Red Sea xl300 silicone bubbles

[Jimbo327]

Larger older RS tank is a no go. It's beautiful, but the stand is just too flimsy. And the unsupported front pane added to the problem with more downward sheer force. It's just a poorly designed tank/stand, no need to sugarcoat it. I think I've seen 4 or 5 Redsea leaks just in the local reefing community in the past year. These were thriving tanks that needed to be broken down immediately because of RS leak/seam issues. If you have a smaller RS tank, you may be fine as the span is not as big of an issue as a bigger tank.

 

[Lavey29]

They dominate because they are pretty, simplistic, and because most new hobbyists don't trawl the forums for this kind of information. They are much more likely to see the influencer who has been given a $4k RS system for free to market the product.

I don't know many old reefers who are standing in line to overspend on these tanks. It's mainly new hobbyists. I will even admit they look nice, but they are the Apple of the hobby - ridiculous prices for mediocre equipment, and that's before you take into account the seam failures. People pay a lot for a sleek look and a beginner friendly "ecosystem".

I'm not trying to discourage anyone, but sales ≠ quality.

Ok, I agree with the astetitics and simplicity all in one package. I would say some of their options like skimmers are average quality and better choices out there but if we compare apples to apples it would be nice to know the failure ratio of all vendors. I posted above just simple searches of tank failures and you can see lots of brands have their own failures too. If RS has a 1/100 ratio that is 1%. If a smaller vendor has a 1/10 ratio you're at 10% failure rate. It's quite obvious that RS outsells competition by 10x, 20x,30x,etc.... who knows so one would expect to see a higher number of threads on here with problems but the overall ratio may be quite low considering the volume of sales worldwide. Now small vendors may have issues to but in much smaller numbers due to their market share but ultimately could have a much larger failure ratio to.

For the record any seam failure on any brand of tank is unacceptable to me and I feel bad for the hobbyist but I also feel other things can significantly contribute to failures outside of design flaws.

OP, good luck with your build.

 

[LARedstickreefer]

A free RS tank for me would be a great choice for a dart frog habitat.

 

[Bruttall]

Why would it not be beneficial for RS to post the percentage of tank seam failures based on tank size to? This would help people make an informed decision about purchasing one. I am really curious myself how many of the 100s of thousands sold worldwide over the years have failed. I would also like to know the age average for tank failure such as 2 years. 3 years, etc...I actually think every manufacturer should share their failure rate such as waterbox, glass cages, aqueon, planet aquarium, etc...

And I guess my most curious question is with all the failures why does RS continue to dominate the market? Things that make you go hmmmm?

Advertising, you can make garbage and sell it for millions if you can convince people it is gold.

As to why they don't publish that data is it would HURT their sales, that's kind of a No Brainer.

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

Advertising, you can make garbage and sell it for millions if you can convince people it is gold.

As to why they don't publish that data is it would HURT their sales, that's kind of a No Brainer.

yes, it's all about advertising. you don't need to have a great product. you just need a great sales/advertising force and you can sell so much more. especially with a wider distribution area across the globe.

 

[Lavey29]

Advertising, you can make garbage and sell it for millions if you can convince people it is gold.

As to why they don't publish that data is it would HURT their sales, that's kind of a No Brainer.

Hurt sales? Doubt it, if they show a fractional percentage of failures versus 100 thousand units worldwide won't hurt sales at all. Ever had a recall on a car for an issue? Most people still stick with their brand. Now if you are a small vendor and show stats for tank failures sure that may cause sales problems. Yes advertising is critical to a successful business model especially when your tanks are widely used worldwide.

 

[Lavey29]

yes, it's all about advertising. you don't need to have a great product. you just need a great sales/advertising force and you can sell so much more. especially with a wider distribution area across the globe.

This works for awhile but then people see their tesla out of juice in cold weather or hot days where their battery only lasts a minimum amount of time. Then sales take a huge hit as tesla sees now. Strangely RS seems more dominant then ever in reef tank sales even with alleged gen 1 issues. Gen 2 models outselling all other manufacturers combined I'm guessing just based on new tank threads I see here.

 

[I never finish anythi]

Looks more like silicone not at the seams as the poster above stated. I guess I have the same bubble in my bottom panel to but it's only been like that over 3 years but I better put my beer down and do something quick.

OP, I wish you best of luck with your tank or a new one. Perhaps email RS for their opinion too.

Probably got 6 months left then . Joke btw

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

This works for awhile but then people see their tesla out of juice in cold weather or hot days where their battery only lasts a minimum amount of time. Then sales take a huge hit as tesla sees now. Strangely RS seems more dominant then ever in reef tank sales even with alleged gen 1 issues. Gen 2 models outselling all other manufacturers combined I'm guessing just based on new tank threads I see here.

but then forums like this are hurting their sales with people posting so many seam failures. they probably sell so many due to advertising with the pretty pictures of their tanks in magazines. they really are pretty.

 

[Lavey29]

Probably got 6 months left then . Joke btw

I just got the wife new floors to so she would stop nagging. Maybe I should have waited for the spill.

 

[Lavey29]

but then forums like this are hurting their sales with people posting so many seam failures. they probably sell so many due to advertising with the pretty pictures of their tanks in magazines. they really are pretty.

Sure it will cause doubt in some. It's like when you see that 3 star yelp rating. Is it really 3 stars or just a few unhappy campers? You still need to do your due diligence. Like I said before, I wish nothing but success for fellow reefers whether you have $100 petco tank or 10k custom build. No one should have to experience a seam break because inevitably fish and coral die which is sad and rooms in the house get major damage. Thete can be only one tank GOAT and based on worldwide popularity currently I think it is clear who that is but doesn't mean there are not other excellent options available too.

 

[Jimbo327]

A free RS tank for me would be a great choice for a dart frog habitat.

There is probably 1-2 free RS tanks on the local SoCal reefing forum. Just search for the emergency RS leak threads, and I'm sure the owners will love to have someone to remove their old leaking tank. Might be too huge for a dart frog habitat though.

 

[Lavey29]

There is probably 1-2 free RS tanks on the local SoCal reefing forum. Just search for the emergency RS leak threads, and I'm sure the owners will love to have someone to remove their old leaking tank. Might be too huge for a dart frog habitat though.

Man if the panel goes and poison dart frogs are all over the house with the wife screaming. That will be an epic RS thread for sure.