Possible red sea seam failure?

[A Young Reefer]

Hello all.
I own a red sea reefer 250 G1 V3.
I have been noticing this developing in the seam of the front panel.
Should I be concerned and what is the appropriate course of action?
Thank you.

 

[W31Olds]

Sorry to say you're going to need a new Tank. Classic front seam Failure.

 

[mmorrison55]

Im not really seeing it. Maybe circle the area of concern. All I see is some “waves” in the silicone top line which would be expected from cleaning, scraping and sand being moved around.

If I have missed a spot where the seem is becoming sperated from the front and bottom glasses then I would suggest to mark it with tape or a sharpie that can be removed and check the progress carefully to see if it’s getting worse. And if you should signs of it actually coming apart, make a plan now for how you will deal with it.

Red Sea early gen tanks have been notorious for having seem some failures, but many have not.

 

[mmorrison55]

The second pic on the left side looks like it could be separation, but I don’t see where that is in the 1st pic, so I was wondering if it might just be a shadow or glare on the photo.

 

[W31Olds]

Im not really seeing it. Maybe circle the area of concern. All I see is some “waves” in the silicone top line which would be expected from cleaning, scraping and sand being moved around.

If I have missed a spot where the seem is becoming sperated from the front and bottom glasses then I would suggest to mark it with tape or a sharpie that can be removed and check the progress carefully to see if it’s getting worse. And if you should signs of it actually coming apart, make a plan now for how you will deal with it.

Red Sea early gen tanks have been notorious for having seem some failures, but many have not.

I think you need to check it again. Almost half the seam is compromised.

 

[rtparty]

Start preparations for a replacement. You may have weeks, you may have days but that is the Red Sea failure

 

[mlburchjr]

I found this on mine this is weekend. Just shy of 5 years.

 

[Quietman]

Yeah...get the buckets and tubs ready and start shopping for new tank.

I don't think that's classic seam failure, though. It's not failing from inside the seam and spreading out. It looks to me like a wear from outside in. Still needs to be replaced as it looks like more than 1/2 the thickness on the seam in places. This is one of the reasons I'm staying away from rimless tanks that have minimal silicone to protect the seal. They look great but living with them for several years can be problematic. My 6+ year old 170 has some wear but luckily it hasn't hit the seal yet, and I've been extremely careful around the silicone and never had any clean up crew that's known to gnaw on silicone. But again, minimal silicone protecting the seal and this will result no matter how careful you are over time.

 

[W31Olds]

I found this on mine this is weekend. Just shy of 5 years.

I would put a clamp front to back in that area until you get a plan in place.

 

[Uncle99]

Hello all.
I own a red sea reefer 250 G1 V3.
I have been noticing this developing in the seam of the front panel.
Should I be concerned and what is the appropriate course of action?
Thank you.

What’s the gap in the middle?
Do I see that right?

 

[exnisstech]

This is bad. I marked where it looks like the failure starts for those that aren't seeing it.

 

[BryanM]

What’s the gap in the middle?
Do I see that right?

I think that gap is just cabinet doors.

That aside, this tank is in doom mode.

 

[Uncle99]

I think that gap is just cabinet doors.

That aside, this tank is in doom mode.

Thanks, can’t see that clearly on my end.
Just came from a failing tank. It appears the owner put it on two tables pushed together. That’s a big problem.

we’ve run into several cases lately which look in these cases as caused by an inferior stand, so the glass is not absolutely flush which places stress on the joints.

 

[A Young Reefer]

Thank you all for your input.
I will be in contact with redsea and preparing for the worst.

What’s the gap in the middle?
Do I see that right?

Those are the cabinet doors, just a bit open.

 

[NanoSteam]

Thank you all for your input.
I will be in contact with redsea and preparing for the worst.



Those are the cabinet doors, just a bit open.

Do yourself a favor and if they give you a replacement just keep it crated and sell as is for a different brand tank. I know it's easier said then done but it's worth the peace of mind.

 

[A Young Reefer]

Do yourself a favor and if they give you a replacement just keep it crated and sell as is for a different brand tank. I know it's easier said then done but it's worth the peace of mind.

I doubt that they will give me a replacement, tank has been out of warranty for a while.
I have contacted them sometime ago when this started and they told me that its not of concern and to monitor if it gets worse (it did). I knew that it is not normal but I did not have the means to get a new tank (and still dont tbh). Will see how it goes with them. Might be time to call it quits.

 

[exnisstech]

Thank you all for your input.
I will be in contact with redsea and preparing for the worst.



Those are the cabinet doors, just a bit open.

They won't help out on an out of warranty issue IME. They won't even assist on a tank that's under warranty until it fails.

My Gen 2 300 is currently failing.

Well I heard back from redsea in regards to the seams on reefer 300 and the reply was exactly as I expected. Monitor the area and we'll keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't leak until the warranty expires

I can't disagree with their assessment but I also know that it isn't going to stop progressing so it's just a matter of letting it fail and hope its in warranty still. I think I'll just add it to the pile with the reefer 170. There's still room for one more redsea tank I think.

Redsea response


Hello David,

Our team has thoroughly reviewed all the photos and information you provided. We can confirm that the seam protectors of your aquarium are functioning properly, and we believe your aquarium is not at risk of failure.

Your aquarium has 1/4-inch (7mm) seam protector strips installed along the bottom and vertical seams. These strips serve as a protective layer for the seams of the aquarium, helping to prevent damage to the main seal that holds the glass together. This damage could potentially occur from cleaning the glass, normal wear and tear, or from algae and crustaceans that burrow into the seams. The measurements in your photos confirm that the structural seams are intact and that the integrity of the aquarium remains unaffected.

We encourage you to monitor this area from time to time and keep us informed if the separation spreads or changes to exceed the quarter-inch mark.

Seams in question for reference . I guess the algae is supposed to magically stop destroying the silicone once it's past the seam guard

2/16
EDIT: Im going to use this post to store info on the reefer 300 seam issue in one place. Any updates are for that reason.
The bottom seam is starting now.

I intend to let it run just to see where it ends up and whether it fails while under warranty or not. I may move the acros out at some point and use it as an observation tank and shut the 40g in the basement down.

 

[NanoSteam]

I doubt that they will give me a replacement, tank has been out of warranty for a while.
I have contacted them sometime ago when this started and they told me that its not of concern and to monitor if it gets worse (it did). I knew that it is not normal but I did not have the means to get a new tank (and still dont tbh). Will see how it goes with them. Might be time to call it quits.

Sorry to hear that... just thinking outside of the box here but I wonder if a 40 Breeder from petco would fit on the Red Sea stand without any overhang. A cost effective solution but you'll need an overflow box to continue using the sump.

 

[mmorrison55]

This is bad. I marked where it looks like the failure starts for those that aren't seeing it.

Ok, this helps.. now I see it. The right hand side shows the “full” contact point that is still good, and the part yiu have underlined is where the seam is coming apart. When I 1st saw the photo,I thought the point where the two pieces of glass mated were below that level and the undulating area was just silicone “squeeze out” that had been removed from years of sand movement and cleaning.

 

[mp2022]

I have been reading these numerous reports about red sea seam failures when researching a new tank to get. It is horrifying and tragic, and can only imagine the untold property damage from the catastrophic seam failures. I guess my question is how come there hasn't been a class action lawsuit brought against red sea?