Bowfront Leaking Track Record

[InsaneClownFish]

Alright, I was positive I had my mind made up about which tank I wanted- after seeing a 155 AGA Bowfront reef at a LFS I fell in love.

Now I do my research here and find members having problems with bowfronts. There was a whole thread, which I have momentarily misplaced, of people who had Oceanic and AGA bowfronts that have blown out.

Somewhere else I read they are flat out more prone to leaking.

Somewhere else on RC I read that Oceanic actually slips in a one year warranty on the bows instead of the stated 7(don't quote me on this they may have been talking about AGA).

Does anyone have more info on these issues?

Can more people PLEASE post their experiences with bowfront tanks, the type you own, and the number of years you have had it set up?

Please help...thx. :mixed:

 

[Puffer Daddy]

Hey...I can see why you fell in love with them...I was at a LFS last weekend and saw a Oceanic 550 bowfront at the lfs..man, was sweet, but not 15000 sweet (set up cost). After that and seeing the same threads you did, I would be scared too..If I decided to do it, I may go with a flat back hex..they too had a 500 plus that was absolutley beutiful as well...

 

[spham]

My 175g is 5 years old.
My 54g is 2-years old.

No leak so far.

The only problem is my 54g. The stand and canopy doesn't give me much room for the equipment.

 

[dandan]

tagging along...

is this just a problem with larger bowfronts? i just got a 26g two months ago. never had experience with them before. so far so good, though it hasn't nearly been long enough to comment.

 

[jan_dman]

i had an All-Glass 72G Bowfront that leaked after about 1.5 years.

 

[EmilyB]

Had a 155g AGA bowfront for five years almost and just sold it.

We recommended resealing of the silicone only because of the critter "eatage". Sold our 72g which was the same age to a local reefer, so it is five years plus no problems. Did these guys make sure they levelled the tanks....

 

[InsaneClownFish]

Critter eatage? Are you telling me critters nibble on silicone?!?

 

[TheBimbo]

I also have a 175 oceanic r/r bow. I haven't had any problems, except for some scratches in the glass from the mag-float and sand. (But that's another story.) I hope that it doesn't blow out...We do have our sump downstairs in the basement so there is alot of room. :rollface: :rollface: :rollface:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I was at a LFS last weekend and saw a Oceanic 550 bowfront at the lfs..man, was sweet, but not 15000 sweet (set up cost).

Do you recall what the tank alone cost?

 

[spham]

If you think the 550 bowfront looks good, wait till you see the 500-600 (don't recall) dual bow. The front and back of the tank is bow. Saw it on a catalog. That thing is huge a beautifuy. The lfs told me the price and I didn't bother to take a second look. It cost so much I don't even recall the price. I know if I look at the catalog longer, I will end up getting it in the next 5-years. With that kind of money, I could put my kids and family throgh med school.

 

[EmilyB]

Critter eatage? Are you telling me critters nibble on silicone?!?

Well, we kept stars and stripes puffers for a bit in there...........

 

[Cigar]

my 72g bowfront leaked after 14 months

 

[dsb1829]

Had a 72g for 4 years, moved it twice. Never had a leak.

 

[spdu4ia]

29G bow, but it is freshwater.... no critter eatage i guess haha... no leaks here 1 year old

 

[bowfront]

72g 5+ years old - moved once - no leaks ever.

 

[Sooner97]

I had a 72 G that I bought brand new in May. It started to leak at the seams in the back after about 5 months. The Oceanic warranty does state that they'll guarantee it for 5 years, and the LFS I bought it from got me a new tank from Oceanic. I took the new tank to another LFS and had the owner add another coat of silicone at all the seams just to be sure it won't leak again. He did tell me that the bow fronts are more prone to leaking that other tanks. My next tank will defintely NOT be a bow front.

 

[Puffer Daddy]

Randy..
that was for the cap/custom stand/tank/wet dry etc...I didn't ask about the tank itself, as I just kinda chuckled....shoot, I could build the rest myself and save thousands..lol..give me some time and I'll see about the price..I'll even see if I can get a pick of it. But, in my opinion, the BIG flat hex tank they had was just as if not nicer...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks.

I'll even see if I can get a pick of it.

I've seen the pictures, that's why I wanted to know the price!

 

[dominic]

i got a call at 3am from my friend ,his all glass that was less than a year old was pouring water out of the bottom seam, it was a full reef ,after that i cancled mine i had on order and went with a 180

 

[intrudah]

bought a 72g all glass BF about 2 yrs ago, no problems so far