For those with rimless tanks

[JMurphy97]

Without a rim how do you keep your fish from jumping out? I might get a 57 rimless and that's a concern of mine.

[Nano sapiens]

Without a rim how do you keep your fish from jumping out? I might get a 57 rimless and that's a concern of mine.

 

Eggcrate (for not too small fish)

Fiberglass window screen in a frame (blocks some light)

1 to 1-1/2 'Lip' all the way around (helps prevent, but doesn't insure, a fish jumping out)

Plastic wrap stretched in a frame (small holes punched in wrap to allow for some air circulation). Best for a Nano, not a 57g.

 

After losing a Red Headed Goby, I made a lip out of acrylic.

[mjames6688]

Without a rim how do you keep your fish from jumping out? I might get a 57 rimless and that's a concern of mine.

 

Try not to 'spook' your fish, lol... You can get covers for them, but that takes away from the look. It does happen from time to time... just cross your fingers. I have had 1 in the past 2 years (Talbot Damsel), I think he was being picked on by another fish and chased him out!

Good luck!

[HighFlight]

Defeats the purpose of rimless yeah? But man they look good..

[JMurphy97]

There is no frame to put the egg crate on though. They look real nice but I'm not into taking chances of my fish from jumping out.

[Koston]

some fish are more likely to jump than others. you could try sticking with species that are less jumpy, but in general having a rimless tank with no lid will always be a risk -- unless you make or provide a lid/covering of some sort, which then defeats the purpose of having a rimless

 

sometimes even lids don't do the trick, i had an 8" eel jump out of the tiniest of holes in a lid once...

 

you'd just have to rest the eggcrate ontop of your tank, i guess?

[Nano sapiens]

There is no frame to put the egg crate on though. They look real nice but I'm not into taking chances of my fish from jumping out.

 

You can leave some 'Tabs' from the eggcrate that overhang the top glass edging at strategic points for support/alignment. There are a few different ways to do this, some look better than others. I think a quick Google should bring up a bunch of examples of what people have done.

[Rollermonkey]

Here's what I did for my QT:

 

 

It ain't cheap, but it still looks good.

 

It's 1/2 inch acrylic, with a notch the width of the glass all the way around the bottom and cutouts for each wire and the filter. I've got some bird mesh left over that I'll carefully glue to the bottom of the main opening to completely close off any escape attempts without detracting from the appearance.

[wimby]

This is mine for now Need to clean it up. I used thin rope to tie on the netting then painted it all black.

 

[Reef Casa]

This is mine for now Need to clean it up. I used thin rope to tie on the netting then painted it all black.

 

 

dude i'm so sorry to b that guy

but that is AWFUL! just plain horrendous! !

[wimby]

Gee thanks. That's so supportive on a helping site. Maybe give a little help instead of bashing it. It's a Rough draft. Give me a break. It's my first bow front. Need to figure it out.

[kevantheman35]

I have never had a fish jump in the 2 1/2 years my tanks been set up with no protection. I have had a couple nerite snails that jumped ship but thats about it

[Nano sapiens]

dude i'm so sorry to b that guy

but that is AWFUL! just plain horrendous! !

 

While honesty is a valued quality, there are times where it is best not to be 'that guy'...

 

Truth is, it's not easy to come up with something that is aesthetically pleasing for a rim-less tank. The larger the tank, the more difficult.

 

Your typical tank jumper runs up the side glass before free-falling to the floor. A well crafted lip is probably the most aesthetically pleasing while still providing a decent level of protection for a smaller tank:

 

[jball1125]

I have never had a fish jump in the 2 1/2 years my tanks been set up with no protection. I have had a couple nerite snails that jumped ship but thats about it

Lucky you.

[najluni15]

I have a 57 gallon. Buy a screen makin kit. Buy bird netting that has 1/2" holes or smaller and use it as the screening. Easy to do. Cost me about $10 and saved many fish after I lost 4

[Nano sapiens]

I really like the idea of just a clear acrylic lip around the tank. The problem is that acrylic warps over time because it absorbs moisture on the wet side, so the lip really needs to be made of glass if it has any hope of lasting more than a few months...

