Unintentional Trimless tank, Should I worry?

[Slick Fork]

Hi there,

The plastic trim on my hundred gallon has been siphoning water again, this time actually at quite an amazing rate. It's done it before and last time I did a hack silicone job on the inside and it held for about 4 months. This time, I got tired of screwing with it and turned my tank into a trimless wonder.

Now, the trim on the tank is NOT a one piece affair. Each side has it's own piece that is NOT connected to the others and I KNOW that logically there is no way that trim could be adding any kind of structural support and I shouldn't worry, however here I am at quarter to twelve sitting up listening for the sound of saltwater hitting the floor.

I don't have anything to worry about right?

[albert_dao]

I doubt it. Mitred trims are only for aesthetics (huck) and do very little for the structural integrity of the tank.

[hillbillyreefer]

Lots of people seem to worry about this situation. I've never been in it, but have read that it isn't a problem. The trim is just a decoration to hide bad or sharp edges. Go with the logic and have a good sleep.

[Slick Fork]

Thanks, Sometimes that little voice in the back of your head needs someone else to tell it to shut up! Tank actually looks a lot better without that crappy black trim!

[Brent F]

Plastic trim is a cost saving way for tank manufacturers to avoid having to polish the top edge of the glass. A strip of plactic can hide a lot of chips and flaws in the glass.

Some people don't like being able to see the water surface and the rim can hide that. A practical use of trim is to provide a lip for a glass top to sit on.

[Doo]

Now that you have it off, is there a way that you can clean it up from the old silicon job and silicon it back on so that it seals well :)

I know sometimes they are way too far gone to do anything with. I found getting them off was the hardest part especially in the spots where the silicon is very solid. You might be able to win win if you have it off and it is still in good shape???

[Slick Fork]

Yeah, the trim was pretty beat up by the time I was finished with it. I find most things don't survive when you take them apart when you're angry! I'm actually finding I like the look better without the trim anyways.