Red Sea Reefer Seams (not another statistic?)

design.maddie · Jan 7, 2026

Julbra said:
What reinforcement did you use? I have ratchet straps ready to go but really worried applying pressure in the wrong way and making things worse.

Here is how I did mine. I tightened the strap only enough to watch the seals squeeze up some then stopped. It is just there to hold it closed not to apply a ton of pressure.

Julbra · Jan 7, 2026

design.maddie said:
Here is how I did mine. I tightened the strap only enough to watch the seals squeeze up some then stopped. It is just there to hold it closed not to apply a ton of pressure.

Just done mine:

Since there is no leak yet I only applied medium/light tension. Now praying the gods.
Local shop will lend me a 100g tub to have on hand for either emergency or when we finally transfer to the new tank. Suffice to say that will not be a Red Sea one.

Dom · Jan 7, 2026

I call on Reef2Reef to suspend Red Sea's sponsorship until they make themselves accountable to every customer that has spent their hard earned money on their leaking product.

Julbra · Jan 7, 2026

Dom said:
I call on Reef2Reef to suspend Red Sea's sponsorship until they make themselves accountable to every customer that has spent their hard earned money on their leaking product.

+1. I am aghast, I truly thought I was buying the top-end aquarium. Where is the class action lawsuit?

UncommonSense · Jan 7, 2026

Mark Goode said:
Is this a private club, or can anyone join?

A four year old XL 525 G2. How long do you think I've got?

It’s hard to say on this one… if it’s just those three little spots, you may have sufficient time to source a replacement tank, but if they’re interconnected (and can’t be seen due to black silicone), this tank could be in danger!

I recommend shining a bright flashlight like your phone’s light into that seam from the front and side, at several different angles; looking for “cloudy” or lighter grey areas where the silicone has started peeling underneath the surface layer, as shown here:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/black-silicone-can-hide-failing-seams.1113164/
Also, check both sides of any seam you can; the seam can look perfect while standing in front of the tank looking in, then show a massive bubble when viewed from the opposite side of the seam!

Mark Goode · Jan 7, 2026

UncommonSense said:
It’s hard to say on this one… if it’s just those three little spots, you may have sufficient time to source a replacement tank, but if they’re interconnected (and can’t be seen due to black silicone), this tank could be in danger!

I recommend shining a bright flashlight like your phone’s light into that seam from the front and side, at several different angles; looking for “cloudy” or lighter grey areas where the silicone has started peeling underneath the surface layer, as shown here:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/black-silicone-can-hide-failing-seams.1113164/
Also, check both sides of any seam you can; the seam can look perfect while standing in front of the tank looking in, then show a massive bubble when viewed from the opposite side of the seam!

I don't think I'm in any immediate danger with this one, Red Sea tell me it's no cause for concern (well they would, wouldn't they...). I'll just monitor it.

But it's yet another example of poor sealant I think.

exnisstech · Jan 7, 2026

Julbra said:
+1. I am aghast, I truly thought I was buying the top-end aquarium. Where is the class action lawsuit?

Unless someone drowns or is seriously injured because of failure I doubt we'll ever see a class action suit. There useless IMO anyway unless your the original plaintiff and attorney since they are the only ones that benefit financially other than a token amount. Or at least any suit I've been invited to join has been like that.

Biokabe · Jan 7, 2026

exnisstech said:
Unless someone drowns or is seriously injured because of failure I doubt we'll ever see a class action suit. There useless IMO anyway unless your the original plaintiff and attorney since they are the only ones that benefit financially other than a token amount. Or at least any suit I've been invited to join has been like that.

That's the nature of class action suits. They usually happen because the individual harm is small, but impacts a huge class of people. Usually if the harm is great enough to result in a large settlement for an individual, they'll choose to just sue the manufacturer on their own to get the best possible individual result.

The Red Sea issue falls in kind of an awkward space. There likely aren't enough people impacted by it for a law firm to be interested on their own. There is great individual variation between the cases, and some (not most, but some) of the tank failures likely are caused by the owners rather than faulty manufacturing. The individual harm isn't small, but it's not large enough for a lawsuit to be worth it on its own merits. Unless the tank actually fails catastrophically and takes out a wall or causes significant damage to your home, you're talking about a few thousand in damages... and with how quickly legal fees can escalate, it's easy for the cost of a lawsuit to exceed the cost of damages. And most of us pay attention to our tanks enough to catch the problem before a catastrophic failure, so our damages are limited to the cost of a replacement tank.

Which is to say - I think there should be a class action lawsuit, but getting one started is more than a little difficult.

Julbra · Jan 7, 2026

Mark Goode said:
I don't think I'm in any immediate danger with this one, Red Sea tell me it's no cause for concern (well they would, wouldn't they...). I'll just monitor it.

But it's yet another example of poor sealant I think.

I would agree, I’ve had similar marks on the left that never moved. Not great but if Red Sea said you’re fine then I wouldn’t worry. When I sent pictures of the new bubble on the right they were quick to say I was NOT fine :)

UncommonSense · Jan 7, 2026

Mark Goode said:
I don't think I'm in any immediate danger with this one, Red Sea tell me it's no cause for concern (well they would, wouldn't they...). I'll just monitor it.

But it's yet another example of poor sealant I think.

Continuing to monitor is a good bet; consider making a few sharpie marks indicating the edges of each bubble, making it easier to see if they grow!

californiarob · Jan 7, 2026

the biggest issue is RS and the way they treat the customers when this happens, i provided an original reciept and everthing they asked for and I purchased a new RS tank that was in stock for over $3000 from a local fish store since I had no choice or lose all livestock, RS responds with a $1300 credit towards a new RS G3 tank of the same size or bigger, the sales price is MSRP from thier website and I still have to pay California taxes, this makes the credit around $900 for a tank I dont need since I purchasd a new tank already, I supplied the reciept on the new RS tank and the local fish store confirmed with RS that I had purchased it the day of the leak and RS does not offer anything for this new tank... makes no business sense how this has unfolded. on top of that they dont even have the tank in stock but gives me 90 day period to make up my mind... never again will I purchase a RS tank.

Julbra · Jan 8, 2026

californiarob said:
the biggest issue is RS and the way they treat the customers when this happens, i provided an original reciept and everthing they asked for and I purchased a new RS tank that was in stock for over $3000 from a local fish store since I had no choice or lose all livestock, RS responds with a $1300 credit towards a new RS G3 tank of the same size or bigger, the sales price is MSRP from thier website and I still have to pay California taxes, this makes the credit around $900 for a tank I dont need since I purchasd a new tank already, I supplied the reciept on the new RS tank and the local fish store confirmed with RS that I had purchased it the day of the leak and RS does not offer anything for this new tank... makes no business sense how this has unfolded. on top of that they dont even have the tank in stock but gives me 90 day period to make up my mind... never again will I purchase a RS tank.

Very similar story for me, RS won’t have stock until February and won’t accept going via local dealers. I have decided to forfeit my £800 credit towards a new tank, cut my losses and get a non RS tank.