Just Bought A Marine Setup

[SFR]

Hi all, have been lurking a while but have now decided to post as i've got a tank now

Just bought a Rio 180 tank+cab (removed the black filter housing already) , Eheim 2026 external , juwel marine lighting upgrade + reflectors , prizm skimmer

just waiting on fitments for the RO unit then i'll be making a start with the water



I have a few Q's before i get started

Should I put styrofoam tiles under the tank or arent these needed with the black frame surround which is fitted on the tank?

Substrate or Rock on the base glass?

Also I've ordered the eheim installation kits (green ones look horrendous) , where is the best place to position the spraybar? green one doesnt fit down the side glass


Initial additions will be 15-18 kilos of LR

then later

clean up crew , few hermits + CBS + turbos

couple of clowns

not really thought of other fish yet tho i do have a slim idea

 

[SkiFletch]

to the forum SFR, hope you enjoy your stay. I'm not very familiar with the Juwel tanks (living an ocean away) but I do know that they have regular glass bottoms (not tempered) and therefore should have a foam pad underneath them if possible. The reason is that you want to set your rocks on the base glass to prevent rockslides in the future and with that rock on the glass you want to have a pad under there to disperse any weight stress-points.

One other note, if you still can I'd return the Prism skimmer, they're really not worth the plastic they're made of .

Lastly you're gonna want more flowrate than just the eheim can provide. Look into getting something like a Hydor Koralia or Tunze Stream/nanostream pump for that.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Welcome to the forum!

It sounds like you might have got the juwel "marine Package" (with lots of stuff included). I was checking this out for another member the other night.

In a Juwel tank I would strongly recommend getting some "eggcrate" to put on the bottom of the tank to stand the live rock on and then put the substrate in afterwards to cover it up. This will spread the weight out more evenly (I have spoken to more then one person that has had a juwel tank crack when used as a marine set up).

If you did get the marine package then the cheapo powerhead they supply is not going to be enough (it only gives you about X3-4 times the tanks volume in flow rate). I would recommend getting a couple of korrillia 1's in there (if you are going FOWLR then just one would probably do). The Tunze powerheads are apprently also very good (not used these myself though).

As ski says unfortunately the skimmer is not really very good but as it came part of the package it will do the job for the moment. I would have a look into the deltec ones later on though if you want to upgrade it.

With the canister filter I would be inclined to leave the sponges in and remove all the other media. Then use LR rubble and chemical filtration (to remove phosphate/nitrates). I would put the spray bar near the surface of the water putting slightly upwards to create a lot of surface movement. These then means you can put your powerheads lower down in the tank if you want to.

If you dont mind me asking how much did you pay for the juwel marine setup?

 

[CageUK]

I'm not sure if the Rio is made the same as the Juwel Vision. If so, the plastic outer frame around the base is the sole support for the tank. There is an explicit warning NOT to put padding or foam of any kind under the tank. Presumably the sharp edges of the frame could dig in at different depths into the foam and create anomalies which could make for uneven weight distribution.
As Barney says though I would definitely go for something to cushion and protect the glass on the inside of the tank due to this. Egg crate, plastic mesh or similar would be fine, just as long as it redistributes some of the weight.
I shudder to think what would happen if you potentially had a large part of the weight of the rock resting on effectively a needle point of rock due to uneven shapes!

I would love to turn my Juwel Vision 260 into a marine tank, but it's just so nice as a freshwater (and less work too). Maybe one day!

 

[xxBarneyxx]

yeah, forgot to mention that, double check the documentation that came with it. My tank has the plastic support bit around the bottom and also said not to put anything under it. I "think" yours will probably be the same (just going from a vague memory of what I saw in the shop though so please double check ).

 

[seffieuk]

I agree I also have a rio 180, Brackish set up = nothing should be placed underneath. Am very interested if you bought as a package or did you get the bits seperatly and how much did it cost - keep looking at my rio with marine intent

Welcome to the salty side

Seffie x

 

[xxBarneyxx]

I suspect it was the marine "package" as it has the same bits in it. From what I have seen these retail for about £600. Had a PM from someone the other day asking about them and to be honest you can create a better setup (using the same "basic" tank) for about £100 less

Does the normal rio 180 come with twin T5 fittings? That was the only bit I wasnt sure of (I think the marine light "upgrade" is just a better set of reflactors and some marine tubes but couldnt find any specific info on it).

