Curved or flat panel glass tank?

[jayl65]

I have been looking at some tanks on craigslist. I have reserved one and getting ready to buy it, but an almost new 140 gallon half circle tank complete with stand and all lighting and filtration came up this weekend. I went to look at it but to me there is alot of distortion from the curved glass. What do you guys think? Flat or curved?

[Indymann99]

You may also want to think about how you are going to clean curved glass / acrylic....

[Lemeshianos]

It depends on the distortion and how pleasant or not pleasant it is to the eye. For example I have a bowfront that gets a lot of distortion at the 2 bends. So much that you can "see" in the tank so it makes that viewing angle worthless. It also makes it hard for the glass scrubber to clean the glass at the bend.

Now a half circle shouldn't have that much of distortion, and should be easier to use a scrubber to clean. But If I remember correctly when I was checking out tanks, the half or quarter circles have very little space below the tank. That was the reason I chose the bowfront as it came with a stand and to be honest it turns out I used all the space in the stand and could use some extra space for a media reactor, chiller etc when I'll need to add those!

I would also check if they have a bracing and how tall it is. The taller the more watts of lighting(PAR actually) you'll need for a reef tank. And braces will block light in those parts.
The regular rectangular shaped tanks, are usually without braces, or have them in a place that wouldn't affect lights so much.

[Dino]

If you ever plan on taking lots of macro pictures of your critters plan on a flat sided tank, as the same distortion you see when looking through the curved glass is only magnified if you're trying to take pictures through it . I've had a bowfront for several years now and am hoping to score a cheap flat sided tank this summer to replace it with purely so I have the ability finally to take some nice pictures through the glass.

The space under the stand is a valid point too, typically these tanks lose a LOT of space under the tank due to their curved shape.

[reefsahoy]

IMO, there's lots of distortion in a 1/2 circle tank, but i do like the look of the tank.

[jtma508]

I hve a 90gal bowfront. The only distortion I see is when I'm really close to the tank. At normal viewing distances there is no perceptable distortion. The advantage is that the tank is less narrow at the ends than a rectangular tank. Mine is set into a bookcase so there are no protrubing corners. I like the look from an overall installation aesthetic.

[67Duster]

I have the 140 and experienced distortion in the beginning. you get used to it pretty quick. I agree with the photography issues, but love the circulation you can get with this tank. good luck[IMG][/IMG]