Newbie Questions

[Nick Sw]

First of all I`d like to say what a great Website/ Forum I`ve found here it`s fantastic.

I`m hopefully going to buy a Juwel Rio 125 litre tank very soon (feel free to give me your thoughts on this set up), I`m very new to Tropical Fish and this would be my first Tank I`m trying to read up on all the information I can before hand and I`ve been visiting Aquatic/Fish Shops all over West Yorkshire, after visiting one particular shop the sales advisor kept telling me to forget all I`d read on the internet it was all rubbish ! I just went along with him anyway but he mentioned a few things that I`m unclear on.

He said that when I`d had the tank after a month I would come back with a problem something to do with the Juwel filter but he wouldn`t tell me what ?

Another was using Sand as a substrate he told me this was only for experts ? (I`ve read the sand substrate article, it is very good) do you think I should stick to gravel as a newbie ? bearing in mind I`d like to have a few real plants growing.

He said he could sell me a product that gets the tank cycled in a week ?

I really liked the Idea of the Juwel structured backgrounds but he said they were rubbish and fell off , has anyone had any experience of these ? Both the Rock and cheaper Bark effect.

Thanks I really appreciate any advice given to me.

 

[Nina]

As far as I am aware sand can be used by anyone not just experts. I prefer to look of sand personally and wouldnot use anything else. Plants can grow in sand as well as gravel.

As for the cycling, you should avoid adding any chemicals to the tank to cycle to tank quickly.

I have never has a jewel tank so can not comment on their problems with filters and backgrounds but there are plenty of people with them on here so they should be able to help.

From the sound of it I would carry on doing what you are doing - reading up on everything and then avoid the staff in that LFS unless you actually need to buy something.

 

[carrera]

hiya and welcome, this really is a great and friendly place to get info

i think maybe that shop assistant thinks everything on the internet is rubbish because it makes you spend less money there. these forums are really the best resource i have for finding what i need to know, when i need to know it.

sand as a substrate, i really dont see how its 'not for beginners'. get yourself a bag of playsand from B&Q, twice the size of the biggest bag of gravel your lfs sells for half the price and (imo) it looks much better than gravel once settled

there are products that claim to cycle the tank faster, and there are varied opinions on them. ive never used them but from what i have read, i would steer clear of adding aditional chemicals during cycling. also, from what ive read, patience is most certainly a virtue and attempting to rush or shortcut never ends well in fish keeping.

cant comment on the jewel STR backgrounds, dont really know what they are

again, welcome

 

[Nick Sw]

Nina/Carrera Thanks for your reply and advice .

 

[linda1503]

I had a juwel 125ltr and while I thought the tank was nice and easy to maintain I didn't like the size of the filter in the corner, its just a big black box taking up a lot of room. They seem to work fine and a lot of people are quite happy with them but also a lot of people take them out and use a different filter, just because of the size. So next time your're in the pet store have a good look at the filter and see if you can live with it. I upgraded to a 180ltr deep duo fluval tank and the only thing I don't like is the fact that the water level is very close to the top of the tank (you don't get this with juwel tanks) and you have to take some out before you can do any maintanence or water splashes over the top!! It all comes down to personel preference so picture the tank in your home and then decide. Have fun and enjoy.


Oh and I'm a recent newbie and I used sand. Its great, looks good and fine for a 'beginner'!!

 

[Nick Sw]

Yeah thanks loach Ive noticed the filter the takes up a bit room, I was thinking I could start with the standard setup and once I got more experienced maybe change it , the reason I`ve sort of singled the Rio125 out is - It`s close to the largest tank I can fit in my room at the moment and the fact Juwel seem to have a good rep and are relatively cheap.

I`ve seen some fantastic pictures of Rena aquariums on here - maybe one day !

 

[altselgreen]

Hi Nick Sw

I have a juwel tank with the rock effect as a background. I actually slipped mine inside the tank at the back. It is very sturdy but there are two problems with it. Firstly it looks very dark and some parts of a tank that aren't as well planted as the rest look very black. Secondly because i slipped mine inside there are a few gaps around the edges which make it possible for small fish such as neons to slip through. I guess it is good because brightly coloured fish stand out. But I have seen the bark effet in pictures and that looks pretty nice because it is not as dark.

I also used sand in my aquarium with patches of gravel which makes it look very natural.

Hope this helps!

