De-rimming a tank... safe?

[SomethingIsFishy]

I like the look of rimless tanks and will soon have an empty 10 gallon tank due to an upgrade. I am probably going to move my shrimp from their current 5.5g home into this 10g tank. Can I safely remove the plastic frames from the tank or are the frames structural? It is a standard 10g from walmart that is approximately 2 years old...

Just thinking out loud. Any advice on whether or not I should do this would be greatly appreciated!

[Cliff]

I would say no. Most manufactures put those black frame pcs on a tank for structural support.

Rimless tanks are typically made with thicker glass that do not require additional support or frame pcs.

[SomethingIsFishy]

Better safe than sorry... I won't do it then...

[Aeonflame]

From experience I'd say you could get away with it seeing as its only a ten gallon tank. If you are still concerned about it, you could silicone a brace to the inside.

[SomethingIsFishy]

I wouldn't like the look of a brace if I was going rimless. If I had somewhere I could set it up safely to test how much the glass bows I might try it, but i am in a second floor apartment so that's not possible. Just doesn't seem worth the risk...

[Aeonflame]

If its 1/inch glass you should be fine. Even if you did add a brace, it doesnt need to be a big one. Just a couple inches wide

[Indian Woods Angels]

The rim absorbs the stress on the bottom of the tank. If you remove the brace you would need to replace the rim with something that can absorb the stress. You may e able to place the tank on a chunk of styro foam. It may crack from this stress. In the end it is better to just let it be. You may want to use acrylic tanks in the future as they can be kept free from the rims.

[SomethingIsFishy]

Thanks for all the input. I am not going to try it. Might get a rimless tank some time in the future and just use the ten as-is for now...

[Cliff]

You should be able to find a good deal on a used rimless tank. It just might take some time is all.