Juwel 600 Or Elite Style 60 - Updated Bought One!

[doggiebag]

HI Guys

I am looking to get one of these tanks, I think. Will be going to see them in person at the weekend to see which I prefer, or if it all changes when I get there and end up with something else lol. I am upgrading from 25 litre tanks so will be doing a fishless cycle on the new 60 litre tank.

From searching the net it appears that the juwel has an internal filter that cannot be removed, its siliconed on the tank wall? Is this correct?
The Elite has the stringray filter, but I intend to buy a fluval U2 if I get this tank as I am not keen on stingray filters, not enough sponge and too big, I feel. Fluval tanks seem to have leak issues, does this effect the elite ones too as they are the same company I believe?


Okay, so I am just asking if anyone has any views/experience with these tanks. I am thinking about build quality, etc.
Is there something I should avoid? Is one known to have faults/leaks?
Is one clearly better than the other?
Any issues with filters, hoods or lighting?

Any guidance or issues would be great to know before I go look at them.

Updated to add:

Also considering the Terta Aqua art 60 or Superfish Aqua 60 (I have the Aqua 40 and its great)

So the choices are

Juwel 600 dimension including cover 61 x 30 x 42cm
Elite style 60 Measures 60 x 30 x 35cm high
Tetra Aqua art 60 Measures: 57 x 30 x 35cm - 45cm high including hood
Superfish Aqua 60 Size 50 L x 35 W x 45 cm

many thanks in advance

 

[minxfishy]

Whilst the juwel does have the internal filter, it is very easy to remove, a sharp knife down the sides cuts out the silicone blobs and it comes away easily.

The elite tanks dont have particlarly good lighting IME and the hoods are awkward, particulary the feeding flaps dont stay open and drop shut all the time, least mine did.

 

[Truck]

they both have the same lighting systems...15 watt 18 inch T8's which are okay for low to medium light plants.

ive removed my juwel filter as have many others...its very easy!

heaters more or less the same but then again i would go for the hagen heater as most of the current juwel ones were made in china and are failing...they have now been resourced to germany where production is of a higher standard again

 

[beginner to fish]

i have never had any experience with juwel tanks but my first tank was an elite style 60 which i still have runs great the only bit thats annoying is the hood flap like has been said already it falls down all the time lol but you just have to make sure it stays before you do anything lol. i used all the equipment that came with it and i have had no problems with heater or filter. well apart from when my sister unplugged my heater to plug her laptop charger in. my god sisters eh? but everything still working and i have had it for 1 1/2 years and looks good. hope this helps

 

[doggiebag]

thanks for the replies so quickly

I have also just found the Tetra Aqua art 60, so may add that for consideration.......

Will be sure to check the feeding flap on the elites, thanks for that pointer......

See, the fixed filter on the Juwel puts me off, I like to be able to move things around or upgrade if I want. Surely I would invalidate the warranty by removing it? IS the filter enough on the juwel or does it need upgrading? I know the elite stingrays are horrid so that is an upgrade. The tetra uses an easy crystal filter or something, they any good?

Was surprised about the lighting on them actually, my superfish aqua 40 25 litres tanks have two 11w PL lights (no idea if they are any good, I know T5 seems to be recommended, but Im new so it means nothing LOL), but these Superfish also do an aqua 60 litre bow front, maybe that would be better, but it is not as long as the others I think, will have to look at stats......found them ...Size 500 L x 350 W x 450 mm. Seems they are taller and 100mm shorter in length......does that make a difference, or is longer best, sounds rude LOL.....I know the build quality is nice, the lighting seems good too. filter okay. But lids don't come off on these which makes cleaning a pain sometimes.

As far as heaters go, I tend to use visi-therms anyway, swapped my elite mini after reading some horrid stuff about them, now prefer the visitherms, feel safer lol


As I said, I currently have 2 aqua 40 25 litre tanks, one with a Betta and one with WCMM. I also have a Arcadia Arc 35 litre tank, and was going to upgrade the WCMM to that, it is not yet set-up, still boxed waiting for me. Not sure whether to add my wcmm to the new 60 litre so they have more space to play and add some cherry shrimp with them, and do something else with the arcadia 35 litre.........or add the WCMM to arcadia and something new with 60 litre. I want the best for my current fish so maybe the WCMM would do best in the 60, or would 35 be fine for those? My Betta will stay in the 25 litre and when the wCMM are moved the other 25 litre will most likely have another Betta.....

