Red Sea Fail, very harsh!! But truthful IMO.

[blecki]

It can have something to do with being rimless; especially on larger tanks where the rimmed tank has a brace that stops the glass from bowing out. I can't explain why the little tanks are also affected but on large ones, a failure right in the center-bottom of the front seems consistent with the front glass flexing out.

 

[littlefoxx]

Redsea completely re-designed their tanks. They - like many companies (AFAIK) - do not support used tanks (the warranty is not transferrable).

I got mine new in 2022, is that re designed or still an older one?

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

I got mine new in 2022, is that re designed or still an older one?

Newer Red Sea tanks have harden plastic they call armor seams on G2 tanks. Not sure if they are any better longevity but we will see …can’t imagine anyone buying Red Sea tank after reading this thread no matter what Red Sea have improved

 

[knecht]

I got mine new in 2022, is that re designed or still an older one?

There should be a sticker/label near the top of the overflow with the model and serial number. The model will include G2 if it’s Gen 2.

 

[knecht]

Newer Red Sea tanks have harden plastic they call armor seams on G2 tanks. Not sure if they are any better longevity but we will see …can’t imagine anyone buying Red Sea tank after reading this thread no matter what Red Sea have improved

They also improved the stands on the G2s, now solid plywood and metal bracing on the larger models.

 

[knecht]

Is this a g2

Might have to change my tank, so...

My Red Sea 425 XL has a seal issue and I am currently speaking with them to get a replacement. So I might have to empty my tank, take it apart and rebuild a new one. 1) Any and all comments/tips/suggestions are welcomed! 2) If I am going to do this, I will also make some changes to corals and...

www.reef2reef.com

He posted in March 2023 and said he had the tank for two years exactly. That suggests it was purchased in March 2021. Which means it would be a Gen 1. G2's were released in April 2022.

 

[Snoopdog]

Newer Red Sea tanks have harden plastic they call armor seams on G2 tanks. Not sure if they are any better longevity but we will see …can’t imagine anyone buying Red Sea tank after reading this thread no matter what Red Sea have improved

Mine had the hard glued on seams, but that alone likely does not make it a G2.

 

[InvictusReef]

So I clicked the little Magnifying glass top right of page and input 3 words, Red Sea Fail. This is the results just from these forums. Over 20 pages of threads. Given we have this preponderance of evidence that Red Sea tanks are BAD, why do people keep buying them, and worse replacing one with another when the front seam fails?

I am pretty sure the reason for the seam failure on a red sea is that the front glass is just to thin, allowing for Flex in the pane, which then separates the silicone in the middle of the tank causing catastrophic failure (most common failure spot from my research).

Now add to this the horror stories posted about Lack of Customer Service on the part of red sea!! It has become very obvious to this dummy that Red Sea does NOT care about the hobby, or what we go thru to keep coral in our house. All they care about is separating us from our money with a sub-standard product complete with Lousy Customer Support.

You do what you think is right with your money, as for me, well, Friends do not let Friends buy Red Sea tanks!!

Ya its a scary thought. I think its only the larger tanks that suffer from these failures though, like the 425 or larger tanks. I have the Max E 260 and it seems solid as rock but its only 36". I feel like anything beyond that is were the issues are coming from.

 

[GlassMunky]

The answer is - there are 2 million saltwater tanks world-wide and 800,000 in the US. According to 3 LFS here - the majority of tanks sold (approximately 70%) are RedSea tanks. It is estimated that it's a very small percentage of tanks fail, and if you search the site, you'll see examples of multiple brands with some failures. I believe RedSea has addressed the issues in the new versions of the tanks. Thats why people keep buying them (which is the question you asked).

All of that said, I have nothing but sympathy for those that have had leaks. I posted something the other day that I think bears mentioning. You can buy insurance to take care of any damage, and the tank itself (Some - but not allover aquariums, most regular policies do not cover livestock). This would be a small consolation if you had a huge mess. I checked with my insurance if the tank etc are covered - especially damage - since its on wood floors. Luckily it was

There’s no way in hell
That Red Sea tanks are 70% of all tanks sold

That’s just pure bs

 

[GlassMunky]

Not going to debate you - I merely reported what I learned after speaking with 3 of the biggest aquarium maintenance companies in the area. The problems have occurred in all rimless-style tanks. You're right - there is no way to tell if it is statistically significant without doing a randomized controlled trial.

