Rimless or euro braced

[sphelps]

Unless your tank is shallow an 8' rimless may not be feasible anyway. I believe most builders cut off for rimless is around 6'. I've seen some exceptions to this but typically a premium was involved and the base of the tank carried additional reinforcement.

[intarsiabox]

I've had a rimless tank for years and it looks great and has never given me any issues. When I clean the top couple of inches I just go a little slower and no water splashes out when using a magnetic scrubber. I've had MP-40, RW's and a Gyre in the tank and none have caused water to go over the side either but I also don't have them pointed upwards as I prefer to let my returns to agitate the surface and have the wave makers provide the flow to corals. I have a magnetic scraper but I also like to give the glass a good scrub each week with a hand held cleaner on a long handle which is a lot harder to do at the top with a eurobrace without putting hands in the water. The one piece eurobraces look much better than 4 pieces of glass glued to the top of the tank but add quite a bit to the price. I like Mindy's screen being mounted inside the Eurobrace otherwise it looks like the tank has two lids on it if you plan on putting a mesh top over the tank. You always have the option of adding a one piece eurobrace down the road as well if you want to try both methods. Personally if I were to get a good deal on a tank either method wouldn't sway my decision.

[gmann]

i hated how water would splash over on my rimless, so i ended up getting eurobrace on my new tank. One piece EB looks nice, but i honestly never look down on my tank, and i dont notice the 4 pcs of glass, so i decided to spend the savings on coral

[IronChefItaly]

I've owned both rimless and eurobraced and I definitely prefer rimless. I'm currently operating with a Red Sea Reefer 250 and don't find it an issue keeping water in the tank. The biggest drawback for the eurobracing to me is that any bubbles that break near the surface create a film on the glass and condensation can also be an issue depending on the system - all in all leading to a pretty big eye sore unless you're constantly wiping it down. From a simple aesthetic approach I don't see how bracing can be preferable but from a practical perspective I can see why people like them.

[tang daddy]

My tank now is a rimless and yes when I stick my hand in water drips down the sides....abit annoying but I bought the tank that way, cleaning a rimless is quite easy and with an euro brace there can be abit more sophistication but they both have the pros and cons. Either way there is negatives for both so I guess the question is...? are you willing to spend more on a euro race or just have a couple rags to wipe... my water has never splashed over the surface from power heads, but if you have crazy flow in your tank then it may and it also may with euro race depending on how much of a width you have. With that said I am fine with the rimless look now.

Pros
Rimless
- cleaner look.
- cost less
- mesh lid border doesn't block the light as much because it is on the outer edges.
-easier to clean the glass sides.

Eurobrace
- looks decent with beveled polished top
- gives you a place to rest your arm and fish items.
- will hold water in from splashing around the edges.

Cons

Rimless
-water dripping down the sides when hand is in and out of tank.
-water may splash if you have decent waves in the tank.

Eurobrace
-if the mesh lid sits flush inside the eurobrace it blocks abit of light from the border of the mesh lid.
-harder to clean the glass if you have a wider eurobrace

Anyone please feel free to add to this!