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#1
12-15-2007, 04:44 PM
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Red Sea Max - What's the Big Hype?
I don't understand...I've seen them myself. The "T5 power compact lighting" they have...isn't T5s. It's 55W power compact. Don't believe me? Look at the bulbs. T5s don't even come in 55W. The protein skimmer? It's a piece of crap Red Sea Prizm. So...what's the big deal? Why are you guys paying $600-900 for it? I suppose it's a nice convenient set up, and a decent size...but holy wowzers it's over-priced!
Please explain... Last edited by Myka; 12-15-2007 at 04:47 PM. 
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#2
12-15-2007, 11:51 PM
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I agree it does seem somewhat overpriced compared to others on the market. But back in the UK these things are around $1400 so I'm just thankful for the fact that you can get one for $600 (where is that btw because for that price I personally think they're ok) Lighting: Saying that the lighting for the RSM is 55w PC may be misconstrued by some. It's 2 x 55w T5 Power Compact. They don't think they claim to use plain T5's (not on any literature or website that I've seen but I might be wrong...) From the Red Sea Max website... Q: Why are the Max light tubes called T5 power compacts? A: Regular power compact lighting has a tube diameter of 6/8”, which is known as T6. T5 tubes haves a smaller diameter (5/8”) and produce a higher intensity output. The T5s used in the MAX are custom made power compacts that enable us to provide 55 watts of light in a smaller footprint than the equivalent (2 x 24 W) regular T5 tubes would provide. Regular power compact are often powered by magnetic ballasts, but the MAX T5 power compacts are powered by an electronic ballast to guarantee consistent high performance. Skimmer: Personally I don't like Red Sea Prisms but I've heard a handful people say they're happy with them. At the end of the day, once set-up properly (yep tricky apparently!), it does work quite well, albeit noisily. But then again, the Deltec's I used were also noisy, difficult to set up & cost even more! Each to his own I guess. Again from the Red Sea Website... Q: Is the skimmer used in the MAX a Prizm? A: The MAX Turbo Skimmer is based on the effective convergent-divergent technology reaction chamber developed for the Prizm / Prizm Pro skimmers, but here it is employed in a completely new way. The MAX Turbo Skimmer is designed to operate as an “in-aquarium” skimmer only. The skimmer pump, featuring a new air injecting impellor design, is dedicated to the job of mixing the air and water inside the skimmer - and not pushing water through the skimmer. The skimmer pump inlet is located underneath the skimmer, so it’s constantly sucking in a mixture of new water flowing through the complete filter section and recycled water that has just exited the skimmer. The air / water ratio is such that the skimming effect is far superior to that achieved by the Prizm Pro. The pump cycles the complete volume of aquarium water 3.8 times per hour through the skimmer. It is guaranteed to work, trouble-free. For the sake of comparison, the Prizm Pro is designed as a hang-on skimmer with a single pump that must perform the dual functions of pushing water through the skimmer and injecting the air into the system. The rating of the Prizm Pro is for cycling the aquarium water once every 2 hours, which in reality is no longer in line with our current awareness and philosophy on the role of skimming in a reef aquarium. Convenience: You can't put a price on what some people might pay for convenience. It's like driving round & around looking for a free parking space or giving $10 bucks to a restaurant valet. Again each to his own. IMHO: Red Sea Max isn't too bad. At least it's convenience & plug n' play nature (I hate that term in regards our hobby!) might get more people into the hobby. The only thing that really worries me about it is the cooling when the ambient temperature get higher but I guess I could always add a cooler... .
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#3
12-16-2007, 01:12 AM
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The price was a bit higher than building up a system from scratch but I don't think it's outragous. By the time you buy a stand, tank, hood, lighting, heater, timer, powerheads fan ... you are getting close to the RSM price. I don't need to worry about the ambient temperature because we have air conditioning in the house. ________ EX250J Last edited by Brent F; 01-23-2011 at 06:18 PM.
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#6
12-16-2007, 04:06 AM
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#7
12-16-2007, 08:26 AM
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I bought the rsm mainly for its "all in one features" As much fun as designing and building your own is. You cannot beat the look or style of this tank. So sleek. I have had it up and running for 3+ months now and am quite enjoying it. Dialing in the skimmer is a bit of a pain and I am having issues with microbubbles. I find that searching for a happy medium so both pumps can run without shooting air bubbles into the tank is quite the task. Being on the third floor of an apartment building plays havoc with my ambient temp. It is easy enough to control in the winter. But will most likely need a chiler come the summer. I cannot complain besides dialing everything in.
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