PS - I also have some skin in the game - having an older (about 5 year) Redsea 750 - which is why I asked around.

I love how talking to 3 stores in your local area equals “70% of all tanks sold in the country”

 

[Icryhard]

Terrible but true... I have a new IM sitting in my garage. After seeing so many posts about Red Sea Failures there was no way I was taking a chance. It became time to be proactive before I have a failure. Within a month my Red Sea will be no more, nor will I buy any of their products ever again.

It's a stretch to say "no more products from redsea" imo. Their tanks, although beautiful, are garbage. There are still plenty of stuff they sell which is amazing, such as the PO4 testkit. That one is actually better than the Salifert one.

 

[Icryhard]

Isn't the center aluminum brace in the middle on larger models the supposed fix to these issues? Have we seen G2 tanks break yet?

imo they should (like Juwel) have a small extra thickened layer on the bottom to prevent the water from creating so much pressure on the bottom.

 

[knecht]

Mine had the hard glued on seams, but that alone likely does not make it a G2.

The only way to truly know what model it is, is to look at the product label in the overflow.

 

[Cell]

The answer is - there are 2 million saltwater tanks world-wide and 800,000 in the US. According to 3 LFS here - the majority of tanks sold (approximately 70%) are RedSea tanks.

You've now shared this statistic several times. The first time you said your water change guys told you.

I took down my tank today - I happened to ask maintenance guys that came - they said that issues that people have had affect about 1 percent of the tanks (at most). IMHO - that is higher than I expected. They also said the new changes have ameliorated the problem (i.e. they have not seen any issues with the new design). They estimated 70 percent of their customers have Redsea tanks. Additionally, they said that in their opinion other rimless tanks have a similar incidence of problems.

Name the 3 LFS's and "one of the biggest in the city" maintenance company you use that shared this info please.

 

[ForTheLoveOfCoral21]

I did a lot of research on many "Red Sea" turn key systems. I saw so many failures with red sea, i had to go another direction.

Thats where i found glowing reviews on the @Innovative Marine marine tanks. I currently have a 50 EXT and am looking at my next tank from them, 200+.

The 50 EXT is an awesome set up, and IM now offers sumps and plumbing and all with their setups. I highly recommend IM if looking into a Red Sea style tank set up.

 

[ErikVR]

I'll stick with red sea. I trust my favorite store when they say they have been selling them forever and haven't had catastrophic failures. They sell all the major manufacturers so if it was that bad, they wouldn't recommended one. Time will tell.

 

[CrunchyBananas]

Throwing in my anecdotal evidence for tanks sold, I have 180 service customers and care for about 200 tanks anywhere from 15 to 1200 gallons, only 2 are red sea tanks.

The only professionals I know that vouch for red sea have an inventory to move.

 

[Northern Flicker]

I'll stick with red sea. I trust my favorite store when they say they have been selling them forever and haven't had catastrophic failures. They sell all the major manufacturers so if it was that bad, they wouldn't recommended one. Time will tell.

Could that be because they have a strong profit margin on Red Sea product?

The thing I can’t wrap my head around is that people pay a crazy amount for these luxury tanks, then they still defend the company when they have a serious defect. Why? The company isn’t doing anything to help people either, other than replacing the tank at cost plus freight. The tank is a fraction of the penalty the user faces in terms of flooring, livestock, drywall replacement, possible insurance premium issues.

 

[thedon986]

Love my new @Joe Glass Cages just about ready to get wet. Eurobraced top and bottom plus 1/2” thick glass. This thing is a beast!

 

[ForTheLoveOfCoral21]

I'll stick with red sea. I trust my favorite store when they say they have been selling them forever and haven't had catastrophic failures. They sell all the major manufacturers so if it was that bad, they wouldn't recommended one. Time will tell.

With all due respect, you dont think this has ANYTHING to do with them making a ton of money off these products? You would really ignore the 100s and 100s of issues?