Advice on a quarter-cylinder tank?

[Ocicat]

What do you guys think of this tank?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7712034255

Do you see potential problems with this setup that I'm missing? What jumped out at me is the small size of the access door in the stand; I have emailed to ask about its dimensions, so that I can figure out what sort of sump I could even use with it. I realize that lighting might be a challenge... Also I'm not sure how I would mount powerheads in the tank, with that lip there. And it looks like the overflow only draws water from the top -- is that bad?

TIA!
Ocicat

 

[gfishguy56]

that access door is waaay too small. When you finally make that leap into your new aquarium(pardon the pun), you will discover how often you will be visiting your sump/underneath tank area and how much you'll wish you had more room.

 

[BillyZ]

I would agree the door does seem small. but the picture may be a little deceiving. The 5 gallon bucket right next to the tank gives some scale. it actually may be a fairly large door as it looks as though the bucket would fit right through that door. So it may be larger than it seems, but it may still be too small.

 

[Phyl]

That much bow is going to make it near impossible to get good clear pictures of anything in your tank. It is going to be difficult at best to light (though a single MH might work). The access is small and you'll have a terrible time fitting a sump, skimmer, etc in there. Unless a corner was the absolute last place on earth I had to put a tank I'd go with something more square. Personally, I'd pass!

 

[Ocicat]

Thanks, guys. I decided that with all my questions, it was too risky to buy it without seeing it in person. And, it ended up selling for $1400, and I wasn't willing to bid that high anyhow (+ $200 s&h!). Also, I did some further research on acrylic, and it sounds like it's really inevitable that it will end up all scratched up, and with a clouded appearance from micro scratches, no matter how careful you are.

Ocicat