RSM 250 with Nilus    7/2/12
Hi Bob,
Just found out that Red Sea is working on adapting the RSM 250 hood to incorporate the Orphek Nilus LED fixture.  Photos included. 
<Not ours>
Too early for any kind of release date or whether that will be available to present owners of RSM 250's but I'll keep you updated.
James
<Nice. B>

Red Sea Max 130D    12/20/11
Hello Bob, I have a friend, Paul Mansur, the link from your website.
May I ask you a short question about starting an aquarium. The Red Sea Max 130D, is a ready-made system, however without cooling.
Do you know this system of Red Sea Max and what you think of the quality?
<I do know of this line and consider it excellent>
There are still more brands that deliver a customer and ready system?
Thank you, sincerely
<There are several such lines, the Red Sea Max is near the top in quality, completeness and value.>
Met vriendelijke groet,
<And you, Bob Fenner>
Marco van Wattingen, The Netherlands

Temperature Control in the RSM 250 9/12/11 Hello Crew, <Hello Sugam> I am back again with a question about my RSM. Not stocking this time but temperature that has me worried. Despite my room being at 20 degrees Celsius, the tank seems to be at 28 minimum and goes maybe 1 degree higher when lights are on. Still not stocked (expect for 1 Percula) but I imagine I do need this down by about 3-4 degrees for a reef setup. <Yes, 82 1/2 (28 C) degrees is getting up there for corals. Your 28C temp seems a bit high with an ambient room temp of 20C.> I have kind of resigned myself to needing a chiller but before I put the money down on one, I thought I'd check with you if I am missing something. I was under the impression that the tank was usually 3-4 degrees over room temperature but this does not seem to be my experience with this tank. Moreover, even dropping the room to 18 does not seem to impact the tank temperature. Assume the submerged equipment is the cause. My heater is set to 24.5 degrees so never comes on. < Perhaps a pump is overheating and/or all four hood fans are not operating? I have the same system and with lights on, I could maintain 80F with a room temp of 76F. Are you running the two back fans 24/7?> Is a chiller my only option? <LEDs would be the other, lower electrical cost plus no lamps to replace yearly, and you would do away with the heat problem. This seems to be a common problem among RSM 250 owners. I have switched to LEDs on my RSM 250, but not solely because of a temperature issue. Might want to contact Red Sea on this matter and get their input/suggestions.  pinky@redseafish.com >  Thanks as always for your help. I do seem to be finding my feet in the hobby thanks to you guys. <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Regards, Sugam Re Temperature Control in the RSM 250 9/12/11 Thanks for you help James. <You're welcome.> To answer your questions below, the fans come on automatically when the lights are on. Other than that, they are not on. Would you suggest I run them straight through? <I'd try it, I believe you will lower your temperature. The four fans in the light chamber itself helps to keep the lamps and electronics cool, but it's the rear two fans that will help lower the tank temperature. There is a switch in the top control center that will allow you to run these fans continuously.> I am still finding my feet with this tank but I do believe it has a switch for this? <Yes it does, do read the manual, should state this.> The hood fans do seem to work just fine with the lights on. The ones of the right side are the exhaust taking heat away while the ones in the back pull in air. <Correct.> The tank is currently 2 inches from a wall. Would increasing the gap help? <No, that is plenty of room for the rear fans to do their job.> On another note, what LEDs did you use for your RSM? Do they sit in the current hood or did you have to modify? <I am actually doing a product review on the Aquabeam 1000 HD Ultra Tiles which should be published in our WWM Digital Magazine toward the end of the year. I removed the hood and the fixture rests in the side wells that normally support the hood arms, no modifying at all. I will attach a pic taken during the early stages of set up.> The thing I like about the tank is its neatness and that's really what has me hesitant on the chiller. Cost is a secondary concern. I am already looking at a skimmer upgrade to the Deltec MC500 which will require me to do some cutting into the hood. <I would just remove the center cover which also makes it easier to do maintenance on the skimmer. Why hack it up, the skimmer is still going to stick out above the hood. My opinion is that you would be wasting your money here, especially considering the cost of the Deltec MC500. Although the Deltec is an excellent skimmer, I'd find it difficult to justify spending the 500 bucks for one. The skimmer that comes with the RSM 250 is very capable skimmer once it is tuned in, and will process four times the tank volume per hour. It is important to maintain a water level about half way up in the water level window. I get a good amount of waste weekly with mine. I also use Chemipure Elite in the media chamber which is a combination of high grade carbon, ion exchange resins, and ferric oxide to control phosphates.> Thanks for the Red Sea contact. I will write to them and seek their input as well. Out of curiosity, did you go with the white or the black? <My wife went with the black, I wanted white. :-))> I chose the white (hesitantly) and am loving the colour. Cheers, <Ditto. James (Salty Dog)> Sugam

