Really Need Your Help Deciding On A Tank!

[MermaidMel]

Please state your reasons why, I trust you guys implicitly to help me make this VERY important decision!

Going back to a 4ft from a corner tank, I cannot decide between the following:

RENA AQUALIFE CLASSIC 120 (about 280 litres)
RENA AQUALIFE PANORAMIC 120 (as above)
FLUVAL ROMA 240
FLUVAL VICENZA 260

In any event, I am going to run a Fluval 405

 

[Wills]

Errrmmmm I like the Fluvals, I have a roma 240 and its just the right size for the room but that depends on what room is like haha! - Since you have a Sev and BA I would go for the bigger Renas though, 40 liters is a nice bit of extra room in that space. If you have the 405 cool but if not I would consider looking for an FX5 Second hand and the FX5 will be cheaper than the 405 but like I say if you have the 405 no worries.

Also whats a dwarf goldspot? Bit intrigued

 

[minxfishy]

Rena classic, lovely tanks, well made, the panoramic will distort slightly, hence why the classic over that one.

Fluval tanks, just dont like them, the stands never seem particularly well made and the hoods are pants IMO.

 

[snowflake311]

Personaly a tank is a tank we don't even really have brands here in the USA well we have a few.
When buying a tank It comes down
Size : the amount of water you and your floor are willing to deal with
dimentions: what would work best for the fish you wish to keep? Deep tank or long tank or wide tank? Also do you have room for it.
What's it made of: acrylic or glass? Acrylic is better for 300 gal +.
Price: what can your wallet handle is a big thing. Do you want to spend more on the fish, fiters,light, co2,chillers, heater, skimmers and stuff?

 

[fishyfeet]

ive got fluval tanks and all fluval filters, they are brilliant, i had a juwel trigon 190, and it was rubbish in comparison, go for it mel, i agree about the cupboards though, i got some pretty decent ones, stick with fluval you cant go wrong, maybe find a better stand from somewhere though. di

 

[MermaidMel]

Ok guys. My fish at the moment are spread between 85 gallons in 2 different tanks, my cichlids are all babies and I'm prepared to obviously give them up when they get bigger.

The only thing that tempted about the Fluval was the light oak/wenge cabinet colours lol, I don't like the tanks at all.

I have a Rena Aquatlantis in beech and I love it, don't like the beech and I want birch. It's only 35 gallon so upgrading to a 75 gallon sized one appeals massively to me!

The only thing is I don't like the look of the Rena cabinet (like the Juwel ones) and so it's all about the cabinet, I would have loved to have the Rena birch classic on a Roma cabinet, but some of you guys are saying that the Fluval cabinet is pants, so I'm sold on having a Rena cabinet - I wonder if a sideboard of some kind would hold the weight of the Rena filled tank instead? I don't want to start building a cabinet though, I want to just buy something ready made.

Your feedback is priceless, I knew I could count on you all to help me sort this out xx thank you

Personaly a tank is a tank we don't even really have brands here in the USA well we have a few.
When buying a tank It comes down
Size : the amount of water you and your floor are willing to deal with
dimentions: what would work best for the fish you wish to keep? Deep tank or long tank or wide tank? Also do you have room for it.
What's it made of: acrylic or glass? Acrylic is better for 300 gal +.
Price: what can your wallet handle is a big thing. Do you want to spend more on the fish, fiters,light, co2,chillers, heater, skimmers and stuff?

Just to answer this separately, it's a concrete ground floor, so weight is not an issue. I don't like acrylic though, so glass every time. I have a recess of 125cm and taking hand gap into account 120cm (4ft) is just perfect. The depth of the recess is about 36cm so 40cm is the most I can go without it looking ugly, Rena do a 50cm deep but it's just too deep. I don't do skimmers, co2 etc. I have the filter, heater, lights are in the tank, already have the fish.

 

[doresy]

Hi ya!

Well, I have had a Fluval 240 Tanganyikan set up going for quite a while now and it's great and for the money, