Considering RedSea 130D As FOWLER Aquarium

[Boulder]

Hello all ... new member from Arkansas here .

After a 10 year absence from the hobby, I am looking at starting a FOWLER tank as a joint hobby with my 12 year old son - so over the last month or so we have been reading and researching.

So my first question for the forum gurus is what are thoughts / opinions / experiences with the RedSea MAX 130D system?

Red Sea MAX130D | New from Red Sea

 

[melosu58]

Moved to General Hardware and equipment discussion forum.

It looks OK to me. I`ve never seen one before but from what it says it looks OK.Remember that you`ll fill a smaller tank like that up pretty quick and you`ll wish you had a bigger tank. Just thinking out loud.

 

[Boulder]

Thank you for your opinion Mike.

I am gonna visit my two local LFS this weekend and see what they have available in the 30-60 gallon range. My initial concern with the Red Sea MAX130D is that it is a self-contained system so I am wondering if a component fails, how hard is it going to be to service / replace.

 

[HN1]

That is a nice system. Our local reef club gave one away as a raffle prize in February and it seems to be one of the better all in ones that I've looked at. That said... I don't like the all in ones for the exact reason you point out. It's difficult or impossible to replace parts or upgrade.

 

[dmreichman]

For what it worth, I've had a RSM 130 (not the "D" version). I haven't had any issues with replacement parts yet. Although I haven't needed a replacement circulation pump, I've noticed them on a few online web stores. If I had it to do over again, the only thing that I would have changed is the size. Of course RSM didn't make the large version when I bought it. Please feel free ask me anything else about the RSM 130.

 

[Boulder]

Thanks everyone. I checked with my local LFS and they didn't have much of a selection in my range, so I am thinking my best bet is to find an online source to order a 130D.

Can anyone suggest a reputable online source?

 

[HN1]

Aquarium Kits: Red Sea MAX Reef Aquarium System Package