CivicS14
Well-Known Member
I just want everyone to be aware of how Red Sea handles second hand purchases of their tank under warranty. I understand things can happen between the exchange of hands but even under a documented history of failure, you could have a tough time. I will update as the progress goes.
Original tank purchase: 8/31/2018 - delivered a few weeks later, this tank is less than 2 years old and having seem failure. I picked it up from him Feb 22, 2020. Slightly a year and a half old.
To start - the tank was purchased by a local reef club member that had to move on a short notice to NY for a job offer. However, since he was a club member, he made me aware of the bottom separation and Red Sea told him that it was not structural and it was okay. FYI - pictures below are now. The original separation looked to be the armored seam coming off, not the tank seam.
I trusted him but I wanted it documented under my name. So, I followed up with Red Sea, provided all the paperwork (he issued it to me all his original paperwork & receipt) and did everything they ask (videos, several pictures, id verification) since I had nothing to hide. Needless to say, they told me the same thing they told him, it was non-structural therefore it was not covered and they offered me a new tank if I wanted at a discounted rate. I trusted Red Sea as I am a original owner of a RS P500 with no issues thinking they won't steer me wrong and it matched what I was told.
Since it was not structural, I didn't care at the time, cause it was going to be a frag tank. Fast forward almost 5 months, the separation grew and luckily I noticed today, it was very close to the end of the seam. Since it was occurring in the middle, I measured the distance in the middle of the tank and the side of the tank and found that the middle was 1/16" wider, showing there was a bow in the tank. 36" glass tank should not be bowing. IMO this tank was defective from the beginning and a failure was bound to happen.
I sent all the information to Red Sea today and hopefully they choose to do the right thing. I understand warranties under their policy is non-transferable however when there is a clear history of it happening to other thanks and even this tank prior to exchanging hands, I feel that a new tank is in order. Also, what does that say to the value of a Red Sea tank if you were ever wanting to upgrade, it's almost worthless even if it's just a little over a year old.
I'll update this thread as it progresses. However, I want all that is looking at a Red Sea tank second hand to know what you're facing, even if the tank is well under the 3 year warranty.
Original tank purchase: 8/31/2018 - delivered a few weeks later, this tank is less than 2 years old and having seem failure. I picked it up from him Feb 22, 2020. Slightly a year and a half old.
To start - the tank was purchased by a local reef club member that had to move on a short notice to NY for a job offer. However, since he was a club member, he made me aware of the bottom separation and Red Sea told him that it was not structural and it was okay. FYI - pictures below are now. The original separation looked to be the armored seam coming off, not the tank seam.
I trusted him but I wanted it documented under my name. So, I followed up with Red Sea, provided all the paperwork (he issued it to me all his original paperwork & receipt) and did everything they ask (videos, several pictures, id verification) since I had nothing to hide. Needless to say, they told me the same thing they told him, it was non-structural therefore it was not covered and they offered me a new tank if I wanted at a discounted rate. I trusted Red Sea as I am a original owner of a RS P500 with no issues thinking they won't steer me wrong and it matched what I was told.
Since it was not structural, I didn't care at the time, cause it was going to be a frag tank. Fast forward almost 5 months, the separation grew and luckily I noticed today, it was very close to the end of the seam. Since it was occurring in the middle, I measured the distance in the middle of the tank and the side of the tank and found that the middle was 1/16" wider, showing there was a bow in the tank. 36" glass tank should not be bowing. IMO this tank was defective from the beginning and a failure was bound to happen.
I sent all the information to Red Sea today and hopefully they choose to do the right thing. I understand warranties under their policy is non-transferable however when there is a clear history of it happening to other thanks and even this tank prior to exchanging hands, I feel that a new tank is in order. Also, what does that say to the value of a Red Sea tank if you were ever wanting to upgrade, it's almost worthless even if it's just a little over a year old.
I'll update this thread as it progresses. However, I want all that is looking at a Red Sea tank second hand to know what you're facing, even if the tank is well under the 3 year warranty.
Last edited by a moderator:
