Red Sea Tank Failures...

[Blue Cheese]

If I could do it over, which will happen next year; I'll be buying a CADE 2100.

They are replacing it under warranty. I think it got lost in the internet, I was directed by RedSea to try and repair it with the items they sent me. I was willing to work with them. I do feel better that it will be replaced. But not looking forward to swapping the out the tank, etc.

If Cade were white at the time I would of got a cade,for sure cade is my next now

 

[Lawpoke87]

My replacement 650 arrived earlier this week. Red Sea has added a black silicon seal to the inside panels of the tank…sides and bottom. This silicon wasn’t present on the earlier versions of their tanks.

 

[Tenecor Aquariums]

Front pane failure..​

This is a long post but I think it may be helpful in preventing failures

Let's talk about it. I recently purchased a 350 G2. I didn't care to do much research on it since I figured, all tanks with the exception of draining systems, weirs were created equal. After it was delivered I was pretty stoked, but that was short lived. After posting some pics online I was made aware of what seems like a widespread front pane failure (although you only hear about the problems). While I do understand most all RS tanks don’t fail… the possibility of this one failing terrifies me. Tbh, I would NOT have purchased this tank had I known about this potential problem, something this expensive should NOT fail in this manner.

So here lies my question, specifically to RS tank owners and definitely towards those owners whose tank failed.

1. How long have you owned your tank? If it failed, how did it fail and how long after owning it.
2. Was this tank purchased from a retailer, or was it preowned? Did it sit around for a period of time before setting it up and filling it?
3. What in your opinion was the cause of the failure?
4. Did you reach out to RS? Did they provide a probable cause?

I see posts where the cause is said to be user error. Some due to stand not being level, others due to the front pane overhanging excessively.

Here’s my take on this. Tank not being set up level can probably be chalked up as user error although I’d like to understand the dynamics/forces behind the theories. However, the excessive overhang. I’m not convinced that to be user error, at all.. While assembling the stand, I never once saw and instructions on exactly where on the stand the tank should sit. Conventional thinking (and I agree with this), is that the tanks should 100% be supported by the stand. That is not possible with these tanks and stand as they are designed to have some overhang but not known how much. If we know that the failure mode of the pane and silicone degrading is due to a lack of support due to tank placement and there is no caution or anything instructions indicating the criticality and implications of not placing the tank on the correct spot, them RS is 100% to blame, if this is a known cause of the failure.



I’d like to get thoughts and theories on what everyone thinks the root cause of failure is. I don’t think any theory is farfetched, but would like to know what rationale is being used to ascertain such theory? I hope this conversation will yield a conversation that will hopefully prevent or mitigate future failures, especially if it is a preventable one.



Sorry for the long-winded post, but thank you for your input

First of all, I am not an expert regarding this brand and I invite anyone who knows better to comment on this. But here goes. The reason for the front pane overhang is because of the way the tank is assembled. The front pane attaches to the bottom piece from the front instead of resting on the top of the bottom piece. This is because sometimes glass tanks this large have double thick bottoms. The problem with doing it this way is the same reason you don't pack your dishes upright on their edges. They. Will. Crack.

 

[92Miata]

First of all, I am not an expert regarding this brand and I invite anyone who knows better to comment on this. But here goes. The reason for the front pane overhang is because of the way the tank is assembled. The front pane attaches to the bottom piece from the front instead of resting on the top of the bottom piece. This is because sometimes glass tanks this large have double thick bottoms. The problem with doing it this way is the same reason you don't pack your dishes upright on their edges. They. Will. Crack.

There are a whole bunch of other tank manufacturers who build tanks this way (SCA, IM, etc) and none of them have the issues that Red Sea has.

 

[reeftwincities]

I just received a Red Sea and noticed damage to the stand including the foam after delivery (by an Lfs). What should be my level of concern? I’m considering simply seeking to return it as it took forever to deliver? Obviously bummed.

 

[Jeeperz]

Having seen enough posts if their tanks failing on Facebook (not just from the brace issue) and the posts being deleted and just their overall response. It definitely would give me pause about buying one in the future.

I had one of their smaller modules and ofc it didn’t leak since it was a nano. I can’t say I was super impressed for the price.

I do really like my red Sea max nano for what it is. Been running 6 years and my original clowns still love their nems. That said. The stand on my 350 is garbage and never should this tank have an unsupported front panel. I could flip a piece of paper half way under the left rear corner when it was filled with water. No issues in 4 years but I don't have high intensity wave makers and try not to load the glass while cleaning tank

 

[ColoredRock]

I just received a Red Sea and noticed damage to the stand including the foam after delivery (by an Lfs). What should be my level of concern? I’m considering simply seeking to return it as it took forever to deliver? Obviously bummed.

