Red Sea G2 180 tank - am I in trouble?

[Kensington Reefer]

@mmartinho
Save Kenny!!

 

[mmartinho]

This is terrible. I am sorry to see this happening to you.

FWIW, rimless tank design in general are inherently terrible. Doesn’t really matter who build it. This is why all G3 Red Sea tanks that are 48” and above are now eurobraced TOP also, not just bottom.

Moving forward, I will carry only G3 425 size and up. Unfortunately I don’t have any in stock at the moment. Sorry.

Robert: thanks for the response. When will you have a 180g 6x2x2 in stock?

 

[mmartinho]

Kenny remains fat and happy and he will remain that way. I'm pretty confident about the clamps (I was a mechanical engineer) holding the tank together until I find a replacement for it in the next few weeks.

@mmartinho
Save Kenny

 

[grizfyrfyter]

Kenny remains fat and happy and he will remain that way. I'm pretty confident about the clamps (I was a mechanical engineer) holding the tank together until I find a replacement for it in the next few weeks.

Genuine question, would corner brackets (I'm thinking 3d printed) and ratchet straps (two or three) be better or worse than clamps?

I already have one as a sump but if not, I would have bought a 150g Rubbermaid stock tank, just to cover my ass if a leak forms.

I need to upgrade my 100 soon so I'm following along for your tank acquisition adventure.

 

[rygh]

When you get a new tank, make sure the stand is truly flat.
Something caused the seems to go. Old age might have made it weak, but it still should not have failed on that alone.
The most common is if the stand is a bit weak, floor is slightly uneven, and you get a twist in the base.
Think of a piece of paper, where you pick up one corner slightly.
That can put a thousand pounds of sheer force on the seam.
That twist is far worse than simply being out of level a bit.

Agree with the others that rimless for large tanks is sketchy. Especially glass.
I have a semi-rimless acrylic 240 G tank, but I had them put a stainless bracket around the top.
(It is for sale, cheap, but I don't blame you for wanting new only)

 

[mmartinho]

Genuine question, would corner brackets (I'm thinking 3d printed) and ratchet straps (two or three) be better or worse than clamps?

I already have one as a sump but if not, I would have bought a 150g Rubbermaid stock tank, just to cover my ass if a leak forms.

I need to upgrade my 100 soon so I'm following along for your tank acquisition adventure.

just my opinion, but I think the clamps probably do a better job than straps at relieving the stress on the silicon. Right now I'm feeling pretty good about the clamp and keeping a very close eye on the separation, if it widens at all, I got enough new 20g tubs in the garage to put everything inside. Fingers crossed it doesn't come to that. Good luck with your situation.

 

[mmartinho]

When you get a new tank, make sure the stand is truly flat.
Something caused the seems to go. Old age might have made it weak, but it still should not have failed on that alone.
The most common is if the stand is a bit weak, floor is slightly uneven, and you get a twist in the base.
Think of a piece of paper, where you pick up one corner slightly.
That can put a thousand pounds of sheer force on the seam.
That twist is far worse than simply being out of level a bit.

Agree with the others that rimless for large tanks is sketchy. Especially glass.
I have a semi-rimless acrylic 240 G tank, but I had them put a stainless bracket around the top.
(It is for sale, cheap, but I don't blame you for wanting new only)

Totally agree and I will look more carefully at the flatness when it comes to placing another aquarium on that stand. I assume your 240g is 8' long? I'm trying not to go longer than 6'.

 

[robert4025]

Robert: thanks for the response. When will you have a 180g 6x2x2 in stockk

NP! Unfortunately I don’t have this size in stock at the moment. I’am about to place an initial stocking order of all G3’s Reefers starting with 425 so if you want to add it to my order, please let me know!

 

[mmartinho]

NP! Unfortunately I don’t have this size in stock at the moment. I’am about to place an initial stocking order of all G3’s Reefers starting with 425 so if you want to add it to my order, please let me know!

Robert. what would be the price for a 180g 6x2x2 braced glass tank with centered internal overflow and black back? I don't need a stand or anything else, I already have it all. I do understand that not buying the stand might void the warranty. What if I went plexi-glass? What are my options there and price? Feel free to reach to me directly at 650-346-1595. Thx.

 

[SupraSaltyReefer]

Have you checked with GlassCages or Planet Aquarium yet? I wouldn’t recommend Acrylic. Cleaning it is a pain.

 

[mmartinho]

I've owned acrylic large tanks in the past and they do scratch easily plus distort. I really don't want to buy another cabinet, sump etc. I'm waiting on a quote for the price on glass tank vs acrylic. Let see where this takes me. I never had a problem with acrylic tanks other than the scratching.

 

[rygh]

Hmm, your comment on distortion makes me wonder if you had a cheap tru-vu type acrylic aquarium?
Acrylic has a refraction index closer to water, so it should actually be LESS distortion than glass.
Cheap aquariums distort a lot because the acrylic is too thin, and bows out.
Cheap aquariums also scratch really easily because they use extruded acrylic.
A quality cast acrylic tank with decent thickness has really no distortion, and is a lot better with scratches.

For me, I had less scratching issues in general with a large tank, because there is more space between panel and rocks than on a small one.
Acrylic is lighter, transmits light a bit better, is less prone to breaking (reminder : earthquakes), is safe to drill, and retains heat better.

The BIG problem for me is that you have to use a hand plastic scraper to get the coralline off, which is a real hassle. (Tip: Sharpen scraper a lot)
You cannot use a razor blade, and you cannot use a magnetic scraper. EVER.

Personal opinion: For 100G or less, glass is pretty obviously the way to go. For larger, tough call.

 

[mmartinho]

Hmm, your comment on distortion makes me wonder if you had a cheap tru-vu type acrylic aquarium?
Acrylic has a refraction index closer to water, so it should actually be LESS distortion than glass.
Cheap aquariums distort a lot because the acrylic is too thin, and bows out.
Cheap aquariums also scratch really easily because they use extruded acrylic.
A quality cast acrylic tank with decent thickness has really no distortion, and is a lot better with scratches.

For me, I had less scratching issues in general with a large tank, because there is more space between panel and rocks than on a small one.
Acrylic is lighter, transmits light a bit better, is less prone to breaking (reminder : earthquakes), is safe to drill, and retains heat better.

The BIG problem for me is that you have to use a hand plastic scraper to get the coralline off, which is a real hassle. (Tip: Sharpen scraper a lot)
You cannot use a razor blade, and you cannot use a magnetic scraper. EVER.

Personal opinion: For 100G or less, glass is pretty obviously the way to go. For larger, tough call.

you are correct that my larger plexi tanks did not distort, I think I'm recalling my salad days when I got my first 55g that resulted in today's addiction. I agree with all your points; lighter, easy to drill, safer from splitting. scraping sucks but I do have long arms! Lets see where I land with my decision.

 

[grizfyrfyter]

there are disposable plastic "blades" you can use for cleaning acrylic, its used a lot in automotive and aviation to clean stuff off painted surfaces to avoid scratches.

I have 3d printed hundreds of them for my old job.

 

[SupraSaltyReefer]

I really don't want to buy another cabinet, sump etc.

Supposedly one of the contributing factors to why Red Sea tanks fail is due to the stand. That's why a majority of the failed seam location is the bottom seam. Also why Red Sea used to offered a free add on middle support bar for 625XXL and larger tanks.

 

[Turkeysammich]

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again.
Back in the day….. when men were men.
The largest glass aquarium was 120. Anything larger was acrylic. Cuz they are almost burst proof. Euro brace was a must. All these glass rimless aquariums are a joke. The simple build logic just isn’t there. I don’t understand why people don’t understand this.
We have strayed from the basics in this hobby. It wasn’t broke back in the day. It’s broke now because everyone bought the idea of fancy furniture. I blame the sell out BRS.

 

[Kensington Reefer]

yes, acrylic scratches...be more careful!!
acrylic is stronger and more flexible...
I would not recommend any glass tank greater the 4' long