New Tank New Questions

[Hunter]

Hi all,
I am Upgrading my current juwel reckord 96 to the much nicer juwel rio 180 and i have a few question that i am hoping someone on here will be able to answer. I am still fairly new to the hobby to some on the questions may seem noobsih. So the questions.

1. I currently have a Fulval 3Plus in my 96L tank and in the lfs where i bought the new one. They said if i transfer the filter from my current tank to my new tank with some of the old tank water the i would be ok swapping the fish from my current tank to my new tank right away( i am not sure this would work so thought i would ask here any advice ?

2. Aslo the said lfs where i bought the tank recommended not using the built in juwel filter system and said i might be better off getting another fulval 3 and just running 2 fuval 3's in the tank Any thought?

3. What do i stock . I will be moving the fish out of my current 96L to my new 180L then after a few weeks add some more fishes Currently i have about 15 neon tetras, 6 sterbi Corys , 1 bristlenose and 3 apple snails. any views or suggestions would be welcomed.

4. Also Sand or Gravel. I want to put sand but i have been in 3 different LFS and 2 says it turns you water cloudy and 1 ( where i bought the tank said it would be fine and it is the only substare that does not affect ph). So now i dont know which one to use lol.

Thats all the questions i can think of for now hope there not to noobish. Hoping to hear all your replys

Thanks
Hunter

 

[Aquascaper]

1. You can either transfer the filter media to the new filter or run the old filter and new filter together for a few weeks. Either way your current filter can cope with the bioload of your fish so a straight tank swap is ok but monitor for any mini cycle that may occur

2. It's up to you and what you plan to stock and how much water movement you want. The Juwel filter is ok but some people remove the inside and place the external intake in the box, others remove the whole box to give more room and a cleaner looking tank.

3. Stocking is a personal thing so I tend to leave that up to the individual

4. Sand will only cloud your water if it is not washed thoroughly before putting in the tank. Playsand is the usual type and has no effect on pH and looks good and fish love it. It is also a lot easier to clean, waste will sit on top of it ready to be siphoned off.

 

[Hunter]

Thanks for the reply really helpful infomation there.

 

[Hunter]

Another Question Would u Replace the Juwel Heater with a better one with temp control ?
Thanks Hunter

 

[Hunter]

Bumpy anyone have any idea please ?

 

[Flute]

I would personally, yeah. I've found Juwel heaters are pain in the bums!
As for stocking, what's your pH like? If it's not too high, have you had a look at some of the dwarf cichlids about? They would fit in nicely with your corys, neons and the BN plec Keyholes are really sweet little fish, very under-rated. Apistogramma species are stunning, as are the laetacara species. Nannacara species are very pretty too. And maybe another smaller shoal of tetra? Rummynose, lemmon, etc. Or something like a group of hatchets for top dwellers.

 

[Aquascaper]

Sorry, did reply to this on my phone but it obviously didn't register.

Ditch the Juwel heater and get a Rena or Jager, at least something with a good temp control. Most heaters will fit in the mounting where the Juwel one went, just check the length so the heater is submersed.