Redsea 750 vs 180 custom ?

[block head]

Went to the reef shoppe and really gave the redsea tank a honest assessment. I' ve gotta say i'm really impressed on the build quality. Tom has had his up since September and gave it a great review. I 've watched and read multiple reviews on the redsea. Couple of minor issues like the ato reservoir being small, and center overflow gripes , price . I Originally thought i was going to go 180 with ghoast overflow / bean . I haven't really crunched the numbers. Think i could have the the redsea drop shipped sans sales tax for about $3300 without lights , 5 K with lights. No fuss plumbing, plug and play, epoxy coated stand w 26 ? Leveling feet almost seemed like a no brainer. Assemble the tank in a few hours , bam , done deal. A lot of hobbyists seemingly do just that with great success. The price seems reasonable considering the reports I've seen. Custom stand / drilled tank also appeals to me. I almost think i prefer a tank with a rim after having 2 tank failures with rimless. The redsea 5/ 8 starfire glass looks phenomenal. The silicone looks immaculate, nothing like the marineland build quality that failed me. I' m willing to have someone local build a stand . Jmawoodworks and millie are the 2 builders i know locally. I'm sure both could build beautiful stands. I'm not sure if they offer epoxy coated finishes. Haven't priced either , I'm guessing a 1k ish or more depending on materials. A steel stand would be ideal. Have no clue on local options. Could call in favor or 2 . Buffalo, Rochester, Cuse are doable . Tax , plumbing, labor add up quickly. I'm not sure i gaining functionality going custom. I've heard good things about redsea customer support. I've heard some say i could go custom for less , and get a better built tank. I don't mind spending more money. Not crazy about " the build " . I like quality. Pretty is nice. Reliability and value go a long way. $ 3300 vs tank + stand + overflow+ ato+ plumbing + drilling +paint + tax + gas money/ running around. Thinking I'll spend roughly the same amount. Right now the redsea has my vote. The tank is quiet , almost leak proof, easy. The custom could go either way . Unique masterpiece or money pit nightmare. I willing to give up performance for reliability/ practically. I love the idea of having simple all in one tank that runs with minimal interventions. The sprawling laboratory tank has much less appeal. I much rather enjoy the tank , than fiddle . Tank will be mixed reef / LPS dominated. Some SPS , going to avoid calcium reactor, remote sump .I'd like to Dose , Triton, maybe kalk reactor if necessary to maintain. I don't have any specific demands. Basically building 10' × 30 ' bar with a 6 ' tank as my sanctuary. I have a unfinished basement for overflow. Frag tank / quarantine, etc. I don't have ability or desire for a equipment room . Tom at he reef shoppe called the red sea tanks " a Subaru not a Ferrari " i'm comfortable with that level. I don't need the best, i want quality/ bang for the bucks. Tell me I'm wrong, and i should go custom....

 

[BrokeReefing]

Love mine


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[Gary Majchrzak]

180 CUSTOM (to me) = a custom built aquarium starting with the glass. Think Miracles, Reef Savvy etc. These are the "Ferrari"

180 MODDED = Marineland (or similar) drilled with aftermarket overflow. This type of setup is substantially less expensive than a "Ferrari" and could possibly be less expensive than a similarly sized Red Sea set up.

Red Sea = not for everyone but definitely very nice!

Good luck choosing!

 

[Spartan]

From reading your post, I think the tank will not contribute much to your overall goal. You want practical and reliable over a "Ferrari ". Pretty much any tank will do that. Your focus should be on the equipment, how you'll do maintenance and water changes etc.

 

[mattgumaer]

Went to the reef shoppe and really gave the redsea tank a honest assessment. I' ve gotta say i'm really impressed on the build quality. Tom has had his up since September and gave it a great review. I 've watched and read multiple reviews on the redsea. Couple of minor issues like the ato reservoir being small, and center overflow gripes , price . I Originally thought i was going to go 180 with ghoast overflow / bean . I haven't really crunched the numbers. Think i could have the the redsea drop shipped sans sales tax for about $3300 without lights , 5 K with lights. No fuss plumbing, plug and play, epoxy coated stand w 26 ? Leveling feet almost seemed like a no brainer. Assemble the tank in a few hours , bam , done deal. A lot of hobbyists seemingly do just that with great success. The price seems reasonable considering the reports I've seen. Custom stand / drilled tank also appeals to me. I almost think i prefer a tank with a rim after having 2 tank failures with rimless. The redsea 5/ 8 starfire glass looks phenomenal. The silicone looks immaculate, nothing like the marineland build quality that failed me. I' m willing to have someone local build a stand . Jmawoodworks and millie are the 2 builders i know locally. I'm sure both could build beautiful stands. I'm not sure if they offer epoxy coated finishes. Haven't priced either , I'm guessing a 1k ish or more depending on materials. A steel stand would be ideal. Have no clue on local options. Could call in favor or 2 . Buffalo, Rochester, Cuse are doable . Tax , plumbing, labor add up quickly. I'm not sure i gaining functionality going custom. I've heard good things about redsea customer support. I've heard some say i could go custom for less , and get a better built tank. I don't mind spending more money. Not crazy about " the build " . I like quality. Pretty is nice. Reliability and value go a long way. $ 3300 vs tank + stand + overflow+ ato+ plumbing + drilling +paint + tax + gas money/ running around. Thinking I'll spend roughly the same amount. Right now the redsea has my vote. The tank is quiet , almost leak proof, easy. The custom could go either way . Unique masterpiece or money pit nightmare. I willing to give up performance for reliability/ practically. I love the idea of having simple all in one tank that runs with minimal interventions. The sprawling laboratory tank has much less appeal. I much rather enjoy the tank , than fiddle . Tank will be mixed reef / LPS dominated. Some SPS , going to avoid calcium reactor, remote sump .I'd like to Dose , Triton, maybe kalk reactor if necessary to maintain. I don't have any specific demands. Basically building 10' × 30 ' bar with a 6 ' tank as my sanctuary. I have a unfinished basement for overflow. Frag tank / quarantine, etc. I don't have ability or desire for a equipment room . Tom at he reef shoppe called the red sea tanks " a Subaru not a Ferrari " i'm comfortable with that level. I don't need the best, i want quality/ bang for the bucks. Tell me I'm wrong, and i should go custom....

I think this is more about you than the tank. If you want 'plug-and-play', either get the Red Sea Reefer or ask someone to do a 'soup-to-nuts' custom build, relying on them to make essentially all choices.

If you crave 'control' over the choices and love to tinker, plan out your own custom build, either starting with a custom tank or pre-fab modified with your own preferences.

I don't think there is a 'right answer'. I know tank failures happen but, I wouldn't count on one type of build being better than another EXCEPT my guess is that most tank failures are related to the stand rather than the tank, either because the top of the stand is not flat or level.

Myself, I built a Marineland 180 into a closet space in my basement, doing all the work myself. If I could do it over, I would: 1) drill the tank and do a custom bean animal overflow rather than relying on the standard Marineland dual overflows (although the noise isn't really an issue because of the 'closet'); and 2) I would have bought a welded steel frame 'stand' with leveling feet. I would go with steel to: 1) maximize usable space under the tank (you can never have too much,particularly if your not running something like a remote basement sump); and 2) I feel my current wooden 'stand' is rock solid, flat and level but, will it be that way in 20 years?

Matt

 

[block head]

Last tank was a cube / factory stand/ on level concrete. Lots of documented tank failures. Large cubes relying on a silicone aren't a fair comparison. I bought a nice trigger system sump . Plumbing was sub optimal. Large corner overflow did not impress me. The overall build quality on aqueon/ marineland standard tanks is probably adequate. Drilling /aftermarket oveflow would be the route I'd take. Redsea tank quality rivals custom built tanks I've seen. A 200gallon catastrophic tank failure would not be acceptable. I'd truthfully would walk away from hobby if the tank dumped hundreds of gallons on the floor. I'm not tolerant of shoddy plumbing in general. A splash here or there will happen. In my mind, The drilled standard tank would work. Redsea would look better. Apples to apples, i think I'd take the redsea tank and stand. A wood wrapped steel stand would be ideal. Sourcing one locally is a hurdle. I haven't seen/ heard of a local builder. Gotta say having everything delivered and set up in a day is very appealing. Getting a tank drilled, overflow installed, bean animal plumbing, tank painted, stand built sounds more expensive. Real world savings i fear are exaggerated. Haven't done it , i wouldn't know. In my experience, saw blades are needed, bulkheads gaskets disappear, shipping delays erupt. " THE EASY WAY " will still have me ordering a boat load of toys/ necessities. I know for some , the journey means a lot. I'm not that guy. I want function/ reliable/ value.