My first encounter with a rimless tank was at an international aquascaping competition in Singapore. After a twenty-hour flight, jet legged me, and dealing with the scrutiny of customs (bragging about a TSA’s playground plant scissors is a risky proposition), the icing on the cake was the astonishing stone-cut tank with pristine water perfectly encompassing nature’s beauty.
The tank’s pristine water surface, with no hindrances on view induced by plastic edges or borders, touched my heart deeply. My expression was frozen while japonais paddlers managed to make their way around me politely. Thereafter, I placed an order for a 60P rimless ADA model back home in Florida, which happened to be around my rent.
His delivery quips made me laugh, he honestly asked the dreaded question If it contained a TV. His non baffled look at my joke shined throughout, and I responded with it being “Even better, it’s completely empty”.
As serene as the water in rimless tanks may appear, most individuals are utterly puzzled by them. Despite the clarity that they offer, they seem to lack any form of beauty. In my defense, I simply cannot change the reality of the water and air tranquil boundaries beautifully crafted in rimless tanks.
The comparison is similar to experiencing the difference between an old tube TV and a modern OLED TV. Once you watch an OLED, standard tanks will appear dated and clunky. One learns the hard way, through years of cursing while mopping hardwood floors, that aesthetic beauty becomes bothersome in practice.
With rimless setups, water evaporation becomes odd and personal.
Without the plastic lid, water’s edge, evaporation is quicker and more noticeable. Each day it creeps down further and further, revealing dry-hardscape and plants that were meant to be fully submerged. I have set daily alarms on my phone for “Top off tanks or watch plants die,” and my ex would joke about how I was more dedicated to my tank’s water levels than our relationship.
It’s possible she wasn’t completely wrong. The lack of a rim means absolute trust in the structural soundsness of silicone seams. My traditional 90-gallon tank could survive a minor earthquake, but my 12-gallon rimless tank13?
Everytime someone is overly harsh while closing a door, I hold my breath. That isn’t paranoia, it’s physics.
On a typical aquarium tank, the rim is not merely for decoration; it bears consideration while the structure is being built. Glass needs to be stronger in material, which makes rimless tanks expensive.
Moreover, the primary reason for the price increment is due to earning ‘rimless tax’, this is a term which I coined to denote looking deeper the gap in price between an ordinary aquarium and a rimless one. Manufacturers have a rear sticker price falsifies sharpy claim offers phrase “Ultra clear low iron glass”, which in reality suggest giving up slimy green tint that only fellow aquascaping enthusiast will see.
Syndromes caused by traditional tanks include containing water splashes using upper rim. In rimless tanks, splash zones are an invitation for water.
While living on the first floor, there sprouted a constant tiny splash whales from my filter return. Until my ceiling was stained, I didn’t understand logically this issue. Cleaning the glass is quite frightening yet easier at the same time. Algae scrappers lack need to rearrange navigate the rim so it’s devoid of a rim.
More terrifying because one slip under too much pressure and you risk tearing those silicone seams I mentioned earlier. Cleaning the tank is almost spiritual, but cat owners, brace yourselves: rimless tanks and cats are in a constant state of war.
His Siamese cat decided that my friend’s rimless setup was actually a five hundred dollar drinking fountain. Another coworker found her cat swimming in her nature aquarium and had apparently decided that the beautifully arranged seiryu stones were a perfect she diving platform built for her favorite fish. The fish were traumatized.
The carpet was soaked. The smug cat looked satisfied. Can be another challenge is maintaining temperature stability.
Without a cover (which would defeat the aesthetic purpose), heat escapes more readily. My tropical setup requires a slightly more powerful heater than it would for a traditional tank of the same volume. During Floridian winters, which occur for 3 days every year, it means higher electricity bills, but it isn’t an issue during summer.
Caution becomes the focus of maintenance. I once knocked a stainless testing water kit into my prized Iwagumi layout. The resulting splash soaked my phone, my notebook, my back pocket, and somehow, inexplicably, my back pocket.
The tank was fine in itself, but I had to tear apart the sand foreground that had taken hours to slope and perfectly place with the utmost care. Maintenance is now done with the precision approaching that of a bomb defusal expert. Choices of hardware become scarce and critical.
Heaters, CO2 diffusers, and filter intakes—all of them must be chosen or modified with the tank’s aesthetics taken into consideration. That sleek minimalism you purchased comes at the expense of clunky equipment. I’ve spent some embarrassing amounts of money on glass lily pipes and clear tubing just to maintain the visual effect of rimless tanks.
To some degree, my bank account says no but my eyes scream yes.
Water parameters require closer monitoring. Minerals and waste products are concentrated more readily with faster evaporation rates. My rimless nano tank’s TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) value can noticeably increase within a few days without top offs.
While marked increases in elements may not matter for hardy fish, sensitive species or breeding setups require another level of vigilance. Without a glass cover or plastic hood, rimless tanks truly shine when you can position pendant lights at the perfect height.
The smooth surface of water provides captivating light refraction under water. There is deep gratifcation in photographing a well-illuminated rimless tank compared to traditional setups. Light is, deceptively, my greatest ally in this situation and half of my Instagram followers are blissfully unaware of how poor an aquascaper I actually am.
Open tops are great for enhancing esthetics, but do have their advantages when it comes to plant growth. They do allow for more efficient gas exchange, which is helpful in averting CO2 concentration during overnight respiration by plants. Emergent growth pertains to the more natural extension of plants over the water line.
In more simpler terms, I have learned to appreciate stunning above-water plant displays provided by stem plants unique to rimless setups. These features refine the underwater landscape. My clients often ask me if they should consider going rimless. I beg them to stay a while; in reality, the question isn’t about the glass configuration, which region of the world they prefer to showcase, but rather the identity of the aquarist they want to be.
Rimless tanks offer versatility as they allow the aquascape to showcase their dedication. A stunning feature, but exceedingly ruthless. If you prize precision, then it is comfortable, but complacency is punished.
I’ve decided on something more practical for my home. My display tank in the living room is rimless—an aesthetic 75-gallon low-iron masterpiece that brings a smile to my face. And my breeding tanks and experimental setups?
They are standard rimmed tanks with proper covers because sometimes, function needs to win over form. The truth about rimless tanks is that they are akin to owning a vintage sports car instead of a reliable sedan. They are not in all respects practical.
They require greater efforts and financial resources. But when the light hits just right and the aquascape is thriving, when the water surface is calm, pristine, and reflecting all fine details that have been so diligently arranged, from the pendant light, the aquascape, the carefully chosen lighting…
Nothing else compares whileon the other side of the spectrum enduring me ruining three phones, countless socks, and at least one relationship due to water damage stemming from rimless tanks isn’t practical. But, in all fairness, I wouldn’t be in these situations again in a heartbeat.
