# Tank bowing! Please help!



## Raimisx9 (Mar 28, 2017)

Today I noticed that my tank is bowing a little. In the center is bowed by 4mm. So it means front and back glass are bowing by 2 milimeters. Is that normal? My tank is 120x40x64cm (but water is filled up to 55 cause anoher space is used for light foxture), the glass is 8mm and the tank is Glossy 120 made by Aquael. I'm really concerned can someone say is that normal or not? Thank You!!!


----------



## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

It may be normal - can you post a picture of it? I had a 29 gallon tank which bowed at least as much as you describe - that one was 30" long. With the 48" or longer tanks, there is typically a cross member or 2 integrated into the top frame to avoid this, but tanks shorter than that don't have one typically.


----------



## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

Is it glass or plastic. Plastic tanks all bow. Do not think glass can bow.


----------



## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

tanker3 said:


> Is it glass or plastic. Plastic tanks all bow. Do not think glass can bow.


It absolutely can and will - the 29 I described in my previous post was glass and bowed.

Not that it is pertinent to this discussion, but when one of the braces broke on a 6' 150 gallon tank I had, it also bowed significantly. Glass will bow.


----------



## AquaTom (Jun 15, 2017)

One of my father's glass tanks bowed when I was a child and not long after he noticed it, for sure it exploded all over the living room. Sorry but I'm not sure on how to avoid or fix the problem, Just be ready


----------



## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

That amount of bow is perfectly normal. Most aquariums bow to some degree. Only by overbuilding the tank with thicker walls do you reduce or eliminate the bow. Acrylic is a softer material and can bow a great deal more than glass without harm.

The tolerance for bow in Aqueon tanks (different brand but same concept) is half the thickness of the glass. Since your tank is 8mm thickness and is bowing 4mm it would not be out of tolerance for another major brand.

I have measured a larger ADA tank and it actually bowed the entire thickness of the glass. And they are viewed as very high quality tanks.

Andy


----------

