I have a 30 gallon long tank made by Perfecto. I went to feed fishies today, and noticed that the front of the tank is bowing slightly. The hood sits on it, and if you look at the edge of the hood, you can see where the tank is bowing out. Is this going to be a problem? It is a glass tank.
Tank bowing
- Thread starter Arizonagrace
- Start date
never really seen a glass bow?its perfecto i have heard they arent a good company
is your avatar a ferret in a sweatshirt?
is your avatar a ferret in a sweatshirt?
Ughh.....normally tanks that small don't bow...lol. You normally hear of tanks bowing in the 100gal and up tanks. Do you have any large rocks in there? Is it on a level surface? Too much stress on the tank could cause leaks, possible breaks....
The tank is on the stand that matches it. It is completely level. I made sure of that before I set it up. I leveled the stand, then filled tank 1/3 with water, leveled and continued until I was sure it was level. I had one tank break and am paranoid. I guess I will keep an eye on it. I plan on replacing all my tanks with acrylic as soon as I can. I have a 20 and the 30 long to replace.
lol i have that same phobia!i cant sleep well at times because i think my my tanks might crack or burst its seams! I dont even want to think about it.
Thank you so much for posting your phobia. I truly thought I was the only one who went through this. I can take nyquil and still wake up several times during the night to check the tanks. I guess I will just relax and trust the tanks. 
Maybe you and I ought to start a night watch group for aquariums. My niece offered to start a support group.
Maybe you and I ought to start a night watch group for aquariums. My niece offered to start a support group.
Aquariums should never bow no matter what size it is or what materials it's made of. If it's bowing it will eventually fail. Replace it immediatly.
Bowing glass is obviously not good as it's not designed to be flexible in anayway. If I were you i'd worry about this. Even though it's onlw 30 gallons it will still most likely fail in the middle of the night of on a day when you are not home.
While acrylic is more flexible than glass, bowing still is not something you would want in a tank. It too will eventually fail just not as fast as glass. Generally cheaper made acrylic tanks suffer from bowing and most people think it's just a common thing with acrylic. Fact is, the tank was under built/designed with an acrylic material that is not designed to take the stress it's currently under.
Don't believe me? Show me one acrylic tank in a public zoo or an aquarium with a bow. You won't find one because these systems were designed correctly in the first place.
<Getting off soap box now>
Bowing glass is obviously not good as it's not designed to be flexible in anayway. If I were you i'd worry about this. Even though it's onlw 30 gallons it will still most likely fail in the middle of the night of on a day when you are not home.
While acrylic is more flexible than glass, bowing still is not something you would want in a tank. It too will eventually fail just not as fast as glass. Generally cheaper made acrylic tanks suffer from bowing and most people think it's just a common thing with acrylic. Fact is, the tank was under built/designed with an acrylic material that is not designed to take the stress it's currently under.
Don't believe me? Show me one acrylic tank in a public zoo or an aquarium with a bow. You won't find one because these systems were designed correctly in the first place.
<Getting off soap box now>
Thank you for your input. I am trying to find an acrylic 30 gallon long to purchase, but it is not easy. I am going to contact the lfs where I purchased the tank and see if they will give me yet another tank. The first one had a seam pop on me. I have had 3 upsetting things with tanks. 29 crack, 14 chip, 30 seam. I believe I hit my 3 now and things should be fine. Meanwhile, until I can get an acrylic to replace it, I will keep a very, very good eye on it.
Is it a possibility that you may have a reptile tank? I don't think Perfecto makes a reptile tank, but I also don't shop for rep supplies. I have a 20L Perfecto for a pair of cons, becasue I used my AGA for a sump. I don't see any bowing.
How much bowing are you talking about? If you put a straight edge across the tank you can measure the gap. Cut that number in half and thats how much it's bowing out.
How much bowing are you talking about? If you put a straight edge across the tank you can measure the gap. Cut that number in half and thats how much it's bowing out.