If it ain’t an canister it won’t work

[Deleted member 155206]

I bought my Rio in 2006 and set it up following the instructions by Juwel. In 2013 noticed that the lid flaps no longer met the trim in the middle of the front and back. Looking in the tank, the bracer bar which was attached to the trim and glass with silicone had pulled away at the back. I used it as an excuse to get a bigger tank.

A few years ago there was a thread by someone else who had the same problem - this time with photos which showed the same as happened to my tank. See the photos in posts #5, #47 and #85 by two different members.

Big problems in Rio land

Im absolutely gutted!!!!(more pi@@d off atm if im honest) Sitting on the sofa this morning with a nice cup of tea enjoying the fact i didnt have to go to work. I looked over at the Rio 450 and noticed the top front trim didnt quite look right so i walked over to take a closer look and found...

www.fishforums.net

Wow that was shi

I bought my Rio in 2006 and set it up following the instructions by Juwel. In 2013 noticed that the lid flaps no longer met the trim in the middle of the front and back. Looking in the tank, the bracer bar which was attached to the trim and glass with silicone had pulled away at the back. I used it as an excuse to get a bigger tank.

A few years ago there was a thread by someone else who had the same problem - this time with photos which showed the same as happened to my tank. See the photos in posts #5, #47 and #85 by two different members.

Big problems in Rio land

Im absolutely gutted!!!!(more pi@@d off atm if im honest) Sitting on the sofa this morning with a nice cup of tea enjoying the fact i didnt have to go to work. I looked over at the Rio 450 and noticed the top front trim didnt quite look right so i walked over to take a closer look and found...

www.fishforums.net

wow that was pretty shiity from Juwel if I remembered right they do state under there safety guidelines tells you not to remove it so of course it’s part of their structure? I do believe u can get the parts but most be ordered from dealer they clip on on a curtain way it’s not glued or silicone on wow that was dire on Juwel part was their any follow up to this ?

 

[Essjay]

I'm afraid not, the thread never had any follow up posts.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

IMO, it ain't the filter it is the media that matters.

The only interanls I use are air powered foam filters or Hamburg Matten filters. I have 3 Eheim Pro II 2026 filters. My first one doubled as the CO2 diffuser in my one tank using pressurized CO2. I had 28 Aquaclears running at my peak. I have a couple of the old H.O.Y. magnums as well. But thee are use mostly for mechanical filtration using the Micron cart. and to help with aeration via the return.

I never ran a sump but had planned to when Circumstances changed my plans. My first tank a 45 gal. ran both a UGF converted later to be an RUGf and an Emperor 400 hang-on. When I discovered baby swordtails and corys under the RUGF plate that spelled the end of it. Once I freed them, I did not return the RUGF and instead added an Aquaclear 200 (now a model 50). However I had started in on live plants and use gravel ferts. An undergravel is not great when doing this, especially with my choice of gravel fert. (Jobe's Spikes for Lush Ferns and Palms. When these cannot be found then I will use the ones for House Plants). If one uses these and likes to change plants, uprooting these will quickly earn you an MBA (Mastered by Algae). They are slow disolving ferts and once they strat uprootiung them causies them thr disolve very fast. Usint them with and undergravel filter will have much the same effect.

One's choice of filter should be one that is a good source for it doing what is needed in a tank. With lots of live plants less filtration is needed but I do not ever go with 0 no matter how many plants are in a tank.

The two things I do not use are internal filters (except foam) and filters with heaters inside of them. Both take of space that could hold water or media, One of my few tru talents in keeping fish I I can overstock to a ppint and never lose fish and rare get diseases etc. Part of doing this is how I filter bit also in what fish species are involved, the hardscape and plants if any are used combine with a rigorous maint routines where I change of 50% or more of the water in all the tanks. Also the typo and size of the filtration matters but the media moreso. this is wgy ofver the last dozen years or so most of my bio-media become Poret foam.

 

[anewbie]

I can't see how a tiny itsbitys over priced piece of what-ever can be considered a 'good' filter by any metrics - if m y fishes require a giant filter than i can stick a huge external whopper where-ever i want to provide the filteration they need and as is the case most of the time if i only need a $5 or $10 sponge why the heck would i want to pay some gazillion amount for a built-in headache that is wasting space and causing too much current (or not enough current) and makes my maint day a headache.

 

[Deleted member 155206]

I can't see how a tiny itsbitys over priced piece of what-ever can be considered a 'good' filter by any metrics - if m y fishes require a giant filter than i can stick a huge external whopper where-ever i want to provide the filteration they need and as is the case most of the time if i only need a $5 or $10 sponge why the heck would i want to pay some gazillion amount for a built-in headache that is wasting space and causing too much current (or not enough current) and makes my maint day a headache.

