Red Sea Max S 650 or ?

Jason Albanus · Jan 7, 2018

After almost 20 years of not having a marine tank, my wife and I are about to take the plunge again. WOW - how things have changed (but the basics still seem the same).

We probably won't opt for a "hard core" reef as my wife likes a few more fish than that typically allows and are planning to have fewer hard corals and more fish (I think that make sense).

We're very interested in the Red Sea Max S 650 for several reasons, one of which being the "all in one" nature of this system. We realize that we could also work with one of their REEFER systems and probably do a few things different (and possibly better) but it seems that the Max S is a good approach for someone who's been away from the hobby for such a long time.

My question...

What else is on the market that compares to the Red Sea offering - both Max S and REEFER systems?

Thanks in advance for your opinions!

Sincerely,
HotPepperFan

mjlash22 · Jan 7, 2018

I don't know of any other company that offers as an extensive of an all in one package as Red Sea does. I prefer the reefer series for 2 reasons. I think they look cleaner and I want to be able to pick my own equipment. If you haven't gotten yourself up to date on all the new technology and equipment, Max series is probably your best bet as Red Sea is not going to do you wrong with their selected equipment. If you are pretty up to date on the latest equipment/methods, I would recommend the reefer series. May even cost less than the max depending on brands/types of equipment you want to use.

Jason Albanus · Jan 8, 2018

Thanks for your feedback. I think I'll move forward with the Max S and start the learning process all over again.

andyg1960 · Jan 8, 2018

I was going to go with the Max S, then decided to go with the Reefer as i wanted some flexibility with skimmer, pumps, etc. Red Sea is an awesome line of tanks, you will love whatever one you get.

Shoob1e · Jan 8, 2018

There is a new company called waterbox, I have a reefer series because I liked being able to pick what I wanted equipment wise. But the waterbox systems look extremely well thought out.