Red sea Max S-650

TonyB13

New member
This question has been bothering me and i have looked for the answer and cant seem to find it, is the red sea Max S-650 worth the 5000+ dollars and is it all its advertised to be. sounds great but is it really as good as it looks, and any other all inclusive aquariums like that.
Thanks,Tony
 
An lfs not too far from me uses it as a display tank, they recently broke it down and redid it, but it has always been spectacular, the coral in it had seriously outgrown the tank so they put them in a big display they were putting together.
 
I think with any of the inclusive systems though they are nice and work great you are paying more for the convenience of having everything you require in one place. Im sure if you priced it out you could get a comparable list of equipment for less money, but it wont look as pretty without some effort.
 
Thanks guys, cant seem to find much on these tanks that's not advertising. but haven't found anything negative on them either. but dropping 5 thousand dollars in one transaction is kinda scary for me, most expensive toy i ever bought was my bicycle for 2000 ten years ago
 
No kidding. That's a lot of coin. Have you had reef tanks in the past? What makes you want to get this specifically?
 
I think they look great, but not 5000.00 great. you can build a better, larger tank for less.
 
The only way to know for sure is to lay out a similar system on paper with similar features and compare it. Be sure you're not comparing it with the cheapest components available as that system has low iron glass, good pumps etc.

You will be able to come up with a box of 650 liters of water for less by shopping used or using bargain components, building a stand out of lumber, etc. The question becomes a comparison of the mistakes you'll avoid, physical appearance, ease of use etc etc.

One thing about buying a quality AIO: You'll avoid many mistakes. For example my RS AIO never ever has a leak or shows salt creep. Some DIY systems I've seen didn't get this right and they're a mess that I could never put in my living room.

But on the other hand, a skilled & experienced builder can indeed some up with 650 liters of fantastic tank, probably for a little less money. But the difference may surprise you.

When I started out, oddly enough, no LFS was capable of doing this for me. They talked a good game but had nothing in stock for me to see & evaluate. No written quotes. Very confusing. I did not have the skills to order individual components, find big tank builders and all that.

Well, that's my perspective. Good luck with whatever way you go.
 
I am a DiY'er but those tanks are nice enough that I would be tempted to get one...but I would get the other line, without a light, I know ppl aren't all about sticking to one method of doing things. But I am sticking to LED. They aren't perfect, but the more they get used, the more they will be improved. So I really like that second line they have, in black...maybe with an AP700 over it XD
 
No kidding. That's a lot of coin. Have you had reef tanks in the past? What makes you want to get this specifically?

Yes I have in the past and started back in again this year with JBJ nano 28 gallon that I love and a 75 gallon I just started with canister filter. I really love the clean lines and everything the little jbj has to offer. So thats why i am considering the max650.
 
I am a DiY'er but those tanks are nice enough that I would be tempted to get one...but I would get the other line, without a light, I know ppl aren't all about sticking to one method of doing things. But I am sticking to LED. They aren't perfect, but the more they get used, the more they will be improved. So I really like that second line they have, in black...maybe with an AP700 over it XD
I actually thought about those two and if I do go that route you have a few more options I think cadlight does one too and maybe a couple of others and they are half the price i think.
 
The only way to know for sure is to lay out a similar system on paper with similar features and compare it. Be sure you're not comparing it with the cheapest components available as that system has low iron glass, good pumps etc.

You will be able to come up with a box of 650 liters of water for less by shopping used or using bargain components, building a stand out of lumber, etc. The question becomes a comparison of the mistakes you'll avoid, physical appearance, ease of use etc etc.

One thing about buying a quality AIO: You'll avoid many mistakes. For example my RS AIO never ever has a leak or shows salt creep. Some DIY systems I've seen didn't get this right and they're a mess that I could never put in my living room.

But on the other hand, a skilled & experienced builder can indeed some up with 650 liters of fantastic tank, probably for a little less money. But the difference may surprise you.

When I started out, oddly enough, no LFS was capable of doing this for me. They talked a good game but had nothing in stock for me to see & evaluate. No written quotes. Very confusing. I did not have the skills to order individual components, find big tank builders and all that.

Well, that's my perspective. Good luck with whatever way you go.

The looks is the thing which is very important to me and I don't see anything else that comes even close to that, please tell me if I am wrong and what I should look at if you know.
But very good advice I will see how much just a nice tank and stand will cost, I am open on suggestions from some of the gurus on here.
Thanks all
 
Yes I have in the past and started back in again this year with JBJ nano 28 gallon that I love and a 75 gallon I just started with canister filter. I really love the clean lines and everything the little jbj has to offer. So thats why i am considering the max650.

Excellent. Then it sounds like you like that style of tank so it's just deciding if you wanna part with the cash for it. Best of luck!
 
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