What's up with the recent Red Sea Tank failures? 750XXL ? *UPDATE* Design Flaw CONFIRMED by Red Sea !!!

[jhebi]

This was great read. Took me forever to read the good and bad points. Many products are subject to failure, but I believe when a product this expensive hit the marker. they should have a better QC. This exactly is not the tank's fault, but a cheap cabinet that RS tried to save some bucks. This is not a car, cell phone , laptops etc. A car if breaks you can take to a delarer with piece of mind of pin point the problem, same with laptop and even a cell phone where people change their phone every year. But a tank is a totally different beast. You are talking damage after damage besides losing precious time that you put on corals and fishes. I am glad RS finally admitted, but why take so long. There were so many consumers that believe and love their products, but were shut down without having any answers to what may be the problem. Consumers that believe they were at fault because the majority didn't have their problem. I believe RS is taking this major step because I am sure many consumers will take this further then a fix or free tank, even though they will do right with their customers.

 

[TeotheCoral]

Thanks for all the information. I was planning on ordering a Red Sea but I think I will go with a Waterbox instead. The account of the way RS is very revealing of the way they think of their customer. Appreciate all the input.

 

[TheHarold]

Thanks for all the information. I was planning on ordering a Red Sea but I think I will go with a Waterbox instead. The account of the way RS is very revealing of the way they think of their customer. Appreciate all the input.

The water box stand looks much stronger too, for the same size tank.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Thanks for all the information. I was planning on ordering a Red Sea but I think I will go with a Waterbox instead. The account of the way RS is very revealing of the way they think of their customer. Appreciate all the input.

Waterbox 100%. Dont even second guess it.

 

[TeotheCoral]

Thank you. I have had two RSR and I do like their design, but the quality of the pipes appears substandard. It seems that investing in a few more bucks for something that is worth in the thousands would make sense. Cutting corners not worth it as in the end may end up to be very costly. Now with this happening it’s only logical to get a water box.

 

[Huskymaniac]

I think those who were saying the fix may be some type of Jack were correct. Is it possible though they still have no idea on how they are going to fix it? I found this on facebook.

 

[fcmatt]

The solution will probably be a board cut to specs with a rubber mallet. Then a square flat plate with screw holes and screws x 2. Top and bottom.

You start on one side where it fits and proceed to hammer/tap it into place with the rubber mallet until you reach their recommended position. Square it up with a triangle ruler using the 90 degree side and/or a level. Screw into position.

Tada!

 

[2una]

The 650 S has a upright there that you screw to the frame after you put the sump in so maybe something similar but screw to the board instead.

'

That's 20mmx20mm, 3/4 x 3/4 aluminum, same as what the whole stand is made of.

 

[Reefahholic]

this one was just posted. Reefer 170.

Wow, that’s a legit seam failure. That should have never let loose. When they do go it’s never at day one. It’s always 2-3 years later.

 

[Reefahholic]

I had a personalized email, you can’t really disagree with the content .

Bubbles...no good. Incorrect gap and poor seam preparation...disaster

I think those who were saying the fix may be some type of Jack were correct. Is it possible though they still have no idea on how they are going to fix it? I found this on facebook.

Yep, they didn’t brace it well enough.

 

[Doostur]

Just a crappy situation. You have potential failures in limbo which can cause extensive damage to a home. But you need to wait for Red Sea to design a fix.

They should work on an immediate/temporary fix.

Also to avoid even more variables, they should contract local fish stores to install/complete this corrective MOD. Its the least they can do.

Hell this is equivalent to a car safety recall. They notify you, you bring in the car for repair, they give you a loaner etc.

 

[Marco S]

Just a crappy situation. You have potential failures in limbo which can cause extensive damage to a home. But you need to wait for Red Sea to design a fix.

They should work on an immediate/temporary fix.

Also to avoid even more variables, they should contract local fish stores to install/complete this corrective MOD. Its the least they can do.

Hell this is equivalent to a car safety recall. They notify you, you bring in the car for repair, they give you a loaner etc.

Automobiles are regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA). Aquariums are not regulated at all, (to my knowledge). While the automobile companies usually do a recall before the NHTSA gets involved, The NHTSA will make them do a recall once they get enough complaints. There is no agency to complain to about these tanks, so it's a safe bet that there will never be a recall.

