a sump so I am using a canister filter on it with a skimmer hanging on the back of the tank. I just started up my tank about 3-4 months ago so it's still a work in progress. I love the way that mine fits in the corner and bows out... It seems to save room and like Mr. Cob said there is not much distortion when looking straight on. And mine is glass and I have had no problems with scratches or whatnot... Purchased mine at a petsmart (didn't know any better at the time) about 6 years ago, and it's been a great investment... Good luck to you...

[tebstan]

You can count mine as a +

...because I would buy a bowfront for a display tank. I would be careful about a used one....but definitely a new one. I would love to have a large one in the wall. Honestly, I go for aesthetics first and deal with the rest later... that has gotten me in trouble a few times though.

Good points.

Years ago... hmm, maybe 6 or 8... the bow fronts got a bad reputation. They were busting at the seams and the frequent leaky reviews still stick in some people's memories. They haven't had that problem in recent years, though. So new is good, used is sketchy.

Aesthetics is what it's all about. If you like the curved glass, go for it. It can look really sharp.


Edit... okay maybe it was more like 8 or 10 years ago... I'm getting old.

[kkiel02]

The only problem I have is the distortion. I like the way round glass fits into a more contemporary home but the whole moving around the tank to get the right perception I think may get old. Then again you may get used to it. Also take note I have not owned one just seen them. An exagerated example would be the full circle at sea world.

I would also go glass up until 250 gallons unless you use AGE. The pvc bottom makes the tank ALOT lighter. For example- We moved a 300 g AGE with 4 people pretty easy, my 360 g DSA took 6 people and was pretty hard.

[allan]

This just from a visitors point of view.

I believe I've seen Rob's half circle, and I know I've seen Mizeny's a few times.

Both were awesome! The glass seems to have a magnifying effect that really can give you an up and personal view.

But even with my somewhat lengthy arms cleaning the glass would prove problematic as I prefer to scrape up and down. With the curved glass you have to get it side to side.

[Mrs. z28pwr]

I currently have a 144 half circle and love it. It does give you a little bit of a distortion but not nearly as much as a bowfront and as Allan mentioned cleaning it is a little bit diferent instead of going up and down you have to go side to side. I use a mag float with a blade on the end and it makes cleaning very easy, but without it you will be in misery trying to clean the tank. For a reef I would prefer glass unless you are going with a large bowfront tank (300+) than I would probably go with acrylic.