Frameless tanks?

[spinjector]

I have been seeing these new frameless tanks around more and more lately, and it's made me wonder...

Are the plastic frames on the top & bottom of my current tanks really neccessary? Does it provide support or is it just there to protect the edges of the glass?

Is the silicone enough to hold the tank together? Or is the stuff they use on those frameless tanks a special kind? (it's always black?)

 

[pbrack]

I've got a small 5.5 gallon tank without the edges, and the corners appear to be chipped a bit, so I never use it. I'm guessing it's more to protect the edges and corners.

Also, some people build their own tanks and use wood or steel to reinforce to whole setup. Maybe the plastic is just a cheap way to get the same solution. Besides, I like the black trim look

 

[sumthin fishy]

The trim usually helps hold things together, especially when you get into larger tanks. Smaller tanks might be ok without it, if they are manufactured that way. I would never recomend removing the trimif it is already there. Im not syre about the seamless tanks, if there is a special kind of sealer, or why it is always black.

 

[viboy]

I have always been told that the strength of the tank is in the black trim. The only tanks that I have seen without it are acrylic. I would never remove the black trim from the tank.

I had a 75 gallon with cracked trim and the seals eventually failed and flooded my house.