Red Sea Reefer Tank Seal Failure

[Lavey29]

Really sorry for your bad experience OP but like buying a used car, sometimes you just don't know how well it was maintained.

Lot of Red Sea bashing here and I have to wonder why they are the leading manufacturer of reef tanks world wide if their product is so bad. Things that make you go hhhmmmmm....

 

[I.AM.MR.MIKE]

Red sea really needs to take a tank like this and do a forensic study publicly with experts and prove these are or are not workmanship/seam failures and be open about it. This may be the only way they recover their reputation. Is the glass not cleaned right prior to sealing or did they change sealants etc... Is there any signs of bad handling? They need to do this. My tank appears to be sealed good but the quality of the edges of the seams is jagged and I do not like that since I never scrape the corners. I admit, my next tank may not be Red Sea in an abundance of caution. I have had mostly good experience dealing with RS customer service. I love the Reef mat 500 and the new doser but not the RS skimmers which are overpowered(pump to big for body) and too loud.

 

[TheBear78]

For the OP, out of interest what kind of floor structure was it on please?

 

[TheReefDiary]

Really sorry for your bad experience OP but like buying a used car, sometimes you just don't know how well it was maintained.

Lot of Red Sea bashing here and I have to wonder why they are the leading manufacturer of reef tanks world wide if their product is so bad. Things that make you go hhhmmmmm....

Because a ton of people had major issues with their tanks. Maybe the new ones have addressed the previous issues like others have said but when you know people who have had their entire house flooded by 100g + of saltwater you kind of just don't trust that brand anymore.

Clearly they make good products, I use a ton of red sea stuff. But honestly I wouldn't buy a tank knowing that the majority of issues on the forums are red sea (whether it was fixed or not) and personally knowing someone who has theirs break.

Also, just because someone sells the most of something doesn't necessarily mean it's the best product.

The idea the tank is second hand this that must be the issue doesn't make sense. A tank should be fine switching hands and to screw up a seal that badly you'd have to be cleaning with a blade so aggressively by the silicone.

Personally just think for the price these issues never should happen. Regardless of the industry if you're paying for a premium product, especially something that could ruin your house, these issues shouldn't be commonplace.

 

[I.AM.MR.MIKE]

Did you have any wave box type wave makers? Some say these can eventually blow out a seal. I could never trust a second hand aquarium period. Too many people will see something wrong with anything they have and sell it and the problem to another so they can recoup some money. They may know they dropped it or twisted it or something. I bought mine sealed in the box and the box was pristine, only way I would risk having it in my new house. If I could I would only buy it right where it was made.

 

[I.AM.MR.MIKE]

Because a ton of people had major issues with their tanks. Maybe the new ones have addressed the previous issues like others have said but when you know people who have had their entire house flooded by 100g + of saltwater you kind of just don't trust that brand anymore.

Clearly they make good products, I use a ton of red sea stuff. But honestly I wouldn't buy a tank knowing that the majority of issues on the forums are red sea (whether it was fixed or not) and personally knowing someone who has theirs break.

Also, just because someone sells the most of something doesn't necessarily mean it's the best product.

The idea the tank is second hand this that must be the issue doesn't make sense. A tank should be fine switching hands and to screw up a seal that badly you'd have to be cleaning with a blade so aggressively by the silicone.

Personally just think for the price these issues never should happen. Regardless of the industry if you're paying for a premium product, especially something that could ruin your house, these issues shouldn't be commonplace.

Fair enough. I think the "sells the most" is just saying when you sell ten times more than anyone else you will have more chance of issues being reported.

 

[Lavey29]

Because a ton of people had major issues with their tanks. Maybe the new ones have addressed the previous issues like others have said but when you know people who have had their entire house flooded by 100g + of saltwater you kind of just don't trust that brand anymore.

Clearly they make good products, I use a ton of red sea stuff. But honestly I wouldn't buy a tank knowing that the majority of issues on the forums are red sea (whether it was fixed or not) and personally knowing someone who has theirs break.

Also, just because someone sells the most of something doesn't necessarily mean it's the best product.

The idea the tank is second hand this that must be the issue doesn't make sense. A tank should be fine switching hands and to screw up a seal that badly you'd have to be cleaning with a blade so aggressively by the silicone.

Personally just think for the price these issues never should happen. Regardless of the industry if you're paying for a premium product, especially something that could ruin your house, these issues shouldn't be commonplace.

What's the failure rate per year of the 1000's units that are sold each year or is it just really older model tanks? Again like an older car, things eventually start to fail.

 

[brandon429]

I honestly cannot fault red sea's ammonia test kit, it's pretty solid. the ten thousand ammonia control panic posts are bc people aren't reading the nh3 conversion step, and they expect it to be zero the few times the directions are consulted. once folks expect nh3 to not be zero, any issues with their test kit seems resolved.

it's mainly just the dang aquariums flooding things I'm against.

 

[TheReefDiary]

Fair enough. I think the "sells the most" is just saying when you sell ten times more than anyone else you will have more chance of issues being reported.

