Pros/cons of rimless tanks (1 Viewer)

[Erin]

I’m going to buy a new 60”x24” tank soon and have been researching Redsea, Planet, Neptunium, IM, etc. A couple of “must haves”: tank no taller than 21”, no center bracing on the top of the tank (I could live with euro on the short sides if I have to), and reef ready ( not AIO). Most of what I’ve focused on are rimless, but I wonder if rimmed is better...? Does a rimmed tank automatically have to have bracing? Aside from pure aesthetics, are there any pros or cons to a rimless tank?
Thanks in advance.

I have seen several nice tanks listed for sale here and on FB, but none are a perfect fit, so I’d rather buy new. That being said, if anyone I haven’t already contacted has a 60x24 shallow tank available, let me know

 

[gm357]

Rimless = water on outside glass and jumpers

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[Erin]

Rimless = water on outside glass and jumpers

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I will have a screen top. Why would it be any more likely to get water on the outside glass than it is now with my traditional tank with top trim?

 

[gm357]

I will have a screen top. Why would it be any more likely to get water on the outside glass than it is now with my traditional tank with top trim?

When cleaning the glass at the top and feeding aggressive fish. They can really make a mess. In all its still worth it due to the cleaner look imo.

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[reefnewb]

I've never had a rimless before, but I've always wondered about having things like snails crawl out of the tank. That's probably a smaller concern, but one I've wondered about

 

[gm357]

I've never had a rimless before, but I've always wondered about having things like snails crawl out of the tank. That's probably a smaller concern, but one I've wondered about

Yep that too. Pretty often if your water level is high. You'll usually smell them before you see 'em.

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[Stickboy97]

I have a rimless & will go Euro on the next one. Water spills a lot, never has any issues with anything crawling out. For me the biggest pain is cleaning the glass. When you clean around the water line I almost always get a drip running down the glass & a wet magnet. But the look can't be beat!

 

[Erin]

Well, as it is, I get water on the glass most times I need to do anything in the tank... the total height of the tank and stand comes to a couple inches above my shoulder. Unless I'm using a step stool, reaching in very far results in water running back down to my armpit when I pull my arm.out, lol. I'm constantly wiping up drips or cleaning off dried saltwater.

I guess there's no reason I can't get trim around the top if I want... I think the main reason a lot of larger glass tanks incorporate trim is to lessen the look of any middle bracing (or the trim is incorporated into the brace...) Rimless tanks use thicker glass so don't need traditional bracing.

For a short time, i had a 50 gallon waterbox aio (18 inches tall I think) on a 32 inch stand, and it was the perfect height

 

[Stickboy97]

Don't get me wrong. I love my rimless (I have 2). The look is awesome! I think the euro brace give the same look but a little less mess. Now I haven't owned one & I bet it has its drawbacks... maybe someone will chime in.

 

[Reefahholic]

Pros:
They look awesome.

Cons:
They look too awesome.

Can't go back.


Really...I haven't had what I felt to be any cons with a rimless tank. I just love them. Don't drill the tank where the water line is only 1" from the top. At least 1.75 - 2+"

 

[Erin]

Pros:
They look awesome.

Cons:
They look too awesome.

Can't go back.


Really...I haven't had what I felt to be any cons with a rimless tank. I just love them. Don't drill the tank where the water line is only 1" from the top. At least 1.75 - 2+"

I know we've had this discussion before, but I will never have a tank drilled anywhere but the bottom pane and an internal overflow.

 

[Erin]

Don't get me wrong. I love my rimless (I have 2). The look is awesome! I think the euro brace give the same look but a little less mess. Now I haven't owned one & I bet it has its drawbacks... maybe someone will chime in.

My main goal is to have a shorter tank that doesn't have anything blocking easy access to the tank. My 90 gallon Oceanic is 48" long and has a 12 inch glass brace in the center.

 

[Reefahholic]

I know we've had this discussion before, but I will never have a tank drilled anywhere but the bottom pane and an internal overflow.

 

[Reefahholic]

My main goal is to have a shorter tank that doesn't have anything blocking easy access to the tank. My 90 gallon Oceanic is 48" long and has a 12 inch glass brace in the center.

That's another reason why I like the 105. Once you go 24" tall or longer than 48" they start wanting to eurobrace and put center braces. Some tanks need it for sure, but I don't like eurobracing or center braces.

