RED SEA G1 Owners BEWARE!!

[1112-425XL]

Purchased my 425xl new in June 2021. Water went in in August. Faithfully maintained, cleaned, and cared for my investment over the next 5+ years. On Sept 9th 2026 at about 10PM, without warning, the front right seam split from the top, to about 8 inches from the bottom.
Over the past 5 years I had read so many horror stories about Red Sea failures and ignorantly chose to believe this couldn't happen to me. "BE WARNED" "It is going to happen". It's just a matter of when. About 60+ gallons of water ruined floors, baseboards, and drywall in two rooms. Thousands of dollars in sealife was lost, as was my will to continue.

 

[Fish Fan]

So sorry to see this!

Best of luck going foraward!

 

[UncommonSense]

Oof… this is rough… I’m sorry!

If you’re curious about they WHY of this failure, I have actually done an autopsy on one of these exact tanks:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/red-sea-aquarium-autopsy-reefer-xl425-g1.1146139/

 

[exnisstech]

G2s are no better and it's also small tanks. Jury is still out on G3s tho I don't know why anyone would risk it after RSs lies and deceit and failure to own the problem.
Sorry you're having to deal with this. I pulled my G2 before it failed and my g1 was a reefer 170 that failed in an upper corner and I caught it so I didn't have a flooded house.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Terrible️

There should be a Aquarists' Witness Protection Program for all those willing to testify.

 

[1112-425XL]

Too late for me, but hopefully this post encourages current RedSea owners to plan an exit strategy, and discourages future purchases of Red Sea tanks.

 

[Bob Weigant]

Horrible to read yet another one. This isn the exact reason all my tanks have been garage tanks since moving back to California. I wish you the best

 

[tmcca]

Yikes, I have a red sea max E 170 had no issues. What causes the issue? What to look for? Don't all tanks eventually fail?

 

[The Ugly Phase]

Red sea have just took over the company i bought my tank from DD its a uk brand

 

[winxp_man]

This has been a trend for a long time. Nothing new under the sun when it comes to RS Reefer rimless tanks.

Had a new one I didn’t even setup because of the issues I saw two years ago. Sold it off.

 

[W31Olds]

Red Sea owners should make a Wetvac part of their maintenance equipment. Best way to clean up water on Floors but they still are ruined. RS is doing a lot of long-term damage to the Hobby.

 

[Damage12]

Yikes, I have a red sea max E 170 had no issues. What causes the issue? What to look for? Don't all tanks eventually fail?

I had an All-Glass brand 180g tank for 18 years. Never leaked once.

 

[Damage12]

Sorry to hear about this. It’s beyond me why anyone would spend money on on anything Red Sea and if you have a tank by Red Sea, start making alternate plans for another tank. Disgraceful that the company still sells anything that “holds water”.

 

[tmcca]

I think it’s only tanks over 4ft that’s what I heard.

 

[13rodo]

I love both my LFS, but one sells Red Sea tanks. Was in there yesterday listening to one of the employees assuring this old guy that the G3s resolved the issues and it was only ever 4’+ tanks that were likely leveled incorrectly… if I had a moment to grab the guy alone I would’ve warned him. Hope he does his research

 

[Fish Fan]

I think it’s only tanks over 4ft that’s what I heard.

No

The larger tanks will likely see more failures than smaller tanks because of their size, but Red Sea is using inferior silicon on all their tanks that is known to fail. On some of their tanks they used a "floating" front pane of glass that didn't do them any favors either, but the silicon has a lot to do with all the failures.

If you're not aware, what bothers many people is that we see Red Sea tanks fail at a seemingly (obviously) a higher rate than any other manufacturer, and Red Sea aggressive denies these failures and literally removes anyone who speaks of tank failures from their Facebook page and other media. They will often offer mere token compensation for failed tanks, such as 10% or 15% off the purchase of a new Red Sea tank, when a tank disaster often causes many thousands of dollars in damage to the property, not even considering the loss of life and money in livestock.

As many have already said, I personally wouldn't buy a Red Sea toothbrush. I simply cannot see giving this company more money.

In your case, I would be mindful of the warnings and maybe have a backup plan in case your tank does decide to come apart at the seams - literally. I hope it never happens to you, but I would be prepared just in case

R2R member UncommonSense has done a lot to show why Red Sea tanks fail, if you're interested to know more:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/red-sea-aquarium-autopsy-reefer-xl425-g1.1146139/

 

[13rodo]

No

The larger tanks will likely see more failures than smaller tanks because of their size, but Red Sea is using inferior silicon on all their tanks that is known to fail. On some of their tanks they used a "floating" front pane of glass that didn't do them any favors either, but the silicon has a lot to do with all the failures.

If you're not aware, what bothers many people is that we see Red Sea tanks fail at a seemingly (obviously) a higher rate than any other manufacturer, and Red Sea aggressive denies these failures and literally removes anyone who speaks of tank failures from their Facebook page and other media. They will often offer mere token compensation for failed tanks, such as 10% or 15% off the purchase of a new Red Sea tank, when a tank disaster often causes many thousands of dollars in damage to the property, not even considering the loss of life and money in livestock.

As many have already said, I personally wouldn't buy a Red Sea toothbrush. I simply cannot see giving this company more money.

In your case, I would be mindful of the warnings and maybe have a backup plan in case your tank does decide to come apart at the seams - literally. I hope it never happens to you, but I would be prepared just in case

Seeing all the failures here and the Red Sea silence/denial is why I’m glad I’ve given them exactly $0 lol I would very much like a ReefCan due to the form factor, but I begrudgingly use a wider ATO container from sportsman warehouse instead.

 

[Fish Fan]

Seeing all the failures here and the Red Sea silence/denial is why I’m glad I’ve given them exactly $0 lol I would very much like a ReefCan due to the form factor, but I begrudgingly use a wider ATO container from sportsman warehouse instead.

I agree 100%. There are definitely some Red Sea products that by all accounts are excellent, but with the tank failures and the way I've seen them treat some people who have had failed tanks, I refuse to buy Red Sea anything

 

[exnisstech]

I think it’s only tanks over 4ft that’s what I heard.

reefer 170.

 

[JonoH]

I took apart one of these on the weekend, and the silicone was barely bonded onto most panels, the only join with a good seal was the bottom to the back.

The rest pulled apart with minimal effort, and the silicone pealed off clean!
Took a heap of pics but I think its been done to death here now.