Yeah maybe that's what he meant which is understandable. People will see more issues because there are more tanks out there.

I honestly don't think red sea is a bad brand at all, it's just my brain saying to avoid it because of the issues I've seen on here and personal experience (someone I know).

 

[TheReefDiary]

What's the failure rate per year of the 1000's units that are sold each year or is it just really older model tanks? Again like an older car, things eventually start to fail.

Yeah I get what your saying. I interpreted it as sells the most = best manufacturer, not sells the most so highest probability of issues.

 

[Lavey29]

Did you have any wave box type wave makers? Some say these can eventually blow out a seal. I could never trust a second hand aquarium period. Too many people will see something wrong with anything they have and sell it and the problem to another so they can recoup some money. They may know they dropped it or twisted it or something. I bought mine sealed in the box and the box was pristine, only way I would risk having it in my new house. If I could I would only buy it right where it was made.

This is one of the first things my LFS told me. Not to have my powerheads blasting panels with to much wave force.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

This was a second hand tank and we know nothing about how it was handled so how about before trashing all Red Sea you consider this.

Considered.

Also considered that this has been a many Years long story that continues to unfold. RedSea Knows they have a failure point on some models. Unsure if this is one of the known models, but the failure point is identical.

Every 2 year old tank from every manufacturer should hold water after a move.

Yup, this is still a bad from Red Sea.

 

[brandon429]

I have a question over the fairness of brand/quality linking as seen in the eyes of the buyer.

for example, for 3 years I owned a jeep 2014 sahara. most fun of my life on 4 wheels, I had to literally empty every pocket to keep it running, I purchased it after hearing the old adage my entire life.

and upon trade in it needed a 3K lifter build and plenty of brake work. every year was about 3k in upkeep


why is it my nissans never do that

isn't it true that jeeps are the vaccuhole of the entire universe or am I stretching the descrip

isn't it true that if you buy a jeep you can expect to be broken down, routinely? bc that literally just happened to me for 36 months straight.

rs needs to stay far, far away from intergenerational jingles of ill repute.

 

[I.AM.MR.MIKE]

I honestly cannot fault red sea's ammonia test kit, it's pretty solid. the ten thousand ammonia control panic posts are bc people aren't reading the nh3 conversion step, and they expect it to be zero the few times the directions are consulted. once folks expect nh3 to not be zero, any issues with their test kit seems resolved.

it's mainly just the dang aquariums flooding things I'm against.

I just checked my seams again so yeah I am concerned about the seam failure posts... I am going to upgrade and was looking at the RS peninsula but I am now looking at the competition. Does any competition have as complete of a package as RS? I mean tank, sump, stand and plumbing?

 

[reef_1]

Sad, but its entirely avoidable.

I shelved my reef dreams for a long time until I could buy a house instead of putting a big tank in a flat.

Sometimes you gotta do whats reasonable, a glass tank with a lot of water is a no-no in a flat imo. Regardless of Red Sea or not it couldve been a kid throwing a toy or another accident.

Even in my own house I only got a couple of 10G tanks and even these ones are in the office area with nothing below it and the walls to the adjoining rooms are DPCd up to 20cm.

 

[TheReefDiary]

I just checked my seams again so yeah I am concerned about the seam failure posts... I am going to upgrade and was looking at the RS peninsula but I am now looking at the competition. Does any competition have as complete of a package as RS? I mean tank, sump, stand and plumbing?

That's the issue red sea really does nice packages and their plumbing is good. Not many others out their. Innovative marine has sumps now. Fiji cube also does packages. And of course waterbox.

 

[brandon429]

I have only reef'd in a flower vase for twenty years, my scope on squared reefs is very limited

 

[Karen00]

This is the worst nightmare possible for any tank owner but made worse when you're in a condo/apartment situation. Not only is it the loss of a beautiful tank but everything else as well. I am so very sorry this has happened! There are no words. :-(

 

[I.AM.MR.MIKE]

Sad, but its entirely avoidable.

I shelved my reef dreams for a long time until I could buy a house instead of putting a big tank in a flat.

Sometimes you gotta do whats reasonable, a glass tank with a lot of water is a no-no in a flat imo. Regardless of Red Sea or not it couldve been a kid throwing a toy or another accident.

Even in my own house I only got a couple of 10G tanks and even these ones are in the office area with nothing below it and the walls to the adjoining rooms are DPCd up to 20cm.

My tank is downstairs on a floor over concrete, I hate that it isn't upstairs but no way I am risking it and the damage it would do. I had an ice maker hose and a dishwasher malfunction and do thousands in damage at the last house.

 

[Jmp998]

The picture tells you exactly what happened. This is not related to a wavemaker, or handling, or cleaning, or an uneven floor. The bottom seam has pulled away in the middle. This is due to sagging in the middle of an under built stand, resulting in the glass bowing and pulling loose from the seam. The G2 Reefer stands are better supported in the middle to prevent this from happening. If you have a G1 Reefer, you should check your tank/stand regularly to make sure it is not bowing in the middle and damaging the seam. I check my 350 weekly even though it is a smaller tank and less likely to fail.