Re Temperature Control in the RSM 250 9/12/11- 9/13/11 You, my friend are a genius! <A far cry from that.> It was so obvious; I can't believe I didn't think of it! Having the fan run did the trick from the looks of it. Woke up today to find the temperature at 26 C proper! Never been that low before. Thanks so much! <You're welcome.> Now I just need to see what happens when the lights come on and that might well be the temperature issue behind me. The compromise of course is that I will now have a lot more evaporation. <To be expected. With the LEDs, I run no fans and top off daily with a quart of RO water.> From losing less than one measure in the water level monitor window, I lost 2 overnight. No worries about topping off each day though. Much easier to solve. Do you run an auto top-up or do it manually. <The old manual way. You still have to fill up the supply water for the auto top off, so........> I am thinking manually for now. Is there any potential concern with pouring the fresh RO water into the main tank slowly? <No.> In my other tank I have better access to the built-in sump so easier to pour it there. I see your point on the skimmer. Since I am planning to stock light anyway, perhaps it makes sense to take the stock skimmer out for a proper spin before I look at an upgrade. <The skimmer does take some time to "break in" before better performance is noted.> Thanks for the tip on the Chemipure. <No problem.> I can't wait to read your article and Bob's review on the RSM. <I also plan doing a review on the RSM 250 once I get the LED article completed.> Oh, and as for the colour, it was my wife that insisted on the white! Go figure, right? <You got it.> You guys rock! <Have a nice day. James (Salty Dog)> Sugam

re: New tank stocking list, Now RedSea Max 250 rev.    8/4/11
Hi Bob,
<J>
I wasn't aware that you wrote a review on the RSM 250. Didn't see it in the article section on WWM.
<Not posted on WWM... hasn't run in the pulp 'zines as yet>
Can you link me to it? I guess I won't do a review on it in that case.
James
<Is just a segment of a larger piece. DO pen your review for publication.
B>
re: New tank stocking list   8/5/11
Okee dokee. J

Lighting System Causing Temperature Problems (Red Sea Max 130d) -- 05/21/10
Hello,
<<Greetings James>>
Thanks in advance for your guidance.
<<Welcome, in advance>>
I am currently cycling my first tank. It is a Red Sea Max 130d.
<<Neat looking little systems>>
It is a 34 gallon tank. I am having problems with temperature fluctuations caused by the lighting. This system uses 2 55watt T-5 compact bulbs. I started with a 10 hour on 14 hour off light cycle.
<<This is fine'¦what I would do>>
This caused a temperature rise from 77F to 80.5F.
<<Mmm'¦not 'all that bad' considering'¦in my opinion>>
I then attempted to use the supplied optional cooling fan but the water still rose to 80F.
<<But still, a 0.5 degree drop'¦this is of benefit>>
I tried breaking the light cycle into half, 5 hours on 5 hours off 5 hours on 5 hours off.
<<Depending on your livestock this 'may' be fine'¦but just too 'unnatural' for my liking>>
I am now seeing a temperature fluctuation of only 1-1 ½ degrees Fahrenheit. I am in no way able to afford a chiller right now so I don't know what else to do. I eventually plan on getting some soft corals so I was wondering if a split light cycle would be harmful to fish or inverts.
<<Considering the lighting system, I would suggest the longer (10 hr) 'on' cycle to allow the corals to 'maximize' the available light output. The temperature swing and max-temp you describe is workable in my experience. Do utilize the cooling fan'¦and try leaving the front opening 'up' to facilitate air movement and some evaporative cooling>>
Thanks,
James (North Carolina)
<<Happy to share'¦ EricR (South Carolina)>>

