Should my tank be bowing this much?

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Caoboy

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 27, 2008
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Modesto CA
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I bought this tank yesterday, and I was test filling it/cleaning it, as it was used for a saltwater tank.

It's a 100 gal. Trevecor tank with the simplicity in tank sump setup (if that makes a difference).
The dimensions are 60"L x 20"H x 18"W.
This shot is from the left side, and that square is in the middle of the brace, effectively the middle of the tank. It's bowing out about an inch, and may not be on completely level surface currently, due to it being outside and cleaning. I checked the levelness of the tank, and it was about level, but leaning towards the front a little bit, due to either the slop of the cement or the cardboard it was on.

I'm hoping this is either natural for a curved edge tank or because it's not perfectly level... anybody have insight on this? Thanks in advance!
 
Ok, I emptied the tank, and it turns out it is bowed out about 1/2" already, which means that its only bowing out another 1/2" after its filled to the overflow/sump. That being said, is it natural/ok for it to bow?
 
How thick is the acrylic?
 
Caoboy;2038600; said:
...is it natural/ok for it to bow?
Click to expand...

Yes.


As for the picture, without seeing the tank in person, the close up isn't making sense to me (and probably the same to others) (close ups are frequently weird that way). If you post a zoomed out picture of the same angle, the close up will make more sense.

In all likelyhood, there is nothing to worry about. I hadn't studied plastics/polymers in depth, but I can give you a few details that might help.
1. The bowing is termed 'creep'. You can use that to google more information about acrylic to assess your tank.
2. Acrylic's molecular structure allows for the absorption of water molecules. This causes the acrylic sheet to bow convexly toward the water. In other words, the center of the sheet will move in the direction of the water.

I think that some creep occured while it was filled with water, and now that it is dry, it has bowed outward. After you put it in service, a small part of the outward bowing will go away but you will probably become blind to it by then. All of the bowing will not go away; it is just something that happens in all materials (acrylic more than glass).
 
You were right Chompers, well in a way. The bowing went away after a while with it being dry. The panel thickness is 1/4".

Also, can anyone direct me to what type of pump I should be using for the return? It has 2 holes for the return, should I use 2 pumps, or one connected to both, or just one return and plug up the other one? I'm new to the whole sump thing, and have been searching tenecor but not many people use these simplicity overflows here it seems?
 
Is there any way to help stop the bowing? Or should I take it as natural and clean up the acrylic and throw a pump in there and be good to go. It held water for about 2 months fine.
 
The amount of bowing is going to vary from tank to tank due to dimensions and panel thickness. Bowing is just something you will have to put up with. If it drives you bonkers, you can sell it and get one that is made of glass. However, even glass tanks will have some degree of bowing but it is considerably less.
 
If you are really worried about the bowing then you can reinforce the bracing with a 3/8" or 1/2" strip of acrylic in the middle of the tank. Its not going to look nice but it helps. Also, i would go with one stronger pump and split the return.
 
i dont get the picture but i have a tenecor tank that ive received from them not too long ago, it came with a minor ding on one side but that doesnt realy matter...i dotn want it to bow and leak later?? will this ever happen
 
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