Juwel Or Fluval

[Irishguy22]

Just some advice needed.

Im looking to get a new larger fish tank. Have my eye on these 2 below...

Juwel Rio 180 and fluval roma

Im just wondering what people think of these? I was reading reviews about the fluval bowing and im kinda afraid to get on of those. Anyone have any reccomendations?

Also there is a guy on eBay peterclivemartin selling 5ft tanks which I REALLY like and like the price... but the thinkness of the glass is only 8mm. I have NO idea about this but read on a page that this is way to thin to hold the water. Im going today to check out the Juwel and Fluval's because I want to see the size (internet pictures can be deceiving!!) ha.

Thank tank will be tropical tank with a pleco, angelfish, mollies and a Pangasius sutchi (which is one of the main reason im getting a large tank - didnt know they get so big!!)

Anyone with any advice? My budget is about £300-400.

Thanks guys

 

[AdAndrews]

i had this a couple of weeks ago, didnt know which one to pick, in the end i picked fluval, purely down to the fact that i likes the overall look of it(roma 125) over the rio 125, the cabinets are the same strength, its just chipboard, but other than this is depends on if you are keeping the equipment,for example, the jewels have better lighting so if you are growing plants this can be a bonus, but as i am doing i am replacing the filter to external in the roma and getting an external heater, plus i am not having plants

what are you doing for filter/heater?
are you growing plants?
which one do you like the look of most?

 

[JenCliBee]

Personal choice for me would be a juwel... got 4 at the moment and apart from one of the lightbars breaking they all have been superb tanks.

Your Pangasius will outgrow any tank you buy so rehoming would probably be a better option than upgrading your tank.

 

[jmkgreen]

Also consider that with Juwel the filter sits inside the tank, displacing some of your water. Removing it may prove a pain.

I've not heard about Fluvals bowing but I've like to hear if they do - a Vicenca 260 is a contender on my shopping list.

I have heard from various sources this board included that the fluval filters may leak - apparently only the FX5 is not known to be problematic. I'm being told to play safe and get a couple of Eheim canisters instead (two for redundancy).

The other thing you should consider is cost of filter replacements. I know the Juwel small filters have more than doubled in price in the last twelve months. I don't know about any other brands.

8mm is way too thin to hold 5 ft of water assuming a sensible width & depth. I'm only seeing 10-12mm thicknesses on sale of those sizes.

Also, double check your house insurance that it covers water damage prior to purchasing.

 

[Irishguy22]

I like the of both of them... the jewul probably a bit more because my floor is beech. Im just afriad of the tank bowing! it seems there was a fault in the manufacturing of the fluvals last year so maybe this has been sorted?

Dont mind too much about the lighting as im just using fake plants at the moment. (Only learning about fish so once i know some more ill focus on plants hehe)

I just typed in fluval leaking in google... came acroos this (delete if not allowed) http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/foru...php/t-1639.html

So thats making me a little nervous.

With the filter being in the hood.... can I buy an external filter and not use the one with the jewul? Do i need to drill holes or anything in the tank for external filters cause i dont think id do that.

I read somewhere that (correct me if im wrong im not too sure) the Fluval tanks have holes in the bottom for the external filter and the seals around them need replacing and its quite a job to do? I could have picked that up wrong?

YES I will have to rehome that large fish I just dont know where im going to.... it seems to be happier now theresless fish and not as nervous.

 

[JenCliBee]

I like the of both of them... the jewul probably a bit more because my floor is beech. Im just afriad of the tank bowing! it seems there was a fault in the manufacturing of the fluvals last year so maybe this has been sorted?

Dont mind too much about the lighting as im just using fake plants at the moment. (Only learning about fish so once i know some more ill focus on plants hehe)

I just typed in fluval leaking in google... came acroos this (delete if not allowed) [URL="http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/foru...php/t-1639.html"]http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/foru...php/t-1639.html[/URL]

So thats making me a little nervous.

