Need advise (new tank)

Mike Bivens

Member
Looking to buy a Red Sea max -s 650 ... Any advise pros/cons. I had many salt tanks 30 years ago and the technology is so different. Just need some advise before I jump in head first. I will want a reef tank soft corals etc.
 

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
Welcome to Reef Sanctuary,
I have little experience with those systems so if I was going to setup one of those up I would start reading the Reef Chronicles here on those aquariums.
We have quite the community of RSM keepers

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?forums/red-sea-max-owners-club.180/

This great advice.

I will add I’ve been running a Red Sea C-250 for about 4 years and I think it is amazingly awesome. In fact, I’m bummed they don’t make it anymore.

Personally, I hate rimless, which is all they do now. But, that’s 100% a style thing. Red Sea tanks are top notch aside from that.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Looking to buy a Red Sea max -s 650 ... Any advise pros/cons. I had many salt tanks 30 years ago and the technology is so different. Just need some advise before I jump in head first. I will want a reef tank soft corals etc.

30 years ago in SW reef keeping is a long time ago and quite a lot has changed. The way of doing things has really evolved. If you haven't already done so, get yourself a couple of modern books on reefkeeping and study them. Yea, it's fun to read all the nice web pages, but a lot of this information is inaccurate or obsolete. Also, while the information is on the web, it's all over the place, and it's easy to miss a few key points.

A Red Sea Max-s 650 is a great system, but it is large and going to be expensive by the time you get it all stocked and everything. Consider starting with a much more modest system. In your case this isn't as much for the experience as it is to make sure you really want a reef system and all that goes with it.
 

Mike Bivens

Member
30 years ago in SW reef keeping is a long time ago and quite a lot has changed. The way of doing things has really evolved. If you haven't already done so, get yourself a couple of modern books on reefkeeping and study them. Yea, it's fun to read all the nice web pages, but a lot of this information is inaccurate or obsolete. Also, while the information is on the web, it's all over the place, and it's easy to miss a few key points.

A Red Sea Max-s 650 is a great system, but it is large and going to be expensive by the time you get it all stocked and everything. Consider starting with a much more modest system. In your case this isn't as much for the experience as it is to make sure you really want a reef system and all that goes with it.

Thanks for the info. I will be getting a few books to make sure everything that I need I will have, as for size of tank, the 150 is the way to go for me. I know it is a lot of $$$. But the space I have its is whats going o fit and complete the room that its is in, GO big or go home...LOL My old tanks back in the late 80s were 80 and 100 . And all my kids are going off to college I will need to occupy my time with something.
 

Mike Bivens

Member
This great advice.

I will add I’ve been running a Red Sea C-250 for about 4 years and I think it is amazingly awesome. In fact, I’m bummed they don’t make it anymore.

Personally, I hate rimless, which is all they do now. But, that’s 100% a style thing. Red Sea tanks are top notch aside from that.

Yes, The rimless thing I really don't understand. I was originally looking for something with a canopy. But the dilemma is to get a Red Sea or have a tank built with a canopy and the build the filtration system. Is there any benefit to have it open or enclosed canopy is the way to go or is it just old school?
 

SPR

Well-Known Member
Hi Mike and welcome to Reef Sanctuary.

I’ve got the 2016 Red Sea Max S 650 which you can take a look at on my build thread below if your interested.

They are open top, but they are stunning, and more importantly everything is hidden away. So no power heads, pumps or anything else on show other than the small return nozzles. So you can put them in your living room and have a thriving coral reef by your side. Just don’t look at the wires in the back lol!

The hoods are personal choice, but I like them open top. I only recently added a mesh cover as I now have Wrasse which tend to want to ‘fly’! But even the Red Sea mesh cover looks nice as it’s custom made for the tanks.

If you have time on your hands, just read and learn as much as you can about the hobby. Just think of yourself as a ‘keeper of water’ and if you can keep all the water parameters stable and at correct levels you should do fine. The bigger the tank volume, the easier it is to control as you can less dramatic swings.

The S650 is a big beast when it comes to filling it with fish and corals so you will need a big wallet, but it means it’s big enough to ‘feed your addiction’ as it grows lol!
 

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
There are pros and cons on getting an all-in-one system versus building your own tank. Best to look them up to determine which you'd like to get.

I've had my red sea 250 max since Oct. 2011. Still going strong. Great contained tank for the space between my dinning and living room.

I've had both all-in-one tanks (red sea, marine depot, JBJ) and ones that I set up from scratch. I set up my first salt water tank in the mid-90s, a 55g w/hood and sump, and things have definitely changed over the years from then (no more bio ball wet dry systems, lol).

