Should I get a BowFront???

friendtothefish · 03/02/2006, 11:17 PM

Hello All,

So I have been looking into a 90gal bowfront. I was doing some reaserch on the net and found a lot of bad comments on the tank I was looking at.

Does anyone have any advice on what Brand I might want to go with?

I dont even Know if I want glass or acrylic. I have 5 glass tanks right now and dont have one scratch. I also live in California and I am always worried aout earthquakes. Although I dont think that acrylic would do much better than glass, If its falling off the stand i think any tank would be done for!

So what do you guys think?

Mishap · 03/02/2006, 11:23 PM

Main problem with Bowfronts is cleaning and aquascaping issues. It's a pain to scrape the front because of the bow. Aquascaping gives you tons of room in the middle but very little on the sides.

Just my thoughts,

Matt

friendtothefish · 03/02/2006, 11:40 PM

I made this sketch earlier today, it kinda shows how I would like to aquascape it.

Dolfan · 03/03/2006, 08:22 AM

I had a 46g bow and love the look of the tanks but there are a few downsides.

Tough to clean as stated already
Also, much more difficult to built stands and canopies for these. I did and enjoyed the bending wood project but that is not for beginner woodworkers.

Just some thoughts

outta names · 03/03/2006, 08:36 AM

I have a bowfront and would have to agree with the others. While I don't have much trouble cleaning it there isn't alot of room on the sides for aquascaping and looking through it will sometimes look distorted b/c of the bow. I will probably not get another one.

Sk8r · 03/03/2006, 08:50 AM

I have a 52 gal corner glass bowfront, and it fits our apartment situation nicely. It requires a standard painting ladder if you're going to reach the outflow, or scrape the inner walls. A magnetic cleaner does a pretty good job so far on the front glass: twisting the cleaner will get any stubborn patch (so far.) The stand has limited underneath space for a sump: make sure you've got a fit there. Placing corals requires a step-stool. And (unlike ours) be sure it sits far enough from the wall on both sides so that you can get a magnetic scraper behind it. We have a problem on one side. There is a canopy made for ours: check that, because fit is a problem, and it supports the MH at a correct distance. You could bodge one out of a skeletal framework of light one by's and a piece of bent formica---which is pretty much what ours is---but we decided to go for the bought one. The corner type might be more stable in an earthquake (we're within spitting distance of a fault, too) and if there's a chance of A Big One, it's possible that anchoring the base to the wall might limit damage to a lot of slosh. Our quakes tend to be minor, so we're hoping just to do a little mopping.

jamal-188 · 03/03/2006, 09:13 AM

72g bowfront reef and my main complaint is trying to fit all the equipment under the stand. My sump is smaller than I wolud like and I had to go with a small HOB fuge. I do love the way the tank looks though despite the already mentioned aquascaping issues.

tygger · 03/03/2006, 09:24 AM

It really just depends on what you like. I think bow fronts look modern, but some don't like the distortion caused by the bow. In essence, it's kinda like looking through a magnifying glass.

I have a 72g bow front and the only downsides I had was that its difficult to build your own stand/canopy and since the stand is bowed, you'll have less working room. I did manage to get a 29g AGA tank to fit underneath my AGA bow stand.

wetWolger · 03/03/2006, 10:01 AM

i really like my aga 46gal bow front. It has served me well for many many years. With that being said I will never own a bow front again. I don't like the width. My new 120gal has 24in width and I LOVE IT. If I own anything diffrent it will be a cube. The biggest thing I don't like about the bow front is it is near impossible to take photos with. The glass distorts everything so bad it is really REALLY hard to get a good photo. And since I am a photo bug this was my biggest issue with my tank.

tunaluver · 03/03/2006, 11:03 AM

had a 72 and it looked nice but like everyone says aquascaping and cleaning suck... then for no apparent reason one of the seams let go on the bottom and made a big mess of my living room... now i got a 125

Loralie · 03/03/2006, 11:19 AM

I love my 92 corner bow.
upside:
1. Small footprint
2. lots of room
3. unique ways of aquascaping
4. easy to light with hanging fixture

Downs:
1. trying to put equipment under tank
2. cleaning front (mag float does work though)
3. not alot of side room

Whenever someone comes over their favorite tank is usually the 92. I don't find a problem with distortion

know-it-all · 03/03/2006, 11:34 AM

I love both of mine.

my 72 has been running for more than 5 years and my corner tank has been set-up for just over 1 year.

