Experience with half circle tanks?

[Mmbra]

For the past year I have been in the market locally for a 120g 4×2×2 upgrade for my tank. I have been patiently waiting but nothing locally has caught my fancy.

A local reefer last night let me know he has a 144g oceanic half circle with starfish glass available. it really is a beautiful tank, and I think the price is reasonable. I know some of you fine folk have experience with these tanks.

Do they make good reefs? Is the distortion too much? Pros and cons? Is flow an issue?

 

[CodyRVA]

I've never owned one, but I love the look. My immediate concerns have always been cleaning and the longevity of the seals.

 

[MarkoRussell]

In my experience with freshwater however , they are not as easy to clean the bowed part . They look AWESOME.

 

[Rick.45cal]

Wow Slick tank! That's an eye catcher, it would be hard not to bring that home. My concerns would be for how useable the sump space is under the tank. I'd very carefully consider how you are going to light the tank as well (if you are going to do something different than he already is).

I'm sure cleaning the front glass by hand could be a real deal killer for some, Anything deeper than 24" is gonna be a real drag.

I would think flow would be pretty good, it would be pretty easy to create an alternating gyre that traveled opposing directions along the front glass just by putting a couple good powerful circulation power heads (I love my Panta Rhei ECM 42's) on the back right by the front glass, but doing it that way will require choosing a proper sized substrate so it doesn't blow everywhere. (Or go bare bottom).

I like it, whether it is worth the extra work cleaning the front glass, that's something you will have to decide

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

yea I'd have that in a heart beat.

Anything deeper than 24" is gonna be a real drag.

really that and work space in the bottom would be the only thing id be concerned with.
Its an Oceanic. Its a good tank.

 

[Tom Blevins]

Nice Tank for sure,

We had one years ago, they only draw back was the cheap ABS canopy which we had a custom
wood one made, things got big so we had to move up to a 300.

 

[Mmbra]

Thanks for the advise everyone. I decided to pass, had a big scratch on the middle in the front that i could feel with my fingernail was a dealbreaker for me.

 

[Rick.45cal]

Thanks for the advise everyone. I decided to pass, had a big scratch on the middle in the front that i could feel with my fingernail was a dealbreaker for me.

I would have passed on it because of that too! Another one to drool over will be along shortly!

 

[Mmbra]

Ain't that the truth. I looked at a 175g oceanic bow front today. Had a few scratches but they were on the bottom 4" of the tank so it was less noticeable and less of a deal breaker for me. Cheaper than the half circle as well!

 

[mcarroll]

That looks like a non-Oceanic that I'm familiar with. Are you positive it's Oceanic? (I.e. you can see their logo on the trim, etc.)

They are very eye-catching, but also very challenging to light and flow and maintain.

Can you reach from the top-front to the bottom-rear of the tank? (Try it. Don't assume.)

Unless your first name is Kareem, I'm doubting you can reach the bottom in the front, let alone in the back.

Removing the canopy will be a necessity for lots of maneuvers.

A ladder will be a necessity for lots of maneuvers.

The round glass does weird things with your flow and creates a strange space to light.

The lighting situation is not helped by the weird shape to the opening in the top created by the bracing.

Plus what everyone else in the thread says.

But they are very eye-catching.

 

[dbl]

I realize you passed, but for anyone interested in seeing a pretty cool half-moon, take a look at the thread below. The owner, @Electrobes took care of the limited space underneath by building a square stand. It's changed over time but the tank is stunning in person.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-digi-forest.198024/