RSM 250 How good is it ??

[TheWhite]

Good day folks !!
Stumble uppon this forum. lsmile:

I had a smal 30 Gal tank some days back and the wife did'nt like that !!
Now Kicked the wife out :bouncer: and the new girl friend find a reef tank awsome !!!
So i'm looking at a RSM250, but i read lots a negative on it ?!?!?
I know you guys are sold to RSM stuff but, still would like your input on it.

Looking to set up in july or august.

Thanks in advance.

 

[YNot]

I too had (still have it) a BioCube 29 gallon tank. It was my first saltwater tank. I loved everything about it.
One of the things I liked was that all the mechanics & plumbing was hidden away, out of site.
The thing my wife did not like was the lack of space to add all of the corals she wanted.

At one moment, I'm thinking about the RSM and then next thing I know, she's surfing the web and getting prices.
Mine came with an Apex Controller. I've been geeking on that thing for weeks.

To answer your question, I'm still loving it. It's been up and running for almost two months. The only thing I've done so far is to add some stunner LED strips for the lighting.

We plan to add a sump at some point but for now, everything is running great. All parameters are dead nuts perfect. No complaints what-so-ever.

Here's my tank, for your reference:
My tank

 

[TheWhite]

Thank you for sharing your tank. Looks great.
But i never had any Redsea products before, my tank was a small tank found in a garage sale.

 

[kderobertis]

Good day folks !!
Stumble uppon this forum. lsmile:

I had a smal 30 Gal tank some days back and the wife did'nt like that !!
Now Kicked the wife out :bouncer: and the new girl friend find a reef tank awsome !!!
So i'm looking at a RSM250, but i read lots a negative on it ?!?!?
I know you guys are sold to RSM stuff but, still would like your input on it.

Looking to set up in july or august.

Thanks in advance.

I own the RSM 250 for almost a year and think the AIO (All In One) system is pretty good, but it does have some drawbacks.

First, in viewing from the outside, the system provides a nice clean look, I don't have wires running all over the place, it conceals them very nicely. Many people have issues dialing in the protein skimmer, but never really was impacted by that. The biggest issue is the tank runs hot, I purchased a chiller from day one, but I would say a majority of the people who purchase this tank don't have a chiller. The chiller gives me "peace of mind" when I'm at work, but others have created there own way of keeping the tank cooler.

I think this tank is a great start-up tank, many people who purchase them are novices at best (me included), until they learn the in and outs of reef aquariums. Once you understand the basic's of reef aquariums, then you start all the customizations and realize that many fish require more room etc. I think the entire tank setup is nicely done but limited, since I'm already thinking (bigger tank), since the 60 display gives you very limited livestock choices.

 

[DianaKay]

Hi Whitey!
:welcomera Welcome to RS....hope you are here to share a tank build with us

I'm also LVING my RSM 250! Unless you are a do-it-yourself person, I think the "plug & play" systems are the way to go.
Otherwise you will wind up with something in your living room that looks for like a science project. That's my opinion.
But you better have extra cash sitting around to invest in your hobby. The bigger you go, the more it costs. But if you love what you are doing in the saltwater hobby it's worth the money. It's a healthy addiction but just as expensive as street drugs is what I hear.

YNot...Your tank is AWESOME! You just talked me into getting a couple more additions to my tank that I'd been thinking about.
Thanks for sharing the video...loved it I need to follow along with your thread

Edit: I did add several EXPENSIVE items....chiller & Vortech MP10 & a RO-Di water system. I feel like they were very needed.

 

[TheWhite]

Well Thank you gents.
I am taking notes.
Not sure if i will need a chiller as i live in the province of Quebec Canada. LOL

Why would you need to had a sump ?

 

[DianaKay]

I see NO NEED for a sump unless you just want to increase water volume like that, Or have somewhere to grow pods, or a place to put an aggressive fish until you could take it back to the LFS? I don't have one YET...if I run out of things to spend money on, I might get one. LOL! I need (added already) a chiller because the lights in a closed system (even with the hood fan) can make my tank temp warmer than I want it to be. But it's hot & humid in the Summer where I live at.

 

[gmckay]

Hey,

I'm in Ottawa...and even though you may have your home air conditioned at a constant 72 F., you may still find the temp climbs past 82 with all the heat from mostly the lamps...but also the various pumps that run your system.

I would strongly recommend you factor in the cost of a chiller.

But as for all in one tanks, the system is very good. There are better- and that would be the RedSea S Series., which comes complete with a sump.

The other reason for a sump, other than what Diana suggested, is to allow for extra water conditioning equipment to be utilized

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members

Love my RSM 250, run it stock with great success

How good are RSM tanks... they say a picture is worth a thousand words... so here we go
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums.../37227-red-sea-max-full-tank-shot-photos.html

 

[ksicard]

You can also invest in LED lights for your rsm250 to solve heating issues as well as upgrade your lighting in the process. There are many places that offer LED retrofits for the rsm250. LED lighting system costs roughly about the same as a chiller so there's an idea on killing two birds with one stone.

 

[Zenergy]

You can also invest in LED lights for your rsm250 to solve heating issues as well as upgrade your lighting in the process. There are many places that offer LED retrofits for the rsm250. LED lighting system costs roughly about the same as a chiller so there's an idea on killing two birds with one stone.

Be cautious with this LED = "Solved" heat problems - I replaced my RSM 130D T5s with StevesLEDs to reduce heatload versus getting a chiller (also I work for an LED upgrade company) and although overall very pleased - it didn't reduce the heatload as much as I liked. I still have to use evap cooling on a temp controller I made with an ATO but haven't had to buy a chiller yet

 

[slakker]

I have a RSM 130 and find the engineering and construction very well thought through... not perfect, but pretty good. I also have a Biocube 8 and 14... those are good, but not as good as the RSM. Just simple things like cable management, etc...

The only thing I have to complain about is the skimmer! My friend has the 250 and he has the same complain... I've upgraded mine to a Tunze 9002 and he's thinking the same (even though it's not "rated" to the volume).

 

[YNot]

My skimmer has been skimming along without issues.
I figure that it (a different skimmer) might pull out more gunk but...as long as it's removing and the noise is not unbearable and the water perimeters are good, then why mess with it.

I have added some stunner strips. My wife, son and I were a bit disappointed in the "moon" lighting. We like to see the corals light up.
They fit perfectly between the T5 bulbs. When it's time to replace the T5 bulbs, I'll be swapping in a full set of LEDs.

I have an Apex controller hooked up to mine. Love that thing!!
It fired off a text message, email and an alarm one morning. The water temp hit 83 degrees.
I found that the cooling fan had, for unknown reasons, blown the fuse. I popped a new fuse in and the temps went back to normal of 79/80 degrees.

Two nights ago I added an extra set of the cooling fans (the ones on the side, not the rear) and wired them up so that they are always on.
Now the water temp is dead steady at 79 degrees. In fact, the heater has been toggling on/off to keep it there.

I was worried about needing a chiller.
Turns out, two extra fans was all it took for my water to keep it's cool.

 

[YNot]

YNot...Your tank is AWESOME! You just talked me into getting a couple more additions to my tank that I'd been thinking about.
Thanks for sharing the video...loved it I need to follow along with your thread .

Gee, thanks.
My wife did the design.
I get to do all the tank cleaning/water changes, etc...
The credit for the tank really goes to my wife.

Thanks anyway and I'll pass your comments along to her.