Red Sea Seam Issues - (please read before voting)

[bossman818]

I added this 1 inch plywood under tank to support the front glass. Has been holding well.

 

[UncommonSense]

I acquired a free Reefer 450 (serial # 11406) several weeks back, and spotted these alarming seam bubbles shortly before learning of the known issue with Red Sea seals… it technically hasn’t leaked, because I haven’t filled it with water yet… the guy I got it from claimed it held water, but I’m skeptical…

I’m either cutting it apart for glass, or doing a full interior glass bar seal reinforcement, and likely some form of eurobrace… TBD!

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

 

[rob88]

I have a Gen 2 625. Zero problems in the 17 months I’ve had it. The armored seams and center brace seem to make all the difference.

Hey. Is that middle brace on the bottom of the tank? I have an old G1 i just acquired for free and I want to reseal the front panel due to bubble in the seam.

 

[LPS Bum]

Hey. Is that middle brace on the bottom of the tank? I have an old G1 i just acquired for free and I want to reseal the front panel due to bubble in the seam.

The middle brace connects the bottom of the stand with the bottom of the tank. It supports the left half of the tank.

 

[UncommonSense]

Hey. Is that middle brace on the bottom of the tank? I have an old G1 i just acquired for free and I want to reseal the front panel due to bubble in the seam.

I’m also considering resealing mine, and/or around 4ft2 of 1/2” thick glass reinforcements across every single seam on the tank; including cutting out the overflow box, notching the bottom corner, and re-installing over the glass reinforcements…

It’s actually quite a bit more complex than you may think; even just the glass prep is it’s own science!

 

[MnFish1]

The middle brace connects the bottom of the stand with the bottom of the tank. It supports the left half of the tank.

Just to make sure (if you're talking about the fix provided by RedSea) - it connects the bottom of the stand with the underside of the stand - not the tank itself.

 

[BryanM]

There has been a lot of conversation lately about Red Sea aquariums and faulty seams that sometimes lead to catastrophic failures. But it's difficult to reach a consensus because the conversation often gets muddied with crosstalk. Please only vote for the category that suits YOUR experience. Do not use "I know a guy" logic to vote. I would like this to be as accurate a representation as possible (of the user experience from our membership), so please spread the word and have people vote.

I did not vote.

I had a redsea, and ditched it due to the reputation, and the fact that a few people took them apart noting it was exceptionally easy to remove the glass and silicone.

There's clearly a ton of redsea tanks out in the wild doing just fine. I just chatted with a member here who has 7 of them, no issues thusfar.

None of this changes my mind on the fact that they are simply not worth the risk. If RedSea comes out and admits some sort of mistake and addresses it, I'd probably feel better about it.

 

[LPS Bum]

Just to make sure (if you're talking about the fix provided by RedSea) - it connects the bottom of the stand with the underside of the stand - not the tank itself.

Yes, correct. Except mine isn't a fix. It's a Gen 2 model, and the center brace came with the system.

 

[Yodaman]

I have a gen 1 250, and gen 1 750, both no problem so far

 

[ndds1]

This is Red Sea Max-E 260 (Gen1) which is 8 years old and the seam broke last Friday. It was a rush to re-home all life stocks and shut down the tank. Will never buy another Red Sea again.

 

[NanoSteam]

This is Red Sea Max-E 260 which is after 8 years old and the seam broke last Friday. We had to re-home all life stocks and shut down the tank. Will never buy another Red Sea again.

Sorry to hear this but I'm glad you were there to see it and capture the majority of the water before it floods the home

 

[ndds1]

Sorry to hear this but I'm glad you were there to see it and capture the majority of the water before it floods the home

Indeed. Otherwise the damage would be worse.

 

[BryanM]

Caveat to my response, never had a seam issue, because I proactively replaced the tank.

 

[exnisstech]

This is me.

Watching the seam on my g2 300.

My reefer 170 after 6 years running.



I was able to repurpose the 170. The sump holds water so I'm raising mosquitoes

 

[NanoSteam]

This is me.

Watching the seam on my g2 300.

My reefer 170 after 6 years running.



I was able to repurpose the 170. The sump holds water so I'm raising mosquitoes

I'd make that last pic your forum avatar if I was you