One of the major pros IMO in the older red sea tanks is that there is little to no salt creep or condensation issues. I am able to keep the sump area clean and free of any issues with salt which works well for the equipment that I have down there (chiller, ato, wave pump electronics, and dosing pumps) and all of my other gear. I also have hardwood flooring and I've been able to keep them clean of salt and moisture which is also a huge bonus.

I also don't like the rimless tanks. In my old 55g with hood, the salt and condensation was a horrible issue as well. In the older red sea tanks there is enough air flow through the closed hood and in the separate lighting section that again there is little to no salt or condensation issues.

But there are also cons to some all-in-one tanks. Depending on your opinion these have included lights, heating/cooling, and skimmer issues have all come up depending on the tank set up.

Business Insider had an articles this past October on the best saltwater aquariums you can buy based on size, if you want to look up the article. Most are all-in-one versions. Most they choose seemed geared towards one brand, not sure why. I'm sure there are other articles out there as well and an internet search can find them.

What is nice about the red sea tanks and this forum is that there is a whole community of folks who have the tanks and thus you can do a search on this forum by topic to find insider information as well as a community in which you can ask questions if you are looking for any feedback on your system.
 
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Pat24601

Well-Known Member
I dislike open top mostly for style reasons, nothing practical. So, I wouldn’t worry about. That said, I like the look of the S-650. It does it absolutely as well as it can be done. MUCH better looking than many of the open top tanks IMO.

One of the practical reasons Red Sea did that is because they feel it’s better to give some distance between the LEDs and the water. So, they have at least one practical reason to do it. Now, since I’ve run a C-250 for years with LED upgrade, I’m not sure how much that matters to me, but I don’t doubt their research.

Tl;dr: There is nothing wrong with open top at all, many people like it, and the S-650 does it as well as it can be done.
 

Uncle99

Well-Known Member
Just a note to say beyond all the technological changes, the basis wil always remain the same, consistently great water with all parameters on point, stable, and the ability to maintain those parameters on the long term.

The all in ones are very nice looking but component systems sometimes offer a wider selection of toys, but in the end, a glass box with great water is all you need.....everything else is choice....have fun
 

Mike Bivens

Member
I dislike open top mostly for style reasons, nothing practical. So, I wouldn’t worry about. That said, I like the look of the S-650. It does it absolutely as well as it can be done. MUCH better looking than many of the open top tanks IMO.

One of the practical reasons Red Sea did that is because they feel it’s better to give some distance between the LEDs and the water. So, they have at least one practical reason to do it. Now, since I’ve run a C-250 for years with LED upgrade, I’m not sure how much that matters to me, but I don’t doubt their research.

Tl;dr: There is nothing wrong with open top at all, many people like it, and the S-650 does it as well as it can be done.
Hi Mike and welcome to Reef Sanctuary.

I’ve got the 2016 Red Sea Max S 650 which you can take a look at on my build thread below if your interested.

They are open top, but they are stunning, and more importantly everything is hidden away. So no power heads, pumps or anything else on show other than the small return nozzles. So you can put them in your living room and have a thriving coral reef by your side. Just don’t look at the wires in the back lol!

The hoods are personal choice, but I like them open top. I only recently added a mesh cover as I now have Wrasse which tend to want to ‘fly’! But even the Red Sea mesh cover looks nice as it’s custom made for the tanks.

If you have time on your hands, just read and learn as much as you can about the hobby. Just think of yourself as a ‘keeper of water’ and if you can keep all the water parameters stable and at correct levels you should do fine. The bigger the tank volume, the easier it is to control as you can less dramatic swings.

The S650 is a big beast when it comes to filling it with fish and corals so you will need a big wallet, but it means it’s big enough to ‘feed your addiction’ as it grows lol!
 

Mike Bivens

Member
Thanks everyone for all the great advise. After looking at all the different options The Red Sea is the tank for me. I know it might cost a few extra bucks but in the long haul it will have everything I need, I will try and document the build and growth of the tank like Shaun did, That was really helpful.
Once I get going I am sure is will be using this forum to get more answers, And one final question what online store is the best to purchase from. I live in So Cal. so Marine Depot is around the coroner. How are they to deal with? Again thanks everyone for taking the time to help me out.
Mike-
 

saintsreturn

Well-Known Member
Congrats on the decision!

I use BRS and marine Depot depending on what I need. Both have been great to me and I am sure you will not have any problems with either. I am still not fully convinced that they are not owned by the same company lol.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
Just a note to say beyond all the technological changes, the basis wil always remain the same, consistently great water with all parameters on point, stable, and the ability to maintain those parameters on the long term.

This is an awesome point. In the 4 years I’ve been doing this, maintaining good water quality (through frequent water changes in my case) has been really the key to most potential issues.
 
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