That is the downside of internal filters is the space 100 percent agreed but I think maintenance is a lot easier on the internal filtration tho

 

[Uberhoust]

About 2 years ago I changed from an HOB to a Fluval 407 canister, I would not go back. The canister is far quieter and more efficient. With a pre filter of fine mesh fabric over the intake I find I can easily go 6 months before cleaning the filter. I don't use any actual filter material in the filter (pre-filter deals with that and the citizens of the tank keep that clean), but instead have it only filled with bacterial substrate material. I haven't had any issues with the filter but I am very careful with the force I put on the seals, hoses and canister.

 

[gimme30]

Hold my beer ... I have ~1000 l in 15 planted tanks plus some temporarily used quarantine and breeding tanks, and only one of them with a sponge filter. And even that one would do fine without a filter. Some tanks have stream pumps for the fish that like water movement others have no flow at all...

There are many ways to make the fish, you and the manufacturer of filtersystems happy or not ;-)

Being a low maintenance kinda guy this appeals to me. If beneficial bacteria grow to meet the load and regular vacuuming takes care of the rest it seems like a feasible idea.
Then again I've considered running a hose through the hole a northern flicker made in my window screen, attached to a funnel outside, and a sock on the tank end (holey, sure, but I'd wash it first) for free aeration. When it's windy.
Hahahahaha! I'm kidding.

Or am I?

I don't like equipment in the tank so internal filters are out, as are sponge filters. HOBs require trophy-wife levels of maintenance. Canisters are minimally invasive without a pre filter, run for ages without being touched, and I find being able to take them to the sink makes cleaning a simple task.
Personally I'm a UGF guy. Second choice being sumps.

 

[Magnum Man]

when I 1st got back into aquariums. 3-4 years ago, after a 25-30 year break. I found my favorite Magnum canister filters, were not being made... the closest I could get, were a mini magnum type, that went inside the aquarium... I hated them, they were too small when compared to the old style, and too big for an internal filter, I couldn't hide them, so they were an eye sore to my tanks... the build quality was poor, the flow diverters would just fall off, or the tiny plastic stud ( pivot point ) would break off rendering them useless... they were self starting, but way too many negatives, for a self start feature...

so onto whisper hang on back filters... I bought several, as they had a reputation... but found the build quality no longer matched their reputation... too bad I never got to witness a good one, they must have peaked, while I was out of the hobby... their restart issue has had many, many threads, but their following is loyal, and if you have a problem with one, you are obviously too stupid to use them... well aside from the abuse, they don't work well with how I do water changes...

so off to Tidal, I ran, a nice design, having the impeller in the tank, but the hang on resovour outside the tank... they were over designed IMO, with options, and their biggest problem, is a huge sucking / slurping noise, if the tank water level goes more than 1 inch from full... there are modifications that can be made, to fix that... but their function allows me to do 1/3 power water changes, without having to manually restart the filters...

so, everyone has their favorites, and different ways to perform maintenance... but I will never again go to an internal filter, I want bigger filtering media, than can be effectively hidden in an internal filter... I don't fully understand matten filter design, but to me, that sounds like the next wave...

 

[GaryE]

I ran mattens many years ago when the idea was new. Like most of these options, they did the job. They're all means to an end, and all thought out ones. I found the matten type took too much space inside.
I've run canisters, HOBs, undergravels, mattens, wet dry filters, box filters, sponges, sumps, and even helped out with fluidized bed systems. They all worked if they were chosen well for the right effect. They work well, but with different fish, plants and set ups.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

I just watched a video on the new Aquael BT canister filter. The BT stands for Bluetooth. Yes, you control the filter through the app on your phone.

 

[Gertrudae]

regular vacuuming takes care of the rest it seems like a feasible idea.

In aquariums without filters and without water flow, I do not vacuum the bottom. After a while, a layer of mulm forms. Fine, reddish-brown flakes. This is not structureless sludge! It is home to my good bacteria, which maintain the cycle in the aquarium. I support this with some plant matter – dry leaves, alder cones, etc. I have been running a 325-litre aquarium for almost 20 years using this method, and it has worked well. It was populated with Endler's guppies, so lots of fish ;-)

 

[anewbie]

In truth the best filter is to under-stock your aquarium. A 20 long with 2 2 inch fishes is plenty stocked - no need for more. Having said that i unfortunately never quite follow the rule.

 

[Country joe]

Juwel filters aren't exactly built in. They are attached to the tank walls with 8 silicone blobs. The filters are more or less square in cross section and are fit into a corner with 4 blobs on each of 2 sides. It is quite easy to remove the filter - I removed it from my old Rio 125. It just takes a bit of sawing with a flexible blade, taking care not to damage the tank's corner sealant. I removed the filter from the Rio as the pump was very noisy and everything I tried failed to make it quieter.
Then I replaced the tank as the bracer bar became detached from the back wall and the glass started to bow.

I hated that black corner box, couldn't wait to cut it out, I would never buy another jewel tank that had that filter.

 

[MuddyWaters]

I like the AIO filter on the Fluval Flex. I wouldn't buy a tank with built in filter anymore, but that one turned out to be good, so I got lucky.