Red Sea Tank Fails, AGAIN! Any Recommendations?

[EliMelly]

That would come from RS and of course they would likely stay mum for obvious reasons outlined above.

I actually got in touch with the rep for the entire west coast about a delayed order and I have never encountered such a rude and unhelpful individual.

 

[Cell]

So I have the G2 350, what should I be aware of in regard to the leaks and what causes them. Is there anything I can do to prevent it?

I would periodically, like at least once a month, visually inspect all seams for any color change, bubbling, separating etc...

 

[EliMelly]

I would periodically, like at least once a month, visually inspect all seams for any color change, bubbling, separating etc...

Can the flipper damage it?

 

[Cell]

I think any seam on a glass tank is at risk to metal scrapers.

 

[MnFish1]

@MnFish1 This post wasn't made looking for remediation from RS, it was made to understand how common this issue is and to figure out what brand of tank to turn to. It's not a vendor feedback thread. Not sure why you decided to play mod now after engaging in the thread already.

I didn't 'play moderator' - perhaps I wasn't clear or you missed my point. I.e. not sure what you're referring to. My comment related to another poster saying the reason that there are currently 4+ threads on this topic is because this thread (somehow) goes right to RedSea. I was implying that it didn't - and that if people wanted to contact Redsea directly, the best way is via the vendor feedback forum. I.e. - it's impossible to know how common this is when there are multiple threads where people are posting the same thing.

 

[brandon429]

asking square tank owners:

what would be the harm in disassembling a reef of concern (the life in the tank, not the actual glass bonding) before it splits, then applying a known high quality silicone seal on top of existing seals, not in place of

=remove rocks and sand and water

add seal on top of seal-of-concern, skip cycle all the life back in the tank like we do in rip clean threads. this time the access was to get to the seams, before wet living room events

does that void warranty

is that imprudent given the posts here/whats another option if not that

 

[MnFish1]

That would come from RS and of course they would likely stay mum for obvious reasons outlined above.

Except - they came out with a fix for the larger tanks - once the issue was reported - and provided it for free to registered owners. So - obviously - they did not stay mum when there was an issue. I believe that they (and most companies) would rather not discuss individual issues in public. I have contacted them with the prior issue happened - and they were quite helpful.

 

[brandon429]

I wouldnt think an avg poster could remove seals and redo the job

an average keeper could apply a seal on top of a seal, as a stack layer/if that's deemed not harmful to the original design.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Except - they came out with a fix for the larger tanks - once the issue was reported - and provided it for free to registered owners. So - obviously - they did not stay mum when there was an issue. I believe that they (and most companies) would rather not discuss individual issues in public. I have contacted them with the prior issue happened - and they were quite helpful.

See post above… they clearly found themselves in a bad spot and acted in their best interest long term. Should they have acted sooner and prevented x number of disasters, or were they reluctantly reacting to protect themselves from other legal action or being preemptive even if failures were only a perception hurting reputation. Only they know.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I wouldnt think an avg poster could remove seals and redo the job

an average keeper could apply a seal on top of a seal, as a stack layer/if that's deemed not harmful to the original design.

It would not be harmful, but silicone does not adhere to itself. Moreover, the strength is the thin membrane between the panels and not the protective bead covering the seam. The surface bead would need to be removed and reinforcing added. Is it needed or would it solve the alleged issue, no clue.

 

[brandon429]

I can think of creative ways the flex seal guy with the wire mesh fishing boat might step into this fray

 

[MoshJosh]

brandon429 said:
I wouldnt think an avg poster could remove seals and redo the job

an average keeper could apply a seal on top of a seal, as a stack layer/if that's deemed not harmful to the original design.

It would not be harmful, but silicone does not adhere to itself. Moreover, the strength is the thin membrane between the panels and not the protective bead covering the seam. The surface bead would need to be removed and reinforcing added. Is it needed or would it solve the alleged issue, no clue.

Yeah, I am not sure adding silicone on top would help, and, in my opinion, would void the warranty.

 

[brandon429]

if it voids the warranty kick out the idea. good feedback. *so this presses red sea 10x harder now, we're eliminating potential pre save actions

red sea: tell these owners what they can do proactively, that is within the rules of warranty

doing nothing=not working for a crucial % of the market yet tbd

not stating anything at all, doing nothing, speaking 0% on the matter isn't going to work you can clearly see. there are now channels of report beyond just your facebook pages.