Sam

 

[linda1503]

The only other bit of advise I can give you is maybe to get the biggest tank that fits nicely in your room. A few months ago my son gave me a 2ft tank but the cabinet was a bit battered so my hubby went out and bought me a aqua one 620, 95ltrs I think. Then I wanted a bigger tank so he bought me a rio 125, lovely I thought, but after a while I ws looking at BIGGER tanks!! so hubby bought me a fluval 180. Its the biggest tank I can have for the size of my room, Big sigh off hubby!! (wonderful man). So what I'm saying is don't waste money like I did (Well Hubby did)!!!

 

[vic]

Nick:
Being from the other side of the pond I can not really comment on the tank you have picked other than in a general way. The idea of an inboard filter to me is a contradiction. I bought a fish tank to keep fish; not hardware. Never mind the cleaning issues of a submerged filter. An external filtration sustem just seems to make more sense to me. You then have to make the choice between a hang on the back (HOB) or a cannister. I have left sump out as your prospective tank size does not warrant a sump. There are losts of pros and cons and the decision likely will come down to a percieved personal preference. The HOB's are generally less costly than the cannisters. Rule of thumg water circulation is 10 times with a HOB and 5 times with a cannister of the tank volume.
The cycling "juice" you alluded to is called Bio Spira. It is live nitrofying bacteria and comes in either a fresh or salt water "model". It is live and therefore must be kept refrigerated or there will be millions of deaths and no go in the tank. I don't know if it is available in the UK as yet. It works and it works very well. Cycling is usually reduced to 10 to 14 days or less, IF you follow the directions exactly. It is somewhat costly. There is another alternative and that is the fishless cycling of the tank. You can get information on the process through Google, Fishgeeks or Alberta Aquatica. The last two are boards like this one. If you go to Fishgeeks, find the member Dianna, she has a capital article on fishless cycling.
Cheers and welcome to a very frustrating; but satisfying hobby.

 

[Nick Sw]

Thanks for your advice I think you`ve managed to change my mind ,I`ve had a really good look round this last few days and I`ve decided I`m going to get a Rena - either a Panorama 100 or Aqualife 120 they look brilliant compared to the Juwel ones It`s just convincing my girlfriend !

Theres a local garden centre that has an offer on the Rena Panorama 100 which is £350.00 including £50.00 worth of fish , this seems really good as other places I`ve looked have ranged from £450.00 to £700.00 for the same tank.

They also come with a much more heavy duty external filter, which seems like a much better idea than internal.

Thanks again for the advice above

Nick

 

[dwarfgourami]

The last issue of Practical Fishkeeping Magazine did a consumer test of internal filters in case you want to read up. The Juwel got the best score for a planted tank, and the Eheim Aquaball scored the best filter allround; the Hagen Fluval 3 got PFK recommended. I like my internal filter, as it does not leave any unsightly bits sticking out of the tank, and it is easily hidden by tall plants.

 

[Nick Sw]

The last issue of Practical Fishkeeping Magazine did a consumer test of internal filters in case you want to read up. The Juwel got the best score for a planted tank, and the Eheim Aquaball scored the best filter allround; the Hagen Fluval 3 got PFK recommended. I like my internal filter, as it does not leave any unsightly bits sticking out of the tank, and it is easily hidden by tall plants.

Yes I`ve seen that article it does give it a decent review over the other internal filters, just the idea of a external filter sounds more practical as far as maintenance and cleaning is concerned as well as giving more space for the fish as is said above. Also I`ve heard the Juwel internal filter can be a bit noisier than other external filters which is something which might concern me.

I think the juwel range of tanks are great and good value for money and I was dead set for getting one but I just like the looks more of the Rena tanks now I`ve seen them. The Juwel aren`t as quite modern looking in design especially the model I was looking at (The Rio125) but thats just my opionion .

Thanks for the comments dwarf Gourami.

PFK do a Buyers Guide to full tank setups as well which is worth a read. They summed both up like this

Rena
> What’s Hot
Stylish. Upgradeable. Good lighting and filtration.
> What’s Not
Some models need regular topping up to conceal water level. Only available in beech

Juwel
> What’s Hot
Probably most popular tanks on market. Competitive prices from many dealers. Smart looking finish.
> What’s Not
Very low flow rate on some filters. Can be tricky to upgrade.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Yes, basically it's about what you want them for. I run planted, low stocked tanks, so for me a moderate filter flow is fine, but if you want to go in for bigger messier fish or a higher level of stocking, then you probably do want the external filter.
Have to say I don't find the maintenance of the Juwel filter at all difficult though; it's really easy to reach into the box and fish the sponge out. If I spend 5 minutes a week on filter maintenance, it's certainly not more. As for the noise at night- well, I wouldn't know: my husband snores! There is just no way any filter is going to compete with that!
But the main question of course is performance. Have no epxerience of the Rena tank, but I believe they have a very good reputation.