With the filter being in the hood.... can I buy an external filter and not use the one with the jewul? Do i need to drill holes or anything in the tank for external filters cause i dont think id do that.

I read somewhere that (correct me if im wrong im not too sure) the Fluval tanks have holes in the bottom for the external filter and the seals around them need replacing and its quite a job to do? I could have picked that up wrong?

YES I will have to rehome that large fish I just dont know where im going to.... it seems to be happier now theresless fish and not as nervous.

Removing the internal from a juwel is very easy, no you dont have to drill holes in the tank for externals and im not sure where the info came with fluvals have a hole drilled at the bottom for filtration lol, maybe when someone converted for a sump but on new brought they dont have drilled holes in them

 

[AdAndrews]

they dont leak, basically, the thing with fluvals is they are made in china, so the detail wont be as much as on the jewels, for example the jewels are made in germany so anything thats not up to scratch is sent back, the fluvals are simply done on manufacture lines, so the attention to detail of the silicone for example wont be there, plus fluvals are cheaper because the lighting isnt as good,

you need to decide wether you will be upgrading the filter, if you are, then fluvals is the tank for you(provided you like the look) if you arnt then its jewels.... purely down to the fact that it comes with a filter and everything(plus heater) can be hidden in that black box

good luck.. i have a jewel and the heater has broke, the lighting is crap, and so is the desing of the filter, if you were having a jewel i would rip the filter out(siliconed in)

 

[Irishguy22]

brilliant thanks a mill for the info... well im going to head up now and check them out in the petshop. Ill have a better idea then. Thanks a million for the help

 

[rabbut]

Well, depending on if you want a good plug and play tank, or one where you want to customise a bit. If you want the best "out of the box" gear, probably the Juwel is for you. The Fluval tanks are better glass though IMO, have good enough stands and are reliably built. The issue with condensation mentioned in your like was them not applying enough silicone to the rim. This was a known fault that has now been fixed Now that has done, the tank itself is better quality than the Juwels IMO, though the gear supplied isn't as great...

Some Fluval tanks are drilled when new, mainly their larger corner units, to take an external filter. The bulk heads are what we in the trade call Bas*#?$ fittings, specifically designed such that only Fluvals hoses will fit them safely. You can super heat the pipes of a more reliable filter with clear hoses and push them on, but a knock will bring them off again, and the tank empties, fast. Rabbut's solution, get a pair of grips to the bulk heads, remove them and fit standard metric barbed fittings instead such that a normal filter can be installed more safely

Out of the box though, the Juwel filters are good IMO, where as the Fluval internal supplied are always the size down from what you actually need, the lights are better on the Juwel and the heaters are the only bit on the Fluval asside from the tank itself (that is still good quality on the Juwels BTW) that is better

HTH
Rabbut

 

[Craster]

im not sure where the info came with fluvals have a hole drilled at the bottom for filtration lol, maybe when someone converted for a sump but on new brought they dont have drilled holes in them

The Vicenza is very much pre-drilled. It's supplied with fittings that come up through the base of the tank.

 

[jmkgreen]

I was just discussing the Vicenza verses the Vision with my LFS this afternoon.

Basically I was told:

Yes, the Vicenza range had a manufacturing fault early last year. No returns in the last six months, nothing left of the bad stock.
You can apparently block the hole in the bottom of the tank and fit an Eheim if desired instead.
On Fluval vs Eheim filters apparently BOTH are manufactured in Germany (???)
On Fluval filters leaking it's apparently a consequence of them being so popular ("the most sold filter in Europe") - statistically the ratio of sold to faulty will be about the same (evidence???)

I have personally had a Reckord 70 for about three years needing only a heater to be replaced but I'm after a four-foot bow fronted tank which seems to rule out anything other than manufacturing-line tanks on cost grounds if nothing more.

 

[Macko1968]

I own a Trigon 190 & a Roma 90.

On the question of quality, the Trigon shades it, but it's so close as to make no difference. I think both companies offer fine value products & you won't go wrong with either. Now, can someone give me a hand to get off this fence?