 

[rabbut]

They all have known faults and a few ave plus points... I'll take them on one at a time for you

Tetra AquaArt. Stylish looking with a good filter and OK light. A few users report leaks form the lower seams though.

Elite tanks come with a good filter, but have similar issues with leaks as the Tetra tanks do. Also, the filter is under-powered with lacking media and instead of having biological media, they have sealed trays of chemical media, forcing you to either replace the filter all together or make warranty invalidating modifications to the filter supplied.

Superfish are bags of rubbish, leaking and poor build quality IME. The heaters fail regularly (actually they are THE item with the highest return rate at work...) and the filters are poor like the stingrays...

Juwel. thes don't have know leak issues like the others do, and have good enough lights for most beginner fish keepers. The filters are OK for an average stocking, but not as good as they were under the older Record 60's (why does everyone have to fix stuff that isn't broken? ) Unless you are planning a heavy stocking, the filter will be fine. A few have had issues with the heaters, but they are generally OK. Te ood feels thin and flimsy though...

Out of the four you are looking at, I'd go with the Juwel, but none are really stand-out tanks IMO. Mind you, I don't really like any small fish tank kits...

HTH
Rabbut

 

[doggiebag]

Oh crikey !! I have 2 aqua 40's !!! They seemed solid tanks, maybe the bigger ones are worse, the filter seems to cope in mine too.........slightly worried about mine now

Am concerned about the leak troubles with elites and tetras......just as worried about stuck on filter with juwels, but as long as its a decent one then it should be okay.

Yeah I know about the elite stingrays, I have a small one, I removed the carbon baskets and added sponge to mine lol

So basically it seems most of the 60 litre/small tanks are rubbish...........maybe I should stick with what I have then and just upgrade my WCMM to the arcadia arc 35 litre, get a betta for the second 25 litre and be done with it, as we don't have room for anything bigger than the 60 litre ones......so unsure now on what to do.

 

[rabbut]

Or you could get a standart 2X1X1ft tank, and kit it out with your own gear? Cheaper and more reliable if you pick the correct stuff

 

[flippajh]

I have had the Elite 60 running for about 18 months now, and its been great. I have it running now with the Fluval U2 as the fluval 2plus I had prior to this broke, and the Stingray was fine for the first 6 months, but then realised it wasn't actually doing a very good job.

The lid stays up fine on mine, and I still have the original heater that came with it.

The lights have been enough for me to grow big java ferns, plenty of hygrophilia and vallis and a lovely little sword plant.

HTH

 

[doggiebag]

Or you could get a standart 2X1X1ft tank, and kit it out with your own gear? Cheaper and more reliable if you pick the correct stuff

you mean the clearseal ones? But once I add costs of hood and lights then doesn't it come really close to the kits anyway?
I am more than happy to get my own filter, I would probably go with a fluval U2.......and prefer visi-therm heaters, so they are not an issue. I just thought costs for hood/lights usually came in pricey anyway.........sorry, still learning, hence why I bought small 25l kits lol
My LFS just seem to stock the smaller 25l, 35l, 45l, 60l kits or massive tanks, and then they have the clearseal one.....will have to enquire when I go up there at the weekend, poor Hubby, he hates going up there, doesn't understand how I can go there over and over and look for so long lol
So far I am thinking the juwel may well be the best one, shame about the filter but as long as it can cope and doesn't have to be removed then I guess it would be okay......

thanks to everyone for all these tips, I would never have known what to look out for on my own. Having all this info really does help. You watch, I will come out with something completely different lol typical woman

I have had the Elite 60 running for about 18 months now, and its been great. I have it running now with the Fluval U2 as the fluval 2plus I had prior to this broke, and the Stingray was fine for the first 6 months, but then realised it wasn't actually doing a very good job.

The lid stays up fine on mine, and I still have the original heater that came with it.

The lights have been enough for me to grow big java ferns, plenty of hygrophilia and vallis and a lovely little sword plant.