I solved the space issues by going to the basement

I have not noticed the distortion (much)

trippyl · 03/03/2006, 11:34 AM

I've heard many echo the issue of the seams going, which is why I did not get one and went with a straight.

tleilaxu · 03/03/2006, 11:47 AM

There are pros and cons to them IMO. I don't see much distortion at all with mine.

As for aquascape on either end mine starts as rubble (with corals like xenia that you don't want on your main pieces) and it goes into an upside down u-like peak. I have many openings which I love but I had to be very careful and creative with the pieces of l.r. I had. The upside is that I only used 70ish lbs of l.r. and it looks fuller than you'd expect and also natural.

The downsides are there isn't much room under the stand for sump/equipement. I did fit in a 20 gal sump/fuge and a Coralife skimmer and still had room for a closed loop pump with a little room to spare.

Being that my tank is a softie/lps tank and also an older tank, I was having circulation issues, that I believe the slight bow in the front was absorbing / reducing some flow, that were causing cyano outbreaks in some dead spots in the tank.

IME mounting ph's in a bowfront was a pita and nearly impossible to solve circulation problems, I was fine up until about a year ago then I guess nutrients weren't being shuffled out and that's when the cyano started. I put in a closed loop and I've left 2 ph's in there for now to stop the outbreaks and so far so good, it's cleared up without having to dose chem clean

TheFlyingTang · 03/03/2006, 12:15 PM

I almost bought a bow front, that is untill I saw one that had water and livestock in it. There is just too much distortion to justify it. I went with an Oceanic RR 155 gallon to replace my 75 gallon.

The stand was also much easier to build than making a curved one.

lbear · 03/03/2006, 01:10 PM

I have 90 gal RR bow front. The width is 18" at center and 14" at end. It's very hard to fit enough light bulbs in it. Is is also 6" taller than rectangle 90 gal RR tank. Lighting is a big problem for me.

I use 29 gal glass tank as sump and refugum. It is 30"x14"x18" (L W H) so there is no room for any more equipments in the cabinet.

lbear · 03/03/2006, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tleilaxu

As for aquascape on either end mine starts as rubble (with corals like xenia that you don't want on your main pieces) and it goes into an upside down u-like peak. I have many openings which I love but I had to be very careful and creative with the pieces of l.r. I had. The upside is that I only used 70ish lbs of l.r. and it looks fuller than you'd expect and also natural.

Hi! tleilaxu,

Could you share us some pictures of you tank?

Drewpy · 03/03/2006, 01:25 PM

looks better and is no harder then any other aquarium to maintain and setup...

friendtothefish · 03/03/2006, 06:42 PM

Now that some of you mentioned the Photography issue I am even more worried about the bowfront. I have a New SLR and a sweet macro lens. So being able to take crisp pics is very important to me.

I took these today, they are of some snail eggs laid in my 2.6gal at my office.

BTW, does anyone know how long it takes for snail eggs to hatch? These were laid last night.

I love the look of a the bowfronts and I like the magnification effect. (I have a 2.6gal nano reef I built from scratch. It is an 8" cylinder, 12" high. I cannot take very good pics in this tank. But it is a tube!)

Anyway. It sounds like no matter how much I like the Idea of a bowfront, it sounds like I will not be happy...

Can you guys post some pics that you have taken through your bow?

Thanks for all the great input!

poppin_fresh · 03/03/2006, 07:29 PM

I have a 72 bow and I love it, but I dont think I would buy another. Its not hard to clean, but it is harder to "scape" with the narrow ends.

