bow front or standard flat glass?

[Kissofthegorami]

I might purchase a 72 gallon bow front for $100. Bow fronts are usually more expensive than rectangle tanks. but are they better? What do u guys think? Should I stick with a rectangle tank or try the bow front? They look pretty cool. What are the downsides?

 

[wesleydnunder]

Do some research on those bow-fronts. I know of one manufacturer that's having a problem with the glass popping out of the bottom frame.

Mark

 

[Roan Art]

Hrm, I have a 36g bowfront and I wouldn't say they are better. I think they look nicer in some respects, but that's about it. You do get a nice depth with them and that's great for a planted tank. On the other hand if you like to take pictures the bow can be a pain.

Roan

 

[ashdavid]

I have a 50g bow front and I absolutly hate it :rant2: , I have restrained myself a few times when I have wanted to throw it on the curb :rant2: , the reason? B/c it is not symetrical and it warps the way my fish look. I will never buy one again. But that is just me and my oppinions always seem to be different to everyones eles's when it comes to tank equipment or tanks for that matter. On a lighter note I liked it when I bought it and for the next few months, but when you have multiple tanks and you want to line them up as neat as possible , the bow front sticks out like a sore thumb. Cheers I hope I haven't made your decision too difficult for you. :sad:

 

[bobandfiona]

I have a 26g bow front. I love the way it looks. (It's one of those on a pretty oak cabinet) BUT I hate the way the fish look. Unless you are exactly two feet away with one eye closed and a foot off the ground (ok, I exaggerate, but it feels that way) you can't see the true form of the fish. Its also really hard when you are looking for ich or other problems to look at the fish right. Its beautiful for ornamental tanks, bad for practical community tanks.

My next tank will be flat if that helps.

 

[rrkss]

I am sure that the rouding of the bow front make the glass more difficult to clean for algae also. I used to have a cylindrical tank and hated it because cleaning was almost impossible.

 

[wesleydnunder]

I second Roan's comment about taking pictures of a bow front. It's almost impossible to get at an off angle to minimize flash glare.

Mark

 

[kcooley]

i dont like the bowfront because of the way it seems to scare my discus...

i think it distorts the way things look on the inside, and they dont like it, so they just hide

 

[patoloco]

A bowfront tank can be dificult to set up using and UGF. Also, depending on how good it was built, you can end up with a distorted vision of your fish. That's why a good quality bowfront tanks is almost 2x as expensive as a regular flat one.

The good part is you don't get to see those silicone covered corners, but I always solve it coveri g mine with colored aluminium.

 

[nid]

I have a 25 litre bow front and I do not like it. It really does distort the shape of the fish. You can get sea sick trying to get a proper look at the fish. I would never buy a large bow front. The only reason I have a small one is because it was 1/2 price and I use it as a quarrantine and hospital tank. Shame its a bow front otherwise it would be a very nice little tank.