Another Red Sea Seam Failure

[mjszos]

Posting this here for others awareness, while I’m disappointed it acted as a great opportunity for an upgrade.

Some of you may have been familiar with my thread regarding something burrowing into the silicone:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/weird-growth-into-tank-seam.1083326/
Well, the tank has had some time to air dry following its cleaning and the real impact has shown. As far as I can tell the entire discolored area is a failed silicone seam. I’m incredibly thankful this was caught when it was as it’s millimeters away from fully popping.

Again, this thread isn’t meant to pile onto the Red Sea witch hunt, just another piece of information.

 

[mjszos]

Appears the video upload failed:

 

[kevgib67]

Posting this here for others awareness, while I’m disappointed it acted as a great opportunity for an upgrade.

Some of you may have been familiar with my thread regarding something burrowing into the silicone:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/weird-growth-into-tank-seam.1083326/
Well, the tank has had some time to air dry following its cleaning and the real impact has shown. As far as I can tell the entire discolored area is a failed silicone seam. I’m incredibly thankful this was caught when it was as it’s millimeters away from fully popping.

Again, this thread isn’t meant to pile onto the Red Sea witch hunt, just another piece of information.

So sorry for that but glad you caught it in time.

 

[PharmrJohn]

Dude. Good catch. Sorry about this. No bueno.

 

[Üter]

glad you posted it. sad it happened. but a lot more seem to be popping up this month. how long did you have the tank for?

 

[SnowyFox]

Had something very similar happen to an old used 120g tank I had. Almost all of the seams looked like that. Had no idea it was a warning sign of the tank seams failing until one day my ATO reservoir ran empty the same day I filled it up, then noticed the water spraying out in the back corner of the tank.

Really wish it was more common for new people getting into the hobby to be taught what to look for in aquarium seams, to know the warning signs to look for. Ignorance was definitely not bliss on that for me.

 

[RockRash]

Dang, the damage was way more severe than I thought after reading your firs thread. Good job acting fast and avoiding a horrible disaster.

 

[edsbeaker]

So sorry to hear of another fail. Good luck with the upgrade.

 

[mjszos]

So sorry for that but glad you caught it in time.

Is what it is, was a great introduction to larger tanks and I got it for a steal of a deal.

Dude. Good catch. Sorry about this. No bueno.

Lucked out. The photo in the burrow thread is the only thing that tipped me off. Dodged an expensive bullet!

glad you posted it. sad it happened. but a lot more seem to be popping up this month. how long did you have the tank for?

I had the tank up for exactly 2 years (I noticed the seam burrow 2 years to the day of putting water in the tank). I bought it used from someone who had it up for about 2 years prior but it was drained within a few days of me filling it. I believe they bought it used too, so no idea how old the tank itself is. Maybe the serial sticker has a manufacture date I can check tomorrow.

Had something very similar happen to an old used 120g tank I had. Almost all of the seams looked like that. Had no idea it was a warning sign of the tank seams failing until one day my ATO reservoir ran empty the same day I filled it up, then noticed the water spraying out in the back corner of the tank.

Really wish it was more common for new people getting into the hobby to be taught what to look for in aquarium seams, to know the warning signs to look for. Ignorance was definitely not bliss on that for me.

The issue is that on the black silicone catching air bubbles can be really challenging. I was pretty diligent about checking the tank regularly, and even when I noticed the burrow I couldn’t see this extensive of damage.

I’m less inclined to blame users for this, when you’re spending thousands on a glass box whose sole purpose is keeping water in it, there’s a reasonable assumption that it’ll do just that.

Dang, the damage was way more severe than I thought after reading your firs thread. Good job acting fast and avoiding a horrible disaster.

I hadn’t really paid much attention to it until I was taking photos today to list the tank in our local groups for free with a warning.. wanted to get a photo of the burrow and was presented with this. I absolutely didn’t expect it to be this close to popping.

So sorry to hear of another fail. Good luck with the upgrade.

Thanks! Hope it’ll be here within the next few weeks!

 

[fish_collector]

How is RS still manufacturing tanks considering the failure record?

Good catch on the bad seam. There is nothing that looks as clean as a rimless tank, but there is something to be said about a frame to hold it all together. I have a rimless Aqua Japan presently, but it'll be the absolute last rimless tank I will ever own.

I don't know if RS installs a second layer of glass strip along the bottom inside perimeter, but my AJ has this and is very robust. I think this is what a lot of people refer to as an "armored" joint.

 

[mjszos]

How is RS still manufacturing tanks considering the failure record?

Good catch on the bad seam. There is nothing that looks as clean as a rimless tank, but there is something to be said about a frame to hold it all together. I have a rimless Aqua Japan presently, but it'll be the absolute last rimless tank I will ever own.

I don't know if RS installs a second layer of glass strip along the bottom inside perimeter, but my AJ has this and is very robust. I think this is what a lot of people refer to as an "armored" joint.

The second strip of glass sounds like a good idea, I don’t know enough to know how much security it provides but it seems like good peace of mind.

I do love the rimless look as well, and my new tank is rimless too. Unfortunately the wife approval factor on rimless is through the roof so I’m not sure I’d have been able to sell the idea of a rimmed tank in the location of the house it goes though, haha.

 

[fish_collector]

Rimless tanks look good no doubt, that's why I bought the one I have. But now that I've had it for a few years I hate it, water spills over the front at every opportunity, especially when using an algae magnet.

 

[Idech]

Rimless tanks look good no doubt, that's why I bought the one I have. But now that I've had it for a few years I hate it, water spills over the front at every opportunity, especially when using an algae magnet.

You should silicone a narrow strip of glass across it, front and back. That’s how mine was built and I have zero water spill.