My LFS has had 90 bow for sale forever. It is a gorgeous tank, but it is crazy deep! It would be very hard to light and you would be in way over your shoulder to reach the bottom! They finally made a planted FW Discus tank out of it which is really cool. Its a great tank for tall growing plants.

chip721 · 03/03/2006, 07:59 PM

I have a 54g corner. It's a beauty to look at. Lights, aquascaping, glass cleaning and photography can be a challenge, but not much more than any other setup. I wanted a larger tank and recently picked up a RR 90g AGA. I really like the 92g corner, but one bow is enough for me. It's all about personal preference. If you like the bow front, you'll deal with it.

DMK · 03/03/2006, 08:38 PM

i have a 92 corner and love it. i don't know what all the talk is about magnet algae scraper not working? side to side not up and down. there is alittle magnifaction w/ bow but i like it. with mine fitting a sump, plumbing and skimmer was an obstacle but after researrching and paying close attention to everything for 3 months, i picked all excellent equipment and have myself a very clean, original, beautifully aquascaped system i must say. bowfronts are different that's what makes them stand out.

friendtothefish · 03/04/2006, 01:02 PM

Can you guys post pics of your Bow's? And maybe some pics through the Bow...

Anemonebuff · 03/04/2006, 01:28 PM

Here is one:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...79#post6879779

I decided against the bowfront because of issues with sumps and canopies.

clown-x · 03/04/2006, 03:04 PM

I have a 72g bow as well and I like the tank. I agree that it is impractical for a "serious reefer" but I like that it's a bit different then a standard tank. Not hard for me to clean but as others have said, the narrow sides and overall width of the tank make it very difficult to light properly. The stand space is a joke but is workable with small amounts of equipment.

I am glad I bought it, but would not buy another one when I upgrade. Here is a link to my thread about it with pictures of the tank:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=786268

03/02/2006, 11:17 PM	#1
friendtothefish Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: So Cal Posts: 659	Should I get a BowFront??? Hello All, So I have been looking into a 90gal bowfront. I was doing some reaserch on the net and found a lot of bad comments on the tank I was looking at. Does anyone have any advice on what Brand I might want to go with? I dont even Know if I want glass or acrylic. I have 5 glass tanks right now and dont have one scratch. I also live in California and I am always worried aout earthquakes. Although I dont think that acrylic would do much better than glass, If its falling off the stand i think any tank would be done for! So what do you guys think?

03/03/2006, 08:50 AM	#6
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I have a 52 gal corner glass bowfront, and it fits our apartment situation nicely. It requires a standard painting ladder if you're going to reach the outflow, or scrape the inner walls. A magnetic cleaner does a pretty good job so far on the front glass: twisting the cleaner will get any stubborn patch (so far.) The stand has limited underneath space for a sump: make sure you've got a fit there. Placing corals requires a step-stool. And (unlike ours) be sure it sits far enough from the wall on both sides so that you can get a magnetic scraper behind it. We have a problem on one side. There is a canopy made for ours: check that, because fit is a problem, and it supports the MH at a correct distance. You could bodge one out of a skeletal framework of light one by's and a piece of bent formica---which is pretty much what ours is---but we decided to go for the bought one. The corner type might be more stable in an earthquake (we're within spitting distance of a fault, too) and if there's a chance of A Big One, it's possible that anchoring the base to the wall might limit damage to a lot of slosh. Our quakes tend to be minor, so we're hoping just to do a little mopping. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

03/03/2006, 09:24 AM	#8
tygger Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Northern VA Posts: 1,631	It really just depends on what you like. I think bow fronts look modern, but some don't like the distortion caused by the bow. In essence, it's kinda like looking through a magnifying glass. I have a 72g bow front and the only downsides I had was that its difficult to build your own stand/canopy and since the stand is bowed, you'll have less working room. I did manage to get a 29g AGA tank to fit underneath my AGA bow stand. __________________ 15g Nano 72g reef + 29g sump/fuge

03/03/2006, 10:01 AM	#9
wetWolger Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,955	i really like my aga 46gal bow front. It has served me well for many many years. With that being said I will never own a bow front again. I don't like the width. My new 120gal has 24in width and I LOVE IT. If I own anything diffrent it will be a cube. The biggest thing I don't like about the bow front is it is near impossible to take photos with. The glass distorts everything so bad it is really REALLY hard to get a good photo. And since I am a photo bug this was my biggest issue with my tank. __________________ cheers, jent d-_-b Current Tank Info: 66gal = 32x24x20

