30 gallon glass tank with very slight bowing -- should I be worried?

Hello all. I'm looking for a bit of advice here, hoping you folks can help out.

I've had a little ten gallon tank for some time now, and love it. so for Christmas, my wife bought me a used 30 gallon glass tank with a matching stand. The tank is tall; interior measurements are about 29.5" L x 12" D x 21" H. Assuming the lid it came with is original, it is an Aqueon.

When setting it up, I noticed the center brace had been cut and removed in order to fit the filter it came with, an Emperor 400 Biowheel unit. I did a bit of research, and came up with a ton of conflicting answers on whether this is okay; finally, we texted the guy we bought it from, a big hobby aquarist, who said it had been filled and in use for a while before he sold it. So I went ahead, set the tank up, and filled it. That was a week ago. This evening I noticed the front glass is bowing in the center very slightly -- only about an eighth of an inch. Again, there seem to be a ton of conflicting answers on whether a bow this slight is something to worry about.

So... suggestions? Am I being paranoid? Should I drain the tank half-way (or all the way) and find a way to brace it? I can replace the Emperor 400 with something else if I have to; it's certainly better than dealing with a tank disaster.

Edit: It does appear that the silicone on the corners has been reinforced at some point, and quite a bit too.

I just double-checked the dimensions, and I think you're right, it's a 29G tall -- I neglected to subtract the glass width for some of the dimensions.

Interesting... I measured it again, and it's definitely 22 inches tall, so you may be right. Very strange.

Thanks for your info. I'm thinking I may get two strips of ABS and plastic-weld them to the lip of the rim on either side of the Emperor 400 to add a bit of stability to the top frame. It sounds like the slight bowing here isn't something to be really concerned about, but I'd sleep better alleviating some of the strain on the glass.

I really wish they made aquariums like they did back when my dad had them. His Perfecto 20 gallon must have had 3/8-inch thick glass on it, I swear!

dudley said:

What is the thickness of the glass?

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The glass on this tank is 1/4-inch thick.

FreshyFresh said:

You could also silicone a piece of plexi or plastic across the center. Hate to sound like a broken record, but if you've got a Petco nearby, I wouldn't even bother repairing a smaller tank. They'll be running the $1/gal sale in a few days.

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Will they? I read that the $1/gal sale happened earlier this month. But in any case, I may take your advice and look for a replacement 29-gallon soon. The deal my wife got was still great for the stand, filter, and heater.

Oh hey, I believe I found it: it appears to be a 37 gallon after all. I had been measuring the inner dimensions; if I measure the outer ones they match up with the ones on Aqueon's website.

So... yeah, probably not an idea to keep it filled without the center brace, I'm thinking... *sigh* Unfortunately, this also means I can't use the existing filter with a properly braced 37 gallon tank.