Red Sea Max Reef Systems../Tank Selection 12/22/09
Hey guys and gals,
<Hello Rick>
Short and sweet today.. what are your thoughts, opinions on these Red Sea all in one saltwater setups? There is a 65 gallon that looks pretty good. I live in a small apartment and these seem convenient. However if they are no good it's a moot point.
<I've heard nothing negative about them. You may want to read the customer reviews on Marine Depot's site. Look here.
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem.aspx?category=Red_Sea_MAX_250_Plug_Pl
ay_Coral_Reef_System_Saltwater_Aquariums_Complete_Kits&vendor=Red_Sea&idProd
uct=RS5131&IdCategory=FIAQCK&tab=0>
Thanks so much for your time.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Rick 

New Aquarium/Turn Key Aquariums 3/27/09
Hello All,
<Hi Ramon>
I wrote before about my 29 gallon and my son's 10 gallon, now I'm planning to get another tank and give my set-up to my son's, which consists of the 29 gallon, 15 gallon Refugium, 18 gallon Sump, a skimmer, 2 light fixtures that equal about 206 watts.  My question is I was looking into getting the new Red Sea 250 liter tank because of its all-in-one configuration, I was searching the website to see if I can find any links on all-in-one tanks but, I could not find any.  Is there any information on another company that has an all-in-one system that I can look at an compare the two?
<Look here.
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=Aquariums
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~aquariums_tanks__index.html
http://www.championlighting.com/home.php?cat=406
Or should I just try to build one with my budget of 1,800?
<You will have to compare here, build vs. turnkey.>
I do have some restrictions, I have to be able to pick it up and move it by myself of with a dolly.
<Should be able to do this with all the turnkey aquariums I am aware of.>
Thanks in advance
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Ramon and Sons

Recommendations on a 30 - 40 gallon reef tank, all-in-one commercial set ups  10/6/08 Dear WetWebMedia Crew: <Kevin> I am getting back into having a marine aquarium as my kids are now beyond the "throw things in or at the tank" stage. My last tank was a 120-gallon reef tank that was thriving thanks to the information on your website and Bob Fenner's excellent "Conscientious Marine Aquarist" book, but I had to take it down and give to someone who could use it when my little boy started walking; big glass tanks and 2 year old throwing things were a concern! Now that both my boy and girl are beyond this stage, I am ready to start getting back into the hobby after a 5 year absence and show my kids how to take care of marine animals. <Ahh!> I am planning to start with a micro-reef and wanted to know your thoughts on the various all-in-one systems being sold, specifically the Red Sea Max 34 gallon and the Deep Sea Aquatics Neo-Nano products. <These "units" have REALLY improved. Not so familiar with the latter line, but Red Sea's are very nice, complete, good, working gear> I like what I have read about the Red Sea Max, but I am a big fan of having a separate sump and using the Aqua C EV series of skimmers, which the Neo-Nano would allow. If you feel there are other models of this category of tanks that I should look into, please let me know. <Have just looked at Deep Sea's on the net, think this can be made to work... given your background in marines> As for the bio-load, I plan to keep primarily invertebrates, with a couple of fish. I had good success with T. derasa and Squamosa clams, and would like to keep a T. Squamosa in the tank, with some smaller hard corals and snails. Fish would be gobies or blennies. i am a big fan of invertebrate tanks; I grew up in Hawaii and had several marine tanks with Cone shells, cowries, sea cucumbers and various other animals we caught on the reef flats east of Diamond Head. <A beautiful spot... when the swell is down!> Thanks in advance for your advice. Kevin <Welcome. Bob Fenner, a hu'i hou!>

Re: Recommendations on a 30 - 40 gallon reef tank  10/6/08 Bob: <Kevin> Thank you for the information. <Welcome> Now I just need to find a south Orange County/CA tropical fish store that carries these tanks! Take care, Kevin <Mmm, I'd write the manufacturers through their websites... ask them whereabouts you can see, buy them. BobF>

All in one tank... Red Sea Max...   3/12/08 Hey crew.. <Rick> Was wondering if anyone of you, or any of your readers had any experience with this "Max Tank" saltwater setup? <Have seen it...> There is a LOT to be suspicious about with this thing and it's only 34 gallons which is very small for saltwater, but while I wait for more space, was thinking this could make for a pretty cool nano tank.. if it's a good product of course. Here is the link.. http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/3973/product.web Thank you so much for your time and this amazing site. Rick <IMO is a very nice unit altogether... Bigger, better than smaller such "all in ones". Bob Fenner>