 

Very true, Acrylic is hydroscopic. When designing something using acrylic, thickness and support are very important. What I'm finding with my lip is that over a week I'll see some slight bowing (1/8" or less), but its a simple matter to flip it over ever week when I do a WC to even it out.

[uglybuckling]

Here's what I did for my QT:

 

 

It ain't cheap, but it still looks good.

 

It's 1/2 inch acrylic, with a notch the width of the glass all the way around the bottom and cutouts for each wire and the filter. I've got some bird mesh left over that I'll carefully glue to the bottom of the main opening to completely close off any escape attempts without detracting from the appearance.

 

It's not THAT bad. TAP will sell you a 12x12" sheet of 1/2" clear acrylic, cut to size, for $20 and a 16x16" sheet for $30. Plus shipping. I mean, it's not super cheap for a lid, but it's not THAT bad. If you get your tank from a custom manufacturer, you can check with them at the time of manufacture; some will be able to make a lid.

 

 

dude i'm so sorry to b that guy

but that is AWFUL! just plain horrendous! !

 

Bowfronts are particularly difficult. This solution, while not aesthetically pleasing, is just as functional (and in some cases moreso) than the others shown on this page. If the rim of a tank interests you more than its contents (and yes, I realize that one is mostly base rock right now, but I would imagine it will eventually have some interesting contents...), then I'm sure your tank will have a nicer rim. I'll take mine with a crappy-looking rim and nice corals. =)

 

I've seen some truly amazingly awful-looking reef setups with just gorgeous coral in them, and it usually takes me fifteen or twenty minutes to notice there's a damn nautical wheel stuck to the front of the guy's stand, or somesuch other complete kitsch.

 

 

 

In other news, super-thick acrylic (like 1/2") will usually not warp much, particularly when routed around the edge like Rollermonkey's. Thin polycarbonate will also warp, although some sources say it warps less than acrylic of the same thickness. Glass will not warp at all (within the reasonable lifetime of the tank anyway), and is probably the best material to go with, but has two downsides: (1) it can be a real bear to cut properly, and (2) if it ever breaks, or if you (or whoever you get to cut it) sucks at cutting glass, you can cut yourself or your fish can cut themselves on it.

 

I took the glass lid off my 20 long a few years ago and set it on the floor in order to clean the tank. A few minutes later I forgot it was there and put my bare foot through it. I needed stitches. Don't be dumb like I was--if you go with glass, think about where you're setting it.

[akma]

Here's what i've made for pretty much all of my tanks. I had a 120 custom rimless and I had a fish jump everyother day until I put that netting up.

Easy to make and doesn't detract from the look of the tank too much.

 

[gulfsurfer101]

The only option for me was to drill and add a sump and use a glass top the same thickness with 1/8"overhang to keep a clean look to the tank.

[Rollermonkey]

^That's really nice and clean looking.

 

I would have done the same as akma, but I'm using a HOB filter, so it doesn't work so well. Since my QT is under 12" square, I don't realistically see 1/2" acrylic bowing or sagging any time soon. I probably won't even need to do the bird mesh with the shrimp goby I have in there, he goes straight up the glass when he tries to jump. For the next fish, a clown, I'll either keep a square of eggcrate sitting on top, or do the bird mesh.

[gulfsurfer101]

In all actuality the eggcrate on top of a tank is so nasty. On these tiny tanks bowing isn't a problem. It is when the cut is much longer but can be resolved with some bracing. I used 3/8" cell cast acrylic as a lid for my 5.5 and it is damn near bullet proof.

I know it isn't rimless but acrylic would be your best bet. If your running an hob just leave it open for better gas exchange.

[JMurphy97]

Yeah I saw Mr. Saltwater tank's last update on his and he had a screen net top. It never dawned on me to just put in on top like he did and the other poster I saw. Looks nice.

[seafd]

I've always wondered if you could use four small clips (one in each corner, maybe one in the middle for long runs) to go over the edge of the tank with mesh between them for a lid. It would be cheap and easy to make and it may not look to bad. One concern would be if the clips fall into the water you have mesh in the tank, which could be pretty bad. The other concern is if the clips and unsupported mesh could stop fish... Best of luck

[hannahs]

This is from another site, but I love this screen top they made for their tank. I don't think it takes away from the rimless look at all:

 

 

 

[erictorres0311]

I know its an old thread but looking for something similar