Red Sea Reefer G3 tanks

[Rudeeez]

Thank you for all that good information. You explained it very well.

My tank has armored seams all the way around, except on the bottom back seam. I have to figure out how to get the 2" strip of glass to make contact with the front and the sides of the glass, since it looks like the armored seams are going to get in the way.

 

[BryanM]

I am also a screw redsea user. No thanks.

 

[UncommonSense]

Thank you for all that good information. You explained it very well.

My tank has armored seams all the way around, except on the bottom back seam. I have to figure out how to get the 2" strip of glass to make contact with the front and the sides of the glass, since it looks like the armored seams are going to get in the way.

These “armored seams” are just strips of plastic siliconed into place, sadly…

They’re more or less just there to protect against over-enthusiastic algae scraper use!

— A proper stacked glass interior bottom seam reinforcement would call for cutting the factory ‘armored’ seam guards out, and carefully scraping residual silicone; without damaging the glass:glass structural seam! (The interior bottom of the overflow box cannot be reinforced on Reefer tanks that I’ve seen, due to the plastic frame which houses all three bulkhead fittings)

— Vertical seam reinforcements are done similarly…

— top euro is a bit more straightforward, less the overflow box getting in the way… I think it’s prudent to err towards caution and use dual top center braces on a center internal overflow tank, allowing you to omit the eurobrace bar directly over the overflow box, between the top center braces… (the overflow box in-itself also does some structural work for the bottom seam, given that it functions a bit like a pair of boxed gussets!)

 

[f8thless]

Don't go with the Reefer G3. I recently set one up and am having issues with the seam already after a couple of weeks.

 

[bvickery1974]

Don't go with the Reefer G3. I recently set one up and am having issues with the seam already after a couple of weeks.

Wow.

 

[nickng]

Don't go with the Reefer G3. I recently set one up and am having issues with the seam already after a couple of weeks.

It’s the silicon adhesive they use.. They want to lower costs by speeding up the production so used a fast curing silicone glue. It takes 2 weeks at least for the conventional aquarium silicone to properly cure. Redsea uses something that cures in 3 days. Redsea is not a chemical adhesive company!!! and they are being reckless

 

[rtparty]

Don't go with the Reefer G3. I recently set one up and am having issues with the seam already after a couple of weeks.

Please provide pictures, when you got it, and some other details

 

[W31Olds]

It’s the silicon adhesive they use.. They want to lower costs by speeding up the production so used a fast curing silicone glue. It takes 2 weeks at least for the conventional aquarium silicone to properly cure. Redsea uses something that cures in 3 days. Redsea is not a chemical adhesive company!!! and they are being reckless

I see one flaw in your statement that defies logic. I agree that Red Sea is not an Adhesive Company. So, explain to me why an Adhesive Company would make and sell a defective product for glass assembly that has no longevity.

 

[nickng]

I see one flaw in your statement that defies logic. I agree that Red Sea is not an Adhesive Company. So, explain to me why an Adhesive Company would make and sell a defective product for glass assembly that has no longevity

Will just say insider info from another source, 3 days curing time… is too fast for acetic chemistry that cures less than 1mm a day under perfect conditions. Adhesive used is very different from most aquarium companies.

Personally I’ve seen 1st hand 2 failed tanks. All brand new. (1) a smaller G2 E170 perfect leveling on concrete floors - failed at 1.5 years mark. (2) G2 350 tank on a solid metal frame stand on concrete at an LFS. Failure at top corner of tank

I was interested in the s1000 tanks and did my research on them, too many failure cases even for the s1000.

 

[NanoSteam]

I see one flaw in your statement that defies logic. I agree that Red Sea is not an Adhesive Company. So, explain to me why an Adhesive Company would make and sell a defective product for glass assembly that has no longevity.

Doesn't mean the silicone is a defective product, it could mean it's the wrong application for building heavy rimless aquariums.

 

[ReefED!]

That’s interesting. But I thought the biggest issue was the bottom seam. Perhaps it’s a lack of aquarium building knowledge on my part, but I don’t see how the eurobrace would prevent the bottom seam from failing unless it’s because it aids in preventing flexing on the front pane eventually leading to the failure of the bottom seam by non-braced tanks.

That's what everyone thought, but it would seam that it's more than than just the bottom panel - which suggests to me that the germans were right and it's a silicone quality issue.

 

[UncommonSense]

is too fast for acetic chemistry that cures less than 1mm a day under perfect conditions.

I’m sorry, but this isn’t an accurate number…

Last week, to test this fact, I actually cut off a large blob of ASI 502 clear (RTV aquarium silicone) I had applied to a tank I’m building, 19.5hrs after application…

I used a razor blade to cross-section this marble sized blob of silicone with an uncured center, then took calipers to each section to check nominal hardened skin thickness… I got 4.2mm nominal…. 72F, 55% RH climate controlled environment…

 

[W31Olds]

Cure time is important, however by the time these tanks are sold, manufactured, and shipped, the silicone should be fully cured. I think many of these seam failures are due to the design of the Tank and poor preparation. Any contaminate at the seam is going to cause a problem. Glass must be thoroughly cleaned/ degreased before assembly. It could even be something as simple as Air Pollution if the glass sits after cleaning depositing oils on the surface. I'm sure Red Sea Engineers have studied this problem extensively and know what's causing it.

 

[Proud]

Don't go with the Reefer G3. I recently set one up and am having issues with the seam already after a couple of weeks.

This is surprising, do you have picture? Fact is there's questions in the discussion should a Red Sea G3 be trusted to purchase.

 

[NanoSteam]

This is surprising, do you have picture? Fact is there's questions in the discussion should a Red Sea G3 be trusted to purchase.

My thought process is there's 0 reason to compromise for a Red Sea tank when the consequence is potential catastrophic damage to your home and there are so many other great brands available to reefers.

 

[Proud]

My thought process is there's 0 reason to compromise for a Red Sea tank when the consequence is potential catastrophic damage to your home and there are so many other great brands available to reefers.

Couldn't agree with you more.

 

[PopBot16]

Don't go with the Reefer G3. I recently set one up and am having issues with the seam already after a couple of weeks.

What is issues did you have with a G3? I'm about to set up a Reefer 250 G3 (52g DT). No eurobracing on this size, but relatively small. The stand looks a lot better than G1 or G2s.

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

What is issues did you have with a G3? I'm about to set up a Reefer 250 G3 (52g DT). No eurobracing on this size, but relatively small. The stand looks a lot better than G1 or G2s.

A g3 just bust open last week!

 

[PopBot16]

A g3 just bust open last week!

Can you link me to this? What size was it? Your tank?

 

[MichaelReefer]

Pretty sure its the sealant thats the problem. I dont see the Eurobracing helping long term.