Are Rectangle Glass Tanks Extinct?

DocRose · Jul 17, 2021

So when I got into this hobby about a decade ago, I start off with a 90 gallon glass, rectangular, rimmed tank. Standard footprint of 48"x18"x24" with a middle support running across the top. It was drilled in the back (by the original owner) for overflow. And with eighteen inches of depth it offered plenty of room for me (or so I thought) to aqua-scape. However, now that I'm back in the hobby, after eight years of being out, I'm seeing less and less traditional style aquariums; and more square shaped rimless setups. I'm fully aware that virtually any tank can be turned into a reef tank; but I'm just curious how many people still use the standard rectangles of old? Trust me, I see the value in the cube shape, as it tends to offer more real estate for creating one's reef, than an equivalent size in the rectangle shape. Honestly, the only thing rectangles seem to have going for them anymore is the swim space for fish who like to dart back and forth. Thoughts?

Jekyl · Jul 17, 2021

The only reason you see cube tanks more is due to the size. More people buy smaller tanks than 55g or up. While I'm sure if cost were no issue you would see a different pattern.

CrunchyBananas · Jul 17, 2021

Cube tanks are rising in popularity, but they're far, far away from more popular than rectangles. More space in general is the biggest benefit of a rectangular tank, but cubes do give you some depth that you wouldn't otherwise have with a rectangle. Maybe you're just noticing cubes because they're different, especially if you've been out of the hobby a while.

Remember the old bowfront and wave tanks people everywhere seemed to have 20 or so years ago? Well theyre almost non existent now, I wouldnt be surprised if cube tanks went the same way. I have one and I love it because of the different dimensions, but if I buy a house, you can bet that the tank will be a massive rectangle because I can accommodate it.

Biokabe · Jul 17, 2021

Yeah, agreed. My first tank was a cube bowfront (Biocube 29), but once I was in a position to buy something bigger, I jumped on a rectangle tank.

Cubes have advantages in smaller tank sizes, as you can get more gallons within a relatively smaller footprint. However, once you go bigger, virtually all tanks are rectangles. There are limits to how wide of a tank you can reasonably work on (I wouldn't ever want a tank wider than 24" unless it was a peninsula tank), but within limits you can go arbitrarily long. Once you go above 50g or so (and especially once you pass 90g), virtually all tanks will be rectangular.