Eshopps frag rack - DANGER

[SeaIsle]

Please all that have an eshopps frag rack stay diligent. My magnet apparently burst and my SPS didn't take kindly only I didn't think that my frag rack could be the cause. I was at a lose of ideas and healthy coral. I pulled my rack today to find this.

[flamron]

How old is it?

[OffDaHook]

Please all that have an eshopps frag rack stay diligent. My magnet apparently burst and my SPS didn't take kindly only I didn't think that my frag rack could be the cause. I was at a lose of ideas and healthy coral. I pulled my rack today to find this.

The same exact thing happen to mine. I emailed them about it cause it was not that old and never got a reply. After that sort of service, No more Eshopps anything for me.

[OffDaHook]

Duplicate

[OffDaHook]

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[SeaIsle]

The rack is somewhere in the range of 18-24 months. I have emailed eshopps also and have yet to receive a response though it has only been 1 business day so I am still hipefull to get feedback. My concern is that this is seemingly a lack of quality. I understand the plastic case but why not dip the magnet in some flexible coating to ensure if water does find its way into the plastic this doesnt happen. This is just a really frustrating situation as I lost a few full colonies that I have had for years. Should this die off had been of my own accord then this would be easier to move on from. I just hope that this issue gets out there for the community to see and ensure more vigilance of the rack than I had.

[CBlair]

Sorry to hear about your losses, but thank you for bringing this to light. I have the same frag rack and just pulled it out of the tank. So thank you!

[merlini]

I had this happen to me a while back, now i use Black Rock Reef Rack.

[scolley]

Wow! That is terrible. Very sorry that happened. :(

But thank you for sharing. I've got an Eshoppes rack too. I think I'm going cover the magnet casings in a thick coating of silicone. Hopefully will do the trick.

[Pseudo69]

Same happened to me and I pulled it. Mine was only 3 months old. The casing they use isn't fully sealed (No quality control I bet) water seeps in and viola'. If you already have them, put a bead of Weldon 16 around the base and you wont have any problems.

Their probe holder magnets have the same exact problem. A lite tap and the casing came right off on a new set this week on a new build. Disappointing to say the least. Eshopps suck.

[phenom5]

I had the same thing happen on one of mine.

[scolley]

...If you already have them, put a bead of Weldon 16 around the base and you wont have any problems.
That's clearly the best solution! :thumbsup: Please ignore my prior silicone suggestion (too bad I already did it).

If you don't have Weldon 16, Weldon 4 should also work if the if the gap is tiny or so small as to be invisible. Though a bead of 16 is the safest bet IMO.

Either way, with so many people having this problem, it sounds like anyone with one of these frag racks should apply that bead of Weldon, whether they see a gap or not.

[ganjero]

I had the same issue with the two probe holders I had from Eshopps after only 6 months. Unfortunately they had poor customer service and made it really difficult to solve the issue and at some point they just ignored me; I was not able to get anywhere. I will not buy Eshopps again.

[greg1786]

Holy crap guys. Im sorry for your losses man that sucks. I have an eshoppes frag rack in my tank holding 10 sps frags right now. I'll be back im going to yank it asap!!!

[fletch999]

I just took mine out today. The magnets were starting to corrode. I would not even trust trying to glue it, complete junk.

[jorda9095]

ive heard of this happening to other with that rack

[DeepBlueZoas]

No eshoppes for me I guess. Thanks for sharing

[flamron]

A friend and I bought one at the same time. About four months ago. His was already rusted. He bought a clear rack and mine is a black frag rack. Mine hadn't done it yet.

What color has everyone's been that rusted? Is it just the clear, or do the black racks rust too?

[sharky71]

I bought two of these a year ago. One of them rusted so I tossed it. The other had such weak holding power that I decided to make my own. I definitely wouldn't recommend that product.

[ssdawood]

Sucks, I just bought one. What a waste of money. I thought Eshopps was a good company. I guess I was wrong.


Thanks for letting us know brother.

[Scffvariable]

Total junk. I had one that rusted and they sent out a new improved version. Yep, that one rusted as well.

[Reeferz412]

That sucks, I had a frag rack (I sold because I have a bowfront) from eshopps and it did pretty well when I had it. I have their skimmer and its pretty darn good. I will stay away from their frag racks and just go eggcrate diy

[Buzz1329]

Same happened to me and I pulled it. Mine was only 3 months old. The casing they use isn't fully sealed (No quality control I bet) water seeps in and viola'. If you already have them, put a bead of Weldon 16 around the base and you wont have any problems.

Their probe holder magnets have the same exact problem. A lite tap and the casing came right off on a new set this week on a new build. Disappointing to say the least. Eshopps suck.

So that's the Weldon 16 Acryllic Cement (and not the solvent cement), right?

Thanks.

[heritage]

Huh.... I have two of there racks and haven't had any problems with them, but after seeing this it's time to yank them.
Thanks for the heads up.

[ReddyW]

Their warranty and service is terrible. I bought one of their skimmers with a Sicce pump, and learned the hard way that their pump warranty is only 90 days. They don't even sell the replacement pump, not that I would give them any more money anyway.

[kouma]

Thanks for the heads up!! I was just about to place an order for both the corner and the straight one. I am not going to anymore.

Any recommendations for a better frag rack (clear acrylic w/ magnet)?

[greg1786]

Thanks for the heads up!! I was just about to place an order for both the corner and the straight one. I am not going to anymore.

Any recommendations for a better frag rack (clear acrylic w/ magnet)?


I pulled my rack out of my tank the moment I read this thread! Since then I have put it back in because I recently did a ton of fragging. I have no issues with the magnets. You could however go to home depot and buy some 1/4" acrylic and use a 1/2 drill bit to make holes for the plugs. Cut one piece for the top part where your corals will sit and a smaller one to go against the glass and hold the rack up. Buy some acrylic weld from home depot and glue them together just like the shape of the eshoppes. From there you can simply buy a mag float and use it to hold the rack in place. Should cost more than $15 bucks to make!

[icechimpee]

Thanks for the heads up....wont be purchasing one of theses frag racks now.

[hollback]

I have several of these frag racks and they work perfectly and contain no magnets. They mount to either rimless or braced tanks. I was surprised how well they held. I have a lot of flow in my 120g SPS display and was worried they'd move around. Rock solid.

http://geosreef.com/images/stories/products/frag%20rack%20new_1.jpg

Rimless Mount
http://geosreef.com/images/stories/products/braceless_rack_website.jpg


Brace Mount
http://geosreef.com/images/stories/products/brace_mount_frag_rack.JPG


http://geosreef.com/index.php/products/frag-rack

[scolley]

Thanks for that tip hollback! :thumbsup: I've been wondering where to get those... nice. :)

[hollback]

No problem. The no magnet factor is key! I've also had some other version with the magnets that eventually swelled. It scares me to death as to what those could be leaching into my system.

[badonkadonk]

I was just going to post about the Geo frag rack, but figured I'd do a quick check to see if there was already thread on it. What caught my eye in this thread, though, was the failure of the seal for the magnets on Eshopps racks - happened to all 4 of my Eshopps racks. The Geo rack I recently received with no magnets is great, not only because I don't have to worry about poorly sealed magnets leaching metals to the water, but because I can hang it from the eurobracing toward the back of the tank. It is still under the lights, but far enough toward the back that it is much less obtrusive visually. My daughter said it looks like a chandelier, the build quality is so nice. Definitely the frag rack to get, especially if aesthetics are at all a concern.