03/03/2006, 11:34 AM	#12
know-it-all Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: in my now frozen chair (aka Wisconsin) Posts: 1,488	I love both of mine. my 72 has been running for more than 5 years and my corner tank has been set-up for just over 1 year. I solved the space issues by going to the basement I have not noticed the distortion (much) __________________ current tank 94 corner, SPS/LPS basement sump

03/02/2006, 11:23 PM	#2
Mishap Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Eastern PA Posts: 977	Main problem with Bowfronts is cleaning and aquascaping issues. It's a pain to scrape the front because of the bow. Aquascaping gives you tons of room in the middle but very little on the sides. Just my thoughts, Matt

03/02/2006, 11:40 PM	#3
friendtothefish Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: So Cal Posts: 659	I made this sketch earlier today, it kinda shows how I would like to aquascape it.

03/03/2006, 08:22 AM	#4
Dolfan Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Atlanta Posts: 493	I had a 46g bow and love the look of the tanks but there are a few downsides. Tough to clean as stated already Also, much more difficult to built stands and canopies for these. I did and enjoyed the bending wood project but that is not for beginner woodworkers. Just some thoughts

03/03/2006, 08:36 AM	#5
outta names Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Georgia Posts: 360	I have a bowfront and would have to agree with the others. While I don't have much trouble cleaning it there isn't alot of room on the sides for aquascaping and looking through it will sometimes look distorted b/c of the bow. I will probably not get another one.

03/03/2006, 09:13 AM	#7
jamal-188 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: PA Posts: 1,480	72g bowfront reef and my main complaint is trying to fit all the equipment under the stand. My sump is smaller than I wolud like and I had to go with a small HOB fuge. I do love the way the tank looks though despite the already mentioned aquascaping issues.

03/03/2006, 11:03 AM	#10
tunaluver Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: sioux falls, sd Posts: 204	had a 72 and it looked nice but like everyone says aquascaping and cleaning suck... then for no apparent reason one of the seams let go on the bottom and made a big mess of my living room... now i got a 125

03/03/2006, 11:19 AM	#11
Loralie Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: minnesota Posts: 568	I love my 92 corner bow. upside: 1. Small footprint 2. lots of room 3. unique ways of aquascaping 4. easy to light with hanging fixture Downs: 1. trying to put equipment under tank 2. cleaning front (mag float does work though) 3. not alot of side room Whenever someone comes over their favorite tank is usually the 92. I don't find a problem with distortion

03/03/2006, 11:34 AM	#13
trippyl Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Here Posts: 1,106	I've heard many echo the issue of the seams going, which is why I did not get one and went with a straight.

03/03/2006, 11:47 AM	#14
tleilaxu Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 310	There are pros and cons to them IMO. I don't see much distortion at all with mine. As for aquascape on either end mine starts as rubble (with corals like xenia that you don't want on your main pieces) and it goes into an upside down u-like peak. I have many openings which I love but I had to be very careful and creative with the pieces of l.r. I had. The upside is that I only used 70ish lbs of l.r. and it looks fuller than you'd expect and also natural. The downsides are there isn't much room under the stand for sump/equipement. I did fit in a 20 gal sump/fuge and a Coralife skimmer and still had room for a closed loop pump with a little room to spare. Being that my tank is a softie/lps tank and also an older tank, I was having circulation issues, that I believe the slight bow in the front was absorbing / reducing some flow, that were causing cyano outbreaks in some dead spots in the tank. IME mounting ph's in a bowfront was a pita and nearly impossible to solve circulation problems, I was fine up until about a year ago then I guess nutrients weren't being shuffled out and that's when the cyano started. I put in a closed loop and I've left 2 ph's in there for now to stop the outbreaks and so far so good, it's cleared up without having to dose chem clean __________________ ‘Luck favors the prepared' ~Louis Pasteur

03/03/2006, 12:15 PM	#15
TheFlyingTang Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: NW suburbs - Chicago Posts: 150	I almost bought a bow front, that is untill I saw one that had water and livestock in it. There is just too much distortion to justify it. I went with an Oceanic RR 155 gallon to replace my 75 gallon. The stand was also much easier to build than making a curved one.