12" glass brace is nuts.

 

[Erin]

That's another reason why I like the 105. Once you go 24" tall or longer than 48" they start wanting to eurobrace and put center braces. Some tanks need it for sure, but I don't like eurobracing or center braces.

12" glass brace is nuts.

It's an old school Oceanic, from before they were sold to Coralvue. They were built like, well, tanks. Lol. Some were brick style with 3/4 inch glass- those didn't need braces, at least up to 210 gallons. Most were 1/2 inch panes with the large center brace. Excellent tanks. Most of the remaining builders from Oceanic are at Planet Aquarium now... Deep Blue Aquatics was a company they formed right after they left Oceanic, but no longer exists.

 

[Reefahholic]

It's an old school Oceanic, from before they were sold to Coralvue. They were built like, well, tanks. Lol. Some were brick style with 3/4 inch glass- those didn't need braces, at least up to 210 gallons. Most were 1/2 inch panes with the large center brace. Excellent tanks. Most of the remaining builders from Oceanic are at Planet Aquarium now... Deep Blue Aquatics was a company they formed right after they left Oceanic, but no longer exists.

Yeah, tank building has changed a lot today. They are finding better ways to do things and most are consulting Engineer's for guidance. Even stand builders are consulting Engineer's now.

IMO, the best place to get a tank right now is from Planet Aquariums.

My second choice would be SCA. They are popular in CA. Cheap... but the guy wouldn't build me exactly what I wanted. He wanted me to pick his "drilled" "low iron" "overflow" tank so he could charge me for all of those features. That's basically what it boiled down to.

Had it not been for that, I probably would have bought one. I won't buy a 12mm glass tank though when I know I can get 14mm for the exact same price.

$899 Would be an awesome deal if he would let me modify it a bit. That price is shipped to your door.

120 Gallon Starfire Tank Drilled for 16'' Synergy Shadow Overflow 48x24x24'' 12mm

www.scaquariums.com

 

[sneezebeetle]

I've had both as has my hubby and honestly I'm a bit indifferent to it. With the rimmed, there is a groove for your top to fit nice and secure on and it looks natural, because of the lip there is less water spillage. In my rimless, I use acrylic clips around the top to hold my screen top, but I'm so used to seeing them now so I hardly notice them. Definitely get more spills from cleaning and fish. Having the screen top I don't have too big of a problem with jumpers although there have been a few pricey ones. Definitely not a fan of eurobraces.

Doesn't really look like there are strong reasons to go one way or the other though, It will just come down to what look you are wanting in a tank Good luck and congrats on the new tank!

 

[Erin]

"With the rimmed, there is a groove for your top to fit nice and secure on"
True, but I had to mod my hydra light mounts in order to use them on my 90... that lip prevents them from fitting flush with the inside glass. I know there are other mounting options, but that's something I need to keep in mind.

 

[RR-MAN]

Rimmed tanks look ugly in my opinion
[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

Above there are some valid points regarding rimless tanks but after owning Elos, Red Sea, Marineland, and glass cages rimless tanks I can’t go back. [emoji4][emoji4][emoji4]

 

[PicassoClown]

I used to have rimmed tanks, now I have 7 rimless tanks. I love them, and I’ll never go back.

Snails crawling out have never been an issue for me, as I only use stomatella snails plus whatever is still surviving from my initial setup. Don’t buy intertidal snails and you shouldn’t have a problem with that.

With the rimmed tanks, I had to go around the rim to mess with stuff sitting right up by the front glass which was a pain. Now I can just reach down and readjust whatever needs readjusting without having the rim of the tank biting into my bicep. I guess it wasn’t that much of an inconvenience but it did kind of suck.

You already brought up the issue of the light mount so I won’t go over that, but I’m sure it was a pain in the butt to modify your mount. The lid can have a rim that fits over the tank so it’s completely flush with the glass which is nice. It ruins the aesthetic a little but the fish need to be safe.

I prefer rimless just cause I like to have a completely packed tank and the rim blocks the stuff on the bottom from view which is often my favorite part. If you’re planning on a sand bed, I would just choose whichever option is cheaper if you don’t mind covering the sand with a rim but if you like acros or something way up in the tank I think you may find a rimless more appealing.