Is this a new tank?... it looks used. I had a used 300xl blow out 3 or so months ago I created a post. on... never again rimless... going acrylic.. and yes I know the issues regard that

 

[Jeeperz]

I just received a Red Sea and noticed damage to the stand including the foam after delivery (by an Lfs). What should be my level of concern? I’m considering simply seeking to return it as it took forever to deliver? Obviously bummed.

Return. My stand box came with no right door and 2 lefts. Had the lfs deal with it, took a month to get a replacement. Replacement was a left door. A month later I got a right. Also, the cam locks were junk and many broke, thankfully Lowe's had better quality in stock. Plus my pad on stand top was pre compressed on 1 corner so the tank didn't touch it

 

[Jeeperz]

Its not just that- Basic Marketing states that more people will leave a bad review on a problem than will take the time to leave a good review. So yes, there may be hundreds, or even thousands of posts about there being issues, but what about the million that didnt?

Except look at how they treat complaints on their Facebook group, that says LITERALLY all there needs said

 

[Jeeperz]

That is embarrassing to ask a customer to do this to a tank in their home. Embarrassing.

I wonder whatred sea would do if this was posted to their Fakebook page?

 

[Jeeperz]

My replacement 650 arrived earlier this week. Red Sea has added a black silicon seal to the inside panels of the tank…sides and bottom. This silicon wasn’t present on the earlier versions of their tanks.

They NEED to do a double bottom like most custom tank makers, I believe THAT is their biggest issue besides their tanks being made in china

 

[Toob]

I will never, ever buy another Red Sea product. Their customer service is comcast tier.

 

[Jeeperz]

I will never, ever buy another Red Sea product. Their customer service is comcast tier.

Spectrum made Comcast look good, but I get your point

 

[Lowell Lemon]

The bubbles that show up in these pictures seem to indicate Silicone failure from shear stress. The Silicone most tank builders use in Europe is German made and is of a higher quality. The Chinese use there own formula and I suspect it is the root cause for failure. Improper stand materials and design all contribute to the failures pictured and reported. I love the look of rimless glass tanks but I would not risk this design for tanks over 60 gallons personally. I have several in storage but I am only placing them in an area with a floor drain and concrete floor after seeing peoples results. Acrylic for my home period.

 

[gmdcdvm]

Well,
My 260E bottom front panel seam started to go. It was 5 months out of warranty. I will not be buying another Red Sea tank again.
G

 

[Mark Goode]

Except look at how they treat complaints on their Facebook group, that says LITERALLY all there needs said

There was a discussion on their facebook group about the fixings on the Reefled 160, they're mounted to the arm with a single, tiny screw. I commented that this was idiotic, and probably unsafe.

The next morning the Red Sea group had disappeared from my fb groups and even a search wouldn't find it. I recently had an email from RS with a link to their fb group - when I clicked on it I got 'group not found'.

Strange...

Maybe they don't want me on there?

 

[Fin Jackson]

I am currently in the process of emptying my tank due to a very rapid bubble that pretty much covered half of the bottom silicone of the front panel within a week. Tanks a RS XL300 so has the plastic corner guards, and I spend days making sure the tank was perfectly level before I set it up just over a year ago, as my last tank split because it wasn't level. I'm pretty sure the tank is starting to bow now aswell, as the outer edges are still 57cm wide, while the middle is just under 59cm wide. I love the tank so I've contacted red sea, but I'm now not to sure about their customer service after hearing what others have said.

 

[gmdcdvm]

I am currently in the process of emptying my tank due to a very rapid bubble that pretty much covered half of the bottom silicone of the front panel within a week. Tanks a RS XL300 so has the plastic corner guards, and I spend days making sure the tank was perfectly level before I set it up just over a year ago, as my last tank split because it wasn't level. I'm pretty sure the tank is starting to bow now aswell, as the outer edges are still 57cm wide, while the middle is just under 59cm wide. I love the tank so I've contacted red sea, but I'm now not to sure about their customer service after hearing what others have said.

This is pretty much what happened with mine. Good luck! Mine was out of warranty by 5 months. They offered a replacement tank and stand for $800 plus shipping. I just did not have the confidence in their product to spend more money on them. Decided to go with a waterbox instead.

 

[brandon429]

EMERGENCY - How I saved my livestock on Thanksgiving Day!

Edit: This post is not to compare or trash any tank manufacturer brand, please refrain to make comments on that line. I just want to show how a tank can be tweaked after a problem like this, so if any other member of the community has the same issue, they can try some of the solutions I did...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[zoaprince]

First of all, I am not an expert regarding this brand and I invite anyone who knows better to comment on this. But here goes. The reason for the front pane overhang is because of the way the tank is assembled. The front pane attaches to the bottom piece from the front instead of resting on the top of the bottom piece. This is because sometimes glass tanks this large have double thick bottoms. The problem with doing it this way is the same reason you don't pack your dishes upright on their edges. They. Will. Crack.

Is the back panel different?