03/03/2006, 01:10 PM	#16
lbear Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 391	I have 90 gal RR bow front. The width is 18" at center and 14" at end. It's very hard to fit enough light bulbs in it. Is is also 6" taller than rectangle 90 gal RR tank. Lighting is a big problem for me. I use 29 gal glass tank as sump and refugum. It is 30"x14"x18" (L W H) so there is no room for any more equipments in the cabinet.

03/03/2006, 01:25 PM	#18
Drewpy Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Mid coast, Hope, Maine Posts: 861	looks better and is no harder then any other aquarium to maintain and setup... __________________ drew Current Tank Info: 46 gallon bowfront, t5 ho 4 x 39 tek fixture, turboflotor 1000 multi, hob refugium

03/03/2006, 06:42 PM	#19
friendtothefish Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: So Cal Posts: 659	Now that some of you mentioned the Photography issue I am even more worried about the bowfront. I have a New SLR and a sweet macro lens. So being able to take crisp pics is very important to me. I took these today, they are of some snail eggs laid in my 2.6gal at my office. BTW, does anyone know how long it takes for snail eggs to hatch? These were laid last night. I love the look of a the bowfronts and I like the magnification effect. (I have a 2.6gal nano reef I built from scratch. It is an 8" cylinder, 12" high. I cannot take very good pics in this tank. But it is a tube!) Anyway. It sounds like no matter how much I like the Idea of a bowfront, it sounds like I will not be happy... Can you guys post some pics that you have taken through your bow? Thanks for all the great input!

03/03/2006, 07:29 PM	#20
poppin_fresh Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,982	I have a 72 bow and I love it, but I dont think I would buy another. Its not hard to clean, but it is harder to "scape" with the narrow ends. My LFS has had 90 bow for sale forever. It is a gorgeous tank, but it is crazy deep! It would be very hard to light and you would be in way over your shoulder to reach the bottom! They finally made a planted FW Discus tank out of it which is really cool. Its a great tank for tall growing plants. __________________ PBITAWA! Current Tank Info: None now. Past- 180g w/ 100g basement sump and 20g 'fuge. H & S skimmer, T'5s & Tunze

03/03/2006, 07:59 PM	#21
chip721 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alexandria, Virginia Posts: 1,260	I have a 54g corner. It's a beauty to look at. Lights, aquascaping, glass cleaning and photography can be a challenge, but not much more than any other setup. I wanted a larger tank and recently picked up a RR 90g AGA. I really like the 92g corner, but one bow is enough for me. It's all about personal preference. If you like the bow front, you'll deal with it.

03/03/2006, 08:38 PM	#22
DMK Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: central NJ Posts: 2,494	i have a 92 corner and love it. i don't know what all the talk is about magnet algae scraper not working? side to side not up and down. there is alittle magnifaction w/ bow but i like it. with mine fitting a sump, plumbing and skimmer was an obstacle but after researrching and paying close attention to everything for 3 months, i picked all excellent equipment and have myself a very clean, original, beautifully aquascaped system i must say. bowfronts are different that's what makes them stand out.

03/04/2006, 01:02 PM	#23
friendtothefish Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: So Cal Posts: 659	Can you guys post pics of your Bow's? And maybe some pics through the Bow...

03/04/2006, 01:28 PM	#24
Anemonebuff Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: LI,NY Posts: 3,877	Here is one: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...79#post6879779 I decided against the bowfront because of issues with sumps and canopies.

03/04/2006, 03:04 PM	#25
clown-x Moved On Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Northern, VA Posts: 317	I have a 72g bow as well and I like the tank. I agree that it is impractical for a "serious reefer" but I like that it's a bit different then a standard tank. Not hard for me to clean but as others have said, the narrow sides and overall width of the tank make it very difficult to light properly. The stand space is a joke but is workable with small amounts of equipment. I am glad I bought it, but would not buy another one when I upgrade. Here is a link to my thread about it with pictures of the tank: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=786268