HTH

great to hear you have had a good experience with it, will check them out. Yes I was going to get the fluval U2 as well, I love the spray bar on the front, great idea, and the filter media looks easy to swap out for your own stuff.

 

[rabbut]

Well, any generic tank is fine, with a generic hood. Costs will be about the same as a kit after adding all the stuff you need, but you don't have to waste half as much cash again replacing poor gear included in the kits that is sub-par As a rule though, I'd say avoid ClearSeal tanks, they are one of the worst for leaking.... If you do buy a Clearseal, I'd jump the gun and re-seal it before setting it up Structural silicone on them is generally OK, but they have issues making them remain water tight longer-term

 

[doggiebag]

I think my LFS only sell clearseal tanks apart from the named kits they do, shame about that. Looks like it may be the jewel then......trouble is I do like my smaller tanks and just been looking at some stunning small set-ups on here, makes me want more lol. Will be popping up to LFS later today hopefully, so will check out all the tanks there. The 60l was suppoed to be for christmas, but hubby said I can look now......he is so patient lol

I have a small 18" clearseal, not set-up yet, got it for my snails, will check the seals on this one now. Seems I've already bought all the wrong tanks anyway lol

Thanks again to everyone for their help, you have really helped me and I will know some of the things to look out for while Im at LFS.

 

[doggiebag]

UPDATE:

Firstly.......
A massive thank you to all of you for your experiences with these tanks, it helped me no end. I would never have fiddled and played with the tanks before this, I was too scared to touch them lol Today I was tinkering with them like a pro, thanks to your guidance on what to look for.

Went to LFS store today, it was great, thanks to all your advice and warnings I knew what to check out and look for, so much easier and I noticed things I would never have seen had I not known....
I checked them all out, was not impressed with the sealant finish on the Elite or Tetra tanks, very bitty and I can see why some may leak, lids flimsy and I could see what you meant about feeding door LOL

The Jewel was much better in finish and I preferred the hood too, just a nicer, more finished tank. The filter is massive though !!! But I think it will be fine as I can't see why I would need to change it, there is a HUGE amount of sponge in there and I love that the heater fits in there too, very neat.

So........Drum Roll Please.........

I GOT THE JEWELL REKORD 600, and Im chuffed with it. See, I was good, I listened to the advice and didn't come out with something different lol (very hard for a woman I might add)
I almost got the 800, but chickened out as it looked way to big and scary for someone who has only 12" square tanks at present plus we don't have too much space and our cabinet may not have held that at 110litres!!!

I got a great deal too, it was way over the prices you see it for online, but I haggled and smiled sweetly and I got it reduced by 20% and even got him to throw in a free voucher for £5 of fish later on, so it ended up cheaper than I could buy online, great news and very happy with that.

The Plan: I will be using the heater while I do my very first fishless cycle, then it will be turned off as room temp is fine for my current fish as its going to be used for my WCMM who will be upgraded from their 25 litre to this 63 litre, they are going to love it. May add some cherry shrimp once the minnows are settled so a fair few weeks later. (of course I may see some new fish I want later on and it may all change, but I also have a 35 litre tank waiting to be set up too, originally bought for the minnows, so who knows, but at present, the plan is for the minnows to have the 63litre, unless you have better ideas?)

Anyway, one last question, I prefer visi-therm heaters, so if I use a heater later on (to keep temp constant during winter, as our house gets nippy at night) would the visi-therm still fit inside the filter box safely? Or can you only use the one supplied in there and visi-therm would have to go on glass as normal?

 

[minxfishy]

Nice choice

Ive used various different heaters inside the filter, most of them fit no problems.

 

[doggiebag]

Nice choice

Ive used various different heaters inside the filter, most of them fit no problems.

Brilliant news, it just gets better, thanks for that


Now just have to set it all up and cycle it, first timer to fishless after a stressfull good few weeks cycling two new tanks with fish in, thanks to lfs, this time will be much less scary.

I have 3 bits of mopani wood, I have been boiling them for hours days on end then soaking them in a pot outside in between, but the water is still leeching, not as bad but water still brownish in pot, how long will it take? I have literally boiled for about 20 hours and soaked for over 2 weeks in between......wanted to use this in the new tank.