Rimless tanks, Pros/Cons?

Darth Vedder

Darth Vedder

Sith Lord
What is the general consensus of rimless tanks? I am considering a 48" x 24" x 18" (maybe 24" still deciding) and I live the sleek minimalist look. I will most likely light it with a DIY led setup hanging on wires (no hood)

Is there any cons to rimless I need to know about?

I appreciate all opinions
 
Think about what livestock you may wish to keep. If you are going to keep jumpers then you'll either need to place a net over the top, or feed your cat less.
 
Darth Vedder said:
What is the general consensus of rimless tanks? I am considering a 48" x 24" x 18" (maybe 24" still deciding) and I live the sleek minimalist look. I will most likely light it with a DIY led setup hanging on wires (no hood)

Is there any cons to rimless I need to know about?

I appreciate all opinions
Click to expand...

PRO If your using LED's you wont have the big dead spot in the middle from the center support

CON things might jump out other things might crawl out
 
When cleaning the glass with an algae magnet cleaner odds are high water will splash over the rimless edge. Then it runs down to the other magnet. You end up with a wet outside magnet and a sloppy mess on your glass.

Not as big a deal as jumpers but a perennial pain in the behind.
 
TBH I was a rimless guy from almost day one. Loved the look and style of it. My latest tank i bought was the Marineland cube and I really like having the rim. Like Agu said, I dont need to worry about the mag cleaner splashing and there is a nice place for the screen top.
 
glass cleaning is a bit more often, snails do wander sometimes, and yes jumpers can be a problem but I must say I love me rimless tank (39x24x22)...
 
Its not that the rim helps prevent jumpers, but putting a screen top on a rimmed tank is easier as it has the lip on the inside where the mesh can rest on. To resolve this there are other ways such as put the lip on the screen frame itself or use clips to hold the screen in place.

Also usually the appeal with the rimless is there isnt usually a canopy above it. The canopy can prevent jumpers as well.

Some snails are tidal and they do leave the water. I had a lot of dwarf ceriths and they would come out of the water an sit on the rim. Not many but some would end up on the ground. I got tired of pushing them back in the water and removed the ones that came out. Nerites I hear can do this also. My turbos do not leave the water.
 
i have no problems with fish jumping, but i dont own fish prone to jumping either...i have never seen a snail climb out of my tank, most snails, when they feel the air on themselves they turn around and head back in where the water is warmer...(nerites are the exception, they are plain stupid) hence i dont house them...

my only problem wit my rimless tank is as AGU stated, trying to clean the little bit of salt creep from around the top of the tank can get a little messy, and water is always splashing onto the magnet (Marble top to stand, stand, floor, walls) depending on how fast i am scrubbing, scrub slow and try not to watch sports centre while doing it (especially if you team is choking left right and centre)
 
MarkL said:
Its not that the rim helps prevent jumpers, but putting a screen top on a rimmed tank is easier as it has the lip on the inside where the mesh can rest on. To resolve this there are other ways such as put the lip on the screen frame itself or use clips to hold the screen in place.

Also usually the appeal with the rimless is there isnt usually a canopy above it. The canopy can prevent jumpers as well.

Some snails are tidal and they do leave the water. I had a lot of dwarf ceriths and they would come out of the water an sit on the rim. Not many but some would end up on the ground. I got tired of pushing them back in the water and removed the ones that came out. Nerites I hear can do this also. My turbos do not leave the water.
Click to expand...

the canopy cant prevent jumpers any more then an umbrella can prevent rain...if the species is prone to jumping it will jump...just do the research on your fish choices before putting them in...obviously there are extenuating circumstances where by a fish can be harassed into jumping...(peer pressure, lol) and a canopy may give them a concussion or two, but most canopies also have open backs, one way or another if the fish wants to carpet surf, it will get out to surf. and lol i wasnt sure if the ceriths would climb out or not so i only added the nerites..that said there are loads of snails who wont climb out OP can choose from..

the appeal of rimless tank with is that everything is clear and unobstructed, hang the lights high if your gonna use LEDs (DIY ones) and use really tight optics, and the tank will really stand out...mind you with a 90 or 120 that you're thinking about the height of the stand plays an important role in the overall look too...it should be low enough you can look down on the tank too. other wise might as well save a tonne of money and get a standard trimmed tank.
 
I have a 47G Rimless tank and I go through almost 24litres of water evap a week. Also, I lost a few fishes; 1 wrasse, a midas blenny, and a mandarine dragonet. But it just means I cant keep those fishes anymore. But I love the aesthetics of such tanks.
 
The look sharp but cleaning them is a little more difficult than that of a regular tank. If I had to do it over I think Id keep it the same unless I had a large aquarium where Id prolly do a euro brace.
 
I've had a couple rimless, and they look great but I agree splashing is an issue even just cleaning glass, snails do escape.
You can still do a screen cover to keep from having jumpers, and if you fit it inside the perimeter w/ clear clips(the same ones that hold glass lids) you can still pretty much achieve the rimless look.
I'm back to euro now myself, and prefer that.
 
a rimless tank will experience NO MORE evaporation then an equivalently sized rimmed tank..technically speaking the rimless tank will experience less evap then the same sized rimmed tank as there is more surface area in a rimmed tank (rimless uses thicker glass)
 
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