 

[Marco S]

I did get an email from Red Sea this morning asking me to submit a form requesting the new "Retro Fit Kit" and it did say that they will be shipping by the end of October and it will not require the tank to be drained. I am going to Home Depot after work today to see what I can get to prop it up until I get the kit though. I am not going to wait for failure since my luck in this hobby so far has not been the best.

Edit: Here is a quote from the email that I figured I'd share...
"A short thin gap between aquarium and cabinet is not cause for concern, even if you are able to insert a piece of paper between glass and cabinet. However, in order to prevent any potential weakening of the silicone seal we would like to supply you with a cabinet support column that can be easily retrofitted to the front of the sump compartment of all existing XXL750 and is now incorporated as a standard part of all new XXL750 systems. This retrofit is easy to install and does not require draining any water or removal of livestock from your system."

 

[MnFish1]

Called RedSea and got this email yesterday afternoon:

Good afternoon,



Failing the “Paper Test” is not a cause for concern.

The Red Sea tanks are designed to be fully supported by the cabinet perimeter (sides and rear wall) and the internal wall on the larger models that have them. This is more than enough support to ensure the integrity of the tanks. The cabinet top board sits inside the side walls and its contact with the bottom of the tank is a function of the assembly and the straightness of the board itself which also has a small manufacturing tolerance of more than a few paper thicknesses. The function of top board is to hold the sides and rear wall firmly together and square to each other.

This design is working perfectly, as backed up by the absolutely insignificant failure rate that enables us to extend our warranty on our silicone to 3 years. Only in the case of the XXL750, due to its large dimensions, as soon as we identified a higher than normal failure rate we took affirmative action. Our post about the XXL750 advised about a combination of a sagging cabinet top board and air bubbles in the bottom silicone seal. Failing the “Paper Test” alone has no real significance even for the XXL750 but as previously mentioned, due to the size of the aquarium we decided to err on the side of caution.

All Red Sea tanks and cabinets are produced in our own factory according to western manufacturing standards and strict quality procedures and we are confident of the craftsmanship and longevity of our systems.

 

[Doostur]

Automobiles are regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA). Aquariums are not regulated at all, (to my knowledge). While the automobile companies usually do a recall before the NHTSA gets involved, The NHTSA will make them do a recall once they get enough complaints. There is no agency to complain to about these tanks, so it's a safe bet that there will never be a recall.

It was just an example of how it should be handled by comparing it to the automotive world. I didn't think the aquarium world was governed by any kind of agency.

 

[Jase4224]

I’m in Australia and just called my LFS that I purchased my RSRxxl750 through and was told that they had been contacted by Red Sea earlier today and told that they will be sending the stand mod directly to everyone who purchased this tank.

I’m registering my tank now then I just need to email the LFS and they’ll organise the rest for me. I would assume it would be the same for other buyers too.

 

[Doostur]

I’m in Australia and just called my LFS that I purchased my RSRxxl750 through and was told that they had been contacted by Red Sea earlier today and told that they will be sending the stand mod directly to everyone who purchased this tank.

I’m registering my tank now then I just need to email the LFS and they’ll organise the rest for me. I would assume it would be the same for other buyers too.

How long have you had your setup up and running? Any issues?

 

[Marco S]

I’m in Australia and just called my LFS that I purchased my RSRxxl750 through and was told that they had been contacted by Red Sea earlier today and told that they will be sending the stand mod directly to everyone who purchased this tank.

I’m registering my tank now then I just need to email the LFS and they’ll organise the rest for me. I would assume it would be the same for other buyers too.

Yes, as long as your tank is registered, they will be contacting you to let you know how to proceed. You do not need to get your LFS involved though. You just need to fill out the request from the link they send in an email and they will let you know when they process it and send the mod out as soon as it is ready.

 

[Jase4224]

How long have you had your setup up and running? Any issues?

Running since February this year, no issues whatsoever. I did read the instructions very carefully and put a good hour into leveling once the tank was on the stand. I’m also on a concrete slab. Still though I will definitely be putting in the modifications from Red Sea as soon as I get it.

 

[Doostur]

Well in the end the Red Sea Facebook group admins should be ashamed of themselves. Instead of banning/muting anyone with an issue, they should have assisted with the claims. Isnt that the point of a hobby group? Instead they chose to save the image of Red Sea. Typical fan boy group move. In the end, after over a dozen people coming forward with issues, Red Sea finally admitted a design flaw.

The selfishness of the admins in that group could have led to more damaged homes, possible injuries or even a child being killed. Not to mentione the poor live stock. I'm sure some of the issues could have been prevented already had they not deleted everything.