Seffie, in case you are interested this is a snip from the reply I sent, at the top is the list of equipment that came in the marine setup and below is what I suggested. It was a quick list but think I covered all the basics for him.

Equipment Supplied With Tank And Cabinet.
1 x High-Lite Light Unit 100 cm, 2 x 45 W Marine Tubes - these would do ok.
1 x Prizm Deluxe Protein Skimmer - Cheap skimmer
1 x Swing Arm Hydrometer - again cheap, better to get a cheap refractometer
1 x Eheim 2026 External Filter And Media - good filter but not needed at all
1x TMC V2 Vecton 300 Uv Steraliser - Good unit but again not really needed
1 X 25 KG Red Sea Salt - yeah you need this
1 x 20 KG Coral Gravel
1 x Pump Set 600 - Cheap single power head. Not enough flow for marine tanks.
1 x Heater 100 Watt - just a heater

So saying you have a £600 budget I would suggest something like:
rio 180 - £260. Im pretty sure they all the new ones come with twin T5 tubes so just switch out the tubes.
Deltec MC300 Skimmer - £100 (awesome skimmer)
Refractometer - £20
25KG salt - £45
Sand - £20
Heater - £10
X2 korillia 1's - £50 - You would still need these if you got the complete kit above anyway

Comes out about £100 cheaper.

 

[SFR]

i got the tank and bought the bits from reading various forums , so everything is brand new and from a LFS so i'd say i could of saved approx 10% of the price i paid if i'd shopped online

came in around the 5-600 mark

also bought ro man setup too

where will be the best place to get some egg crate or similar?

 

[xxBarneyxx]

I got mine from here after another member suggested it:
http/stores.ebay.co.uk/POND-SUPPLIES-UK

Was a lot cheaper than anywhere else and it arrived in 2 days.

 

[SFR]

the tubes were a direct swap 1x marine and 1x blue , tho reflectors are available seperate for about a 12 quid for the pair for the juwel ones

I've heard mixed reviews with the prizm , i think i'll stick with it for now but you have the right to say 'I told you so' when it goes tits up

the heater and juwel powerhead were the standard kit which comes with the 180

I removed the filter box housing and juwel filters purely for aesthetics as it really destroys the look and shape of the tank , hence the external can

the heater is a standard juwel one but i've always been of the mindset if its free its not great so will probably replace and use it for pre heating on water changes

i heard the koralia 1's are kinda noisy ? koralia 2's would be overkill i assume

 

[xxBarneyxx]

My korilia 1 was very loud for the first few days but I think it was just because it had a lot of fresh water in it and it kept getting a lot of air built up in it. It settled down though and has been pretty much ok since.

One thing I have found with the nanos and the 1 is that they do get air pockets that build up inside them and then they get noisy. If you just unplug them and plug them back in though it normally forces the air out and they run ok again. When they are running normally you can barely hear them even when you are right next to the tank.

The Tunze pumps are supposed to be really good as well though so might be worth trying them. I have never used them but have never heard anyone complain about them either.

 

[SFR]

cheers barney for the quick reply

am sure i'll have more questions soon enough so keep checking in

 

[SFR]

2x koralia 1's ordered

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Cool, dont forget to keep us update with lots of photos

 

[seffieuk]

Oh wow, wee, cheaper than I thought............me thinks that will be the next project for summer

Already got the tank, but will need another for my fig 8s (not giving them up for no one!) - can keep an eye out for a bargain on ebay.

2x koralia - think I would get the 2s (bigger is better - so they say )

swop the bulbs over - already have reflectors

LR - buy from someone breaking a tank, cheaper, nicer and barely a cycle

Skimmer - could start without one, yeah

Sand - no hardship there

and all the other bits I already have................



Thanks Barney and goodluck SFR keep us posted with lots of pics. - start now with an empty tank shot

Seffie x