Adequate lighting for an anemone Red Sea Max (34 gallons), Enough lighting for an Anemone? - 1/31/08 Hello <Hello Art, Brenda here> After 40 years of maintaining freshwater aquariums I finally took the "plunge" and decided to try saltwater. The impetus behind this decision was the introduction of the "plug and play" self-contained Red Sea Max. I have had this unit for three weeks and am quite pleased with it, so far. In an effort to get up to speed, I read Fenner's book and found it superb. I have also been on your site many times and found it to be both enjoyable and quite instructive. <Good to hear!> Yes my RSM tank (34 gals, including a 5 gal filtration area) currently has 40 lbs. of live rock and 80 lbs. (4 inches) of substrate. The unit has 2 55watt T5 power compacts including 10k actinic lighting (4 watts per gallon). Like many others, I have always been intrigued by the symbiotic relationship between clown fish and anemones and would want to include an anemone in the tank, sometime in the near future. Everything I read "seems" to suggest or at least is not clear to me, that this lighting is not adequate for an anemone. The Red Sea literature suggests otherwise. Therefore, I decided to ask the experts directly. Is this lighting adequate for an anemone (E. quadricolor perhaps)? Thank you. Keep up the great work. Art <This lighting is at best border line. The watt per gallon rule is not a good rule of thumb to go by. This tank is nearly 20' deep. An anemone would have to remain high in the tank, and may need extra feedings to supplement the lack of lighting. Also this T-5 lighting does not have individual reflectors. Without individual reflectors, this lighting is comparable to PC. I personally would not keep an anemone in this tank. Your tank also needs to be an established environment before adding an anemone. This takes 6 months to a year. Brenda>

Re: Red Sea Max (34 gallons), Enough lighting for an Anemone? - 1/31/08 Hi Brenda, <Good morning Art!> Thank you for your immediate response. <You are quite welcome!> You confirmed what I feared was the case. Do you folks have an opinion as to this product (considering its small size) providing a viable environment for a mini reef? Assuming, of course, that one chooses the appropriate corals and invertebrates and maintains a light fish load. <I do not have any personal experience with this product. However, looking at the specs I would say it is an average, possibly above average, all in one system. My main concern would be as to how well the skimmer produces. I do suggest keeping easier corals. Soft corals will do fine here. Mushrooms, Leather corals, Palys, Xenia, Kenya Tree, and Anthelia, to name a few will work here and still give you a beautiful display. These soft corals have also been known to be a substitute host for clownfish. So you may still be able to get your symbiotic relationship that you were hoping for.> I must say that the "crew" is terrific and you all make this hobby so much more enjoyable and understandable. <Thank you! It is always nice to hear positive feedback!> I will make every effort to support the site. <Great!> Thanks again. Art <You're welcome and good luck to you! Brenda>

Red Sea Reef Max vs. C.A.D. Aquarium 1/25/08 Hi, <Hello Phil> I am new to saltwater and contemplating purchasing a Nano tank. I like the idea of an all in one tank, they also fit my space needs. I was originally set on the Red Sea Max and then someone suggested the new C.A.D. 39g set up. Reading the specs on both it is difficult for me to determine the best. I thought I may ask for help from others who have experience. Which company has the better quality/customer service etc... Any help comparing the two and guidance as which way to go would be a great. <I'm not familiar with the CAD product, a search didn't help me much with product info. I'm thinking no protein skimmer is provided. The Red Sea on the other hand provides everything, a true plug and play system, and, the lighting provided, should fit the needs of most if not all light loving invertebrates. As for customer service, I know first hand that Red Sea is excellent in this regard. If it were me, I'd choose the Red Sea.> Thank you, <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Phil <<See here: http://www.oceanreeflections.com/products.aspx?prodcat=Aquariums&heading=C.A.D%20%20Aquariums&subhead=39G%20C.A.D%20SIgnature%20Series&page=1 RMF>>

Re Red Sea Max vs. C.A.D. Aquarium 1/25/08 Hi James, <Hello Phil> Thank you very much. <You're welcome.> I appreciate it. I was leaning towards the Max, I think I will go with it. <Don't think you will be disappointed. James (Salty Dog)> Phil