How bad is this damage to silicon seam

[mmorriso]

Hi All,

I've been a happy Reefer 525XL owner for a little over two years now. I'm moving house shortly and have had a few people come and take a look at my tank as I'm selling much of my livestock to make the move as hassle free as possible.

During an inspection, a more experienced reefer noticed damage to the silicon seam which connects the right side of the tank to the bottom of the tank. I'd never really noticed this myself, but it's very apparent now that I'm aware of it:

The coralline appears to have grown into the "crevice" by 5mm. I've contacted Red Sea through the technical support portal on their website yesterday, however with the holidays upon us I'm not sure when I'll receive a reply.

Basically, with me needing to plan my move in the next few days, is the tank safe to fill back up with water? While I'm in the process of moving the tank, there's an opportunity to buy a more robust holding system so that I could keep my remaining livestock comfortable for a couple of weeks while this is sorted out. My current plan is to use very large tubs on the laundry floor, but that's not going to work for more than a few days at most I imagine.

Other local reefers I've spoken to have offered mix advice, some saying they'd seek a warranty replacement straight away, some saying it's not an issue and that this kind of thing is present on most tanks.

I'd really appreciate any advice you have to offer with regards to how serious an issue this is.

 

[ChuckTownReefer]

Well the way I look at it is. It's not going to get any better only worse. Also you don't know how long a warranty claim will take or how the manufacturer is going to handle this situation. So I would start planning a tank transfer or a long-term backup plan. Just my opinion.

 

[mmorriso]

Hi All,

I thought I'd provide an update on my experience for future reference:

I lodged a ticket with Red Sea about the issue about the same time I made my original post.

Red Sea responded requesting the serial number, photos of the complete system and a few more photos of the silicon seam. They also wanted my proof of purchase, which was a little challenging to provide as I'd originally purchased a smaller tank and then upgraded in store after realising I could fit a larger system. Eventually, my local fish shop was able to provide a receipt that reflected my ultimate purchase, albeit over multiple transactions. Subsequently to this Red Sea responded that they'd spoken to my LFS and I should contact them for further guidance.

Speaking to my LFS today, unfortunately, Red Sea doesn't have any replacement 525 XL's in the country. However, Red Sea has generously offered a free upgrade to a 625 XXL! Needless to say, this is a pretty great outcome from what was initially a very stressful situation.

All told, I'm very happy with the support Red Sea has provided. While the issue took a while to be resolved, most of that was working to provide a appropriate proof of purchase given the manner in which I bought the tank. If I had of been able to provide a standard receipt initially, I believe the issue would have been resolved within 2 business days.

Andrew King, if you're reading this, thanks very much for your assistance! Thanks also to Nature Aquariums in Melbourne, Australia for working so closely with Red Sea to assist me.