 

[MoshJosh]

if it voids the warranty kick out the idea. good feedback. *so this presses red sea 10x harder now, we're eliminating potential pre save actions

red sea: tell these owners what they can do proactively, that is within the rules of warranty

doing nothing=not working for a crucial % of the market yet tbd

not stating anything at all, doing nothing, speaking 0% on the matter isn't going to work you can clearly see. there are now channels of report beyond just your facebook pages.

could always run long wood clamps through the stand to apply pressure to the front and back panels/the silicone. . . I mean sure it would look horrible and be a tripping hazard but

DEWALT 50 in. 600 lb. Trigger Clamp w/3.75 in. Throat Depth DWHT83188 - The Home Depot

This DEWALT 50 in. XL Trigger Clamp is intended for the professional. This fastening tool has a 600 lb. clamping strength. The resin material is durable and allows for the clamp to withstand and rust.

www.homedepot.com

 

[brandon429]

its probably safe to think that any sort of physical contact with the tank outside of design specs is a warranty void

so in brainstorm of things people might decide to do, outside of warranty, is multi seam laying bad/likely to fail

I'm seeing the counter option of literally doing nothing, to be within warranty spec, and hoping they honor replacement activities very well.

the Op has not reported yet that RS was exceptional in this process, but that may occur soon/tbd

what are the best fixes even if warranty isn't the focus? my reef doesn't have seals, its a bowl, I fear nerf balls and elbows and dropped kitchen utensils not seam splits but am interested in knowing what square tank reefers can do early on

 

[Mark Goode]

I would periodically, like at least once a month, visually inspect all seams for any color change, bubbling, separating etc...

I think the seams are hidden by a nice black trim on the G2. I think the first I'll know of a problem is when I'm wading through it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

With the information that we do have, It appears that they do have a significant materials problem. Tank construction is pretty straight forward.

There are just too many reports positively depicting the same failure mode.

Is you (or anybody else's) tank at risk of failure? I would say the odds are higher than they should be.

If it is not materials... could it be:
-production run
-material lot
-mis-calibrated adhesive applicator at a single station
-assembly line person or they and those they trained
-etc.

Or is this all just imagined and is their failure rate on-par with any other system that size, based on sales volume.

Those questions can only be answered by RedSea.... something that they will not likely address in public or private without careful consideration of their wording.

I would assume (sadly) that there is a large monetary and reputation calculus in play here as to how or if they respond.

If they recall, they admit a defect of some kind (materials, engineering, workmanship) and open themselves to what is sure to be mass litigation (class or not).

If they quietly work to improve the defect (if one exists) and deal with the one-off replacements and lawsuits without admitting fault, that is another calculus...

Either has a cost involving compensation, future reputation, etc. The gamble is always choosing option 2 and hoping that it never snowballs into option 1, because that is a double hit.

The part that has baffled me with this issue is the fact that they would come out with doser-controller-ATO- Fleece filter units and more.
How about perfecting your tanks and stick money into quality and improvement before new product development?

 

[BeanAnimal]

The part that has baffled me with this issue is the fact that they would come out with doser-controller-ATO- Fleece filter units and more.
How about perfecting your tanks and stick money into quality and improvement before new product development?

Because they are looking for market penetration, brand expansion and monetization in anything that is popular with the end goal of RMR based on consumables driven by a large durable goods footprint anchored by a flagship product (the tanks). The hobby is rather small and rather saturated. Durable good sales of a single type of product are a death sentence for any reasonable size entity in a market like this. Large companies must have durable goods (one time sales) in multiple categories and those durable goods MUST be tied to consumables (reagents, media, whatever) to generate RMR. There is no other way.

So the business model is simple
1 - make a name selling tanks
2 - introduce several complementary products that sell based on the reputation and brand awareness of #1
3 - focus on complementary products that use consumables that will reap long term RMR

The tanks don't make money, they are they marketing driver to get people to buy the complementary products that use proprietary consumables that generate long term revenue and as-well feedback into the ecosystem growing market share by the 1, 2, 3 cycle.

They didn't shove out faulty (if they are) tanks on purpose. They shoved them out the door trying to grow a business. The issue (if there is one) a significant and could make or break the rest of the operation.

 

[Kmst80]

I wouldnt think an avg poster could remove seals and redo the job

an average keeper could apply a seal on top of a seal, as a stack layer/if that's deemed not harmful to the original design.

Applying silicone over silicone won't work, because silicone does not stick to silicone. To apply stronger silicone you would need to clean off 100% of the old silicone, not 99.9999% and especially with the waterpressure in an aquarium. Virtually impossible for a diy person.

 

[brandon429]

well said, did not know that, very glad to read that

what a painful option reducer that must seem like to anyone in doubt with a big $ setup...hardly anything to do other than trust rs 100%.