Juwel Rio 180

[ThinIce]

Hi all

Been lurking here a while now as i've fancied more and more the idea of getting a tank. My girlfriend has said she'll buy it for me, so the cash starved student obstacle has now been removed Spent a pleasant pre-christmas eve down the LFS with her and my sister cooing over all the cute little fish...

Been reading up on all the important things stickied (my isn't there a lot to learn ) - been disappointed by how big some of the tiny cute little fish down at the lfs grow into monsters that need a huge tank...and am starting to develop a short list of fish I could keep that wont require half the living room in tank

I've only really got the room for the one tank in my current accomodation - and one that would fit nicely in the space is the Juwel Rio 180. This has also attracted me by its 'kit' aspect (as well as the fact it looks smart in the shop....)

It look absolutely brilliant in this thread

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=70129

(admittedly with the addition of stone background which I believe adds £150 to the price...)

However I've read on this forum and a few others that the equipment is somewhat below par, either failing quickly or needing replacement for the size of tank / stocking levels. I also vaugely remember something about fish managing to get inside the filter? I'd be interested in anyones experience with this tank (or range of tanks) as well as any alternatives that would fit in a similar space. If possible I'd also be interested in the amount of noise the setup makes - as this is a slight concern.

Also is there anyone on here in the Worthing / West Sussex area of England? Be nice to know what you're managing to keep in the hard chalky water the downs provide.

Thanks for any replies

 

[glolite]

Hi there.
Recently purchased a Rio 180 and so far so good. I have 2 other Juwel tanks and they've been great so far. My 180 Vision has cichlids in it so needs extra filtration as these fish are quite big and make quite a mess. Also there are loaches in there which churn up the poo loads.

We live between Folkestone and Asford in kent (North downs) so have chalky water too. Luckily cichlids like hard water and I haven't had many probs with other fish. Incidently, if you buy fish from a local fs then they'll be used to same water anyway and from what I've read you can do more damage by messing with the ph. Fish seem to be quite adaptable

 

[ThinIce]

Cheers for the reply glolite.

A mate (hes probably hanging around here somewhere) actually suggested a cichlid tank and said the same about the water / fish adapting. What I'll probably do is post my suggested fish list and see what people think / whether it needs extra filtration...

 

[ThinIce]

Anyone else got any experiences to share with these tanks?

 

[lady_tanksalot]

i have two juwels, on is the 180.

its been running now for 18 months and no problems with it at all. i have it as a planted community with a sand substrate, some people don't like sand in the jewels because they say the sand gets in the filter but i've never had a problem.

i also have a juwel trigon 350 which is a corner tank, i have taken out the original filter system in this one and replaced it with an external. this is a big tank and because the filter is in the back it makes it almost impossible to get at it for maintanance without a harness and a complex pully system, so out it came.

imo the 180 is a great starter system

 

[ThinIce]

lady_tanksalot

Thanks for that - i've been toying with the idea of having sand as the substrate - depending on precisely what I decide to keep. Just out of interest whats your 180 currently stocked with?

 

[lady_tanksalot]

at the mo i have 5 guppys, 2 clown loaches, 1 small bala, 6 corys, 4 pengiuns, 1 small common plec and about 12 neons.

its mainly the kids tank, they chose most of the fish. the bala is in there cus he wasn't doing to well in my big tank and the clowns will move into the big tank when they're bigger (probably a year or so)

 

[ThinIce]

I'd love to have clowns - but i've already accepted the 180 is no good for them at least in the long term. How much bigger would I have to go to make it their permenant home out of interest?

From what fish keeping friends have said I'd love to have fish with a lot of personality, and most clown owners here seem to be completely eulogising them as fun pets

 

[glolite]

Fully grown clown loaches need 100g minimum. You can keep juveniles preferably in a shoal of 3 or more because they are very sociable. They grow quite slowly but just keep in mind you'll have to rehome eventually.

 

[lady_tanksalot]

hmmm after saying i've had no probs with my 180, got up this morning and the lighting unit had broken

went back to the lfs and they gave me a new one so its all fixed now.

only problem was as i was at the lfs with half of the top of the tank, the cat decided to jump up to warm his bum without realising his usual spot was missing, anyway fortunatly the kids were there to haul him out and dry him off

 

[jflowers]

Would love to have seen that.

Jon

 

[lady_tanksalot]

yeah so would i , i can't believe they didn't even take photo's before they dragged him out, kids eh, can't trust um to do anything right

 

[ThinIce]

heh sounds like a typical case of sods law.

 

[ThinIce]

Ok. After giving the financier an update on the fish tank idea she has decided the tank must have a Bristlenose Plec

These seem pretty common and widely kept with all sorts of other fish (in fact I don't think i've yet come across what not to keep it with), but is there anything specific to know about them? And specifically any constraints they place on what you can have in the tank either decoration / substrate or fish wish.

Tia,

PS have had a look over at http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=42932 and at another site with profiles.

 

[Coral platy]

My rio has fine gravel as the substrate. 4 pieces of bog wood varius live plants. and the fish include are.

discus
neons
silvertips
blue king tetras (like neons with out the red and the blue is kinda purpuly)
bristlenose plec
king tiger plec
corys
scissor tails

All fine and the filter works like a charm.

ps: ignore people that say juwel filters are crap.
I bet lady tanksalot and glolite can back me up on that one.

James

also good luck with the new tank. Rios are stylish and have all the equiptment you need to set your self going.

Enjoy