Red Sea Max opinions?

[SoloChromis]

So in a few days I will be setting up (and maintaining) a reef tank for my aunt & uncle who live down the street, and of course after taking them to the fish store they now want to set up a bigger tank. Right now we have it narrowed down to a 90g or a Red Sea Max 250 (65 gallons). Ive never been a fan of the all-in-one systems, but they seem to be leaning more towards that tank. Any opinions or reviews on the Red Sea Max tanks? Thanks guys :dance:

 

[eatbreakfast]

I am not a fan. The 65 is ok, but the larger tanks, the 5 and 6ft max tanks are a pain to work on. The skimmer doesnt work well. The return pump on the larger tanks is too powerful, so sand is blown away from the front, and that is with that pump running the skimmer and the chiller. It is difficult to access the pumps in the back. There is just alot I dont like. i would strongly encourage not getting an all in one tank.

 

[Reef Frog]

If you go Red Sea, consider the new c-250. It has an upgraded skimmer. The older model is great but the skimmer requires a constant water level so an ATO is usually mandatory & though it works fine it's a little tricky to dial in at first.

The system works great but you trade off simplicity & sleek looks for a loss of flexibility. It's an easy system to live with & work with & you can maintain any kind of reef you want. You will probably find you will want to supplement the standard pumps with a variable speed unit like a Vortech.

No sump means reactors need to hang off the back and you won't have a macro algae refugium. But I never missed it. And it's a T5 system which I prefer over LED but it's fine for SPS & can be upgraded if you choose. Lifereef makes an in cabinet sump skimmer set up if you want to go that way but it's expensive.

Of course if your aunt & uncle like the "big fish" any 65g has limitations. If they or you are tinkerers who love fooling with hardware as much or more than keeping the animals, a custom set up is the way to go.

If you are buying all new you are likely to spend less with the RSM. The RSM canopy is excellent & makes daily tasks & tank access for maintenance very convenient & easy. I've never seen another canopy that can match it and a canopy was mandatory for me.

I am still satisfied with the RSM 250 after 4+ years. It was really the only option for me when I started in the hobby. I would have made numerous mistakes piecing together individual components, LFSs had limited choices on reef ready tanks & other equipment & the staffs lacks wisdom, practical knowledge & the ability to educate plus their pricing is stupid high. Also, many of the custom tanks I saw in person and on line all looked aesthetically unpleasing to me & not suitable for the living room. I just couldn't find the system I liked, but to me a nice reef in a RSM looked like a fusion of art and nature.

The RSM kit went together in a few hours and I avoided all the newbie mistakes like leaks, sump design, sizing pumps etc. With that said I will upgrade to a custom system one day now that I have the skills & knowledge. Good luck with your project.

 

[kleach]

I've had my Red Sea 250 set up for a year and a half and I wouldn't do it again. As perviously stated they did come out with a new model so I can't speak to that but here's what no one told me about his tank...

1 - You need an ATO or the skimmer won't work.
2 - There is no pretty way to set up reactors unless you dump more money into it and put a sump under.
3 - The tank runs hot so you'll most likely need a chiller. I did an upgrade to LED's and still need a chiller.
4 - The sand WILL get blown away from the glass so consider the largest grain sand you can find.

I feel so limited in what I can do without a sump and I've dropped more money on the LED's, chiller, ATO, dosing pumps.... Not worth getting this tank in my opinion