Tank sprung a leak

[Jarob]

If you setup that new tank full of water and NEW CLEAN sand, match the temp and salinity, you can transfer everything now with the live rock you currently have. That rock can support and has been supporting your current bioload. Slowly add more rock. I just transferred my SPS tank with 50+ frags/mini colonies like that 65g to 180h and didn't lose a single piece.

 

[Featherweight]

Yesterday (12/2/25) my Red Sea 250 started to leak. I had seen there was sand in the silicone which told me the silicone was starting to break down. I figured it was time for a new tank because I wasn’t sure how long I had. This was my first tank ever and the plan was to upgrade eventually after learning the hobby. I bought a new tank (Waterbox Infinia 190.5) and have it mostly set up but no water in it yet. I needed another week or 2 before it’s ready for water. Well, the Red Sea 250 decided not to wait and sprung a leak.

I had a leak sensor start to go off and I noticed a puddle of water on the floor, then look up and see my tank spraying water from the bottom of the display. My wife and I spring in to action. I grab a bin we stored our Halloween decorations in and start catching the water. I didn’t even have time to clean it out thoroughly. I grabbed all my rock and coral and placed it in the bin. I have a 5 gallon auto top off tank that came with my new Waterbox so I decided to set this up as a small tank and place my coral and all my fish it it and set it up as a mini tank. I had bought all the equipment for my new tank so I had spare equipment luckily. I have the bin filled with some of the sand and have my invertebrates in with some rock. I also placed my bio balls in both of the tanks to keep the valuable bacteria. I set up 2 mp40s in the bin and 1 in the ato tank, along with a heater and a light on both.

Looking for any advice to keep these makeshift tanks running smoothly as long as possible until my other Waterbox is ready. How long will I need before I can add fish and coral to my new tank? Any way to accelerate the water cycle of the new tank? I was told to not feed the fish much if even at all because I don’t have a skimmer set up. I’m also concerned about the water parameters. What would you do in this situation? Thanks in advance. I’ll be posting pics of the new setup soon.

Every red sea 250 leaks. All of them

 

[Dom]

Best not support a company that refuses to acknowledge there's an issue. Money is the only thing that will be heard.

My max nano will be the last Red Sea for me, I just don't want to deal with the thought of waking up to that.

I'm not looking.

I'm saying, if I were looking at Red Sea, it would only be a small tank where the water pressure would be less and less likely to have a leak.

 

[Dom]

The smaller ones leak as well.

Really. I thought this issue was with the large Red Sea tanks.

 

[Ziggy17]

I'm not looking.

I'm saying, if I were looking at Red Sea, it would only be a small tank where the water pressure would be less and less likely to have a leak.

yeah the small ones leak as well. I get why one would think it wouldn’t, but the case studies we have collected here suggest all makes and models fail. The issue is with the silicone bond. Smaller tanks do have less pressure, but they also use thinner glass, so the same bond issue arises, and the seam still fails the same.

 

[Dom]

yeah the small ones leak as well. I get why one would think it wouldn’t, but the case studies we have collected here suggest all makes and models fail. The issue is with the silicone bond. Smaller tanks do have less pressure, but they also use thinner glass, so the same bond issue arises, and the seam still fails the same.

Did not know this.

 

[hatfielj]

Does anyone know if the Red Sea tank leak problem is strictly related to their stands? Has anyone had a Red Sea tank leak on a home made stand or a steel stand? From what I've seen in pictures, the problem appears to be with the way those stands are built. The frame is not supported by a center post. That lumber is bowing just enough to allow the glass to flex and thus, the seam breaks open. I would bet these tanks would be fine if on a steel stand or a properly built wooden stand.

 

[JetSetGuppy]

everyone pooping on RS, the OP didnt even give the age or generation of the tank

did i miss it? its a V3? black gate valve... if so that's warning enough, just having that particular version of that tank

 

[gbroadbridge]

everyone pooping on RS, the OP didnt even give the age or generation of the tank

Because Red Sea are a known bad actor who sell faulty tanks and refuse to admit it.

 

[JetSetGuppy]

Because Red Sea are a known bad actor who sell faulty tanks and refuse to admit it.

Painting with a pretty broad brush...
is OP even the original owner of the tank? he never stated age of the tank... given the model is pretty old to start with

 

[Malcontent]

I'm not looking.

I'm saying, if I were looking at Red Sea, it would only be a small tank where the water pressure would be less and less likely to have a leak.

Oh, I thought you were talking about setting up a tank on the moon or ISS where water weighs less.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Painting with a pretty broad brush...
is OP even the original owner of the tank? he never stated age of the tank... given the model is pretty old to start with

I'm not going to waste time debating the issue with you.

Red Sea are a known bad player who knowingly sell faulty tanks with poor workmanship and then do nothing substantive to help.

They would be heavily fined under consumer law if they acted like that in Australia.

 

[JetSetGuppy]

I'm not going to waste time debating the issue with you.

Red Sea are a known bad player who knowingly sell faulty tanks with poor workmanship and then do nothing substantive to help.

They would be heavily fined under consumer law if they acted like that in Australia.

ok you seem to have all the objective information on RS, that every red sea tank is leaking
tanks do not have unlimited life span, care factors in, the tank is one with troubled past, why press ur luck hanging onto something like that?? still dont have all the facts from OP...

 

[gbroadbridge]

ok you seem to have all the objective information on RS, that every red sea tank is leaking
tanks do not have unlimited life span, care factors in, the tank is one with troubled past, why press ur luck hanging onto something like that?? still dont have all the facts from OP...

Welcome to my ignore list.

 

[NanoSteam]

ok you seem to have all the objective information on RS, that every red sea tank is leaking
tanks do not have unlimited life span, care factors in, the tank is one with troubled past, why press ur luck hanging onto something like that?? still dont have all the facts from OP...

At this point it's fairly common knowledge they experience seam failure prematurely G1 and G2. You don't need to go far to find majority of failures on this forum, Reddit, FB groups involve a Red Sea tank and the theory is it has to do with the silicone type they use plus the form over function stand design. Owners have proven their tanks are level.

Searching seam failure, most of these threads are about Red Sea tanks: https://www.reef2reef.com/search/6368054/?q=Seam+failure&o=relevance

There were two tank failures posted just yesterday and today (this thread included) on here both Red Seas.

Red Sea can make the argument it's a small percentage of sales, sure then just release the amount of sales vs warranty claims to gain trust back. Instead they make upgrades each generation to "strengthen" the tank without alluding to past problems to gain some of that trust back. We'll see if these new and "improved" G3's end up with the same issues but I would hazard the ones smaller than the 425 will since they were excluded from the eurobracing upgrade.

Red Sea knew about the issues on the G1 and issued revised added braces to the stand for new tanks and those purchased retroactively.

 

[Naekuh]

everyone pooping on RS, the OP didnt even give the age or generation of the tank

did i miss it? its a V3? black gate valve... if so that's warning enough, just having that particular version of that tank

what honestly amazes me is that your account is about 1 yr old, and most of your post count is probably in this thread.

Im not going to say it else where, but it feels like your paid for by Red Sea.

But to be honest, i am so glad i came on this forum to learn, because it made me purchase an Innovation Marine, instead of a Red Sea.

Also made me get Euro Bracing, on my tank, and other stuff.

But i honestly do not have enough digits on my hands and toes to count how many red sea tanks sprung leaks have been posted on this forum.

And yes maybe the users on the thread only account for a small percentage, but i think everyone here jynx'd themselves to become a statistic in that small percentage just by posting here.

But that is just me...

Oh and i will never buy a Red Sea... Im Innovative Marine all the way for reef tanks, and UNS + ADA for my high tech freshwater ones.

Although i do itch at getting a UNS reef, because my UNS 120U has been holding up very well on the freshwater side.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

what honestly amazes me is that your account is about 1 yr old, and most of your post count is probably in this thread.

Im not going to say it else where, but it feels like your paid for by Red Sea.

Another theory: hacked account. Look at the differences between earlier posts and those in this thread. Reads like a different author.

 

[Reef Jedi]

If you setup that new tank full of water and NEW CLEAN sand, match the temp and salinity, you can transfer everything now with the live rock you currently have. That rock can support and has been supporting your current bioload. Slowly add more rock. I just transferred my SPS tank with 50+ frags/mini colonies like that 65g to 180h and didn't lose a single piece.

This is very accurate and exactly what I would do in this situation.

 

[JetSetGuppy]

not disputing that particular tank is junk... its a known problem child, but to say they are all junk i think is over generalizing, and not being realistic. They are a top selling tank for a reason. Marketing is one, there is a chance they do have some tanks out there that are not leaking. Furthermore, there is so much education here about that particular version of the tank, why risk it?

lots of conspiracy theories around here...

 

[jsmkmavity]

I wonder if the OP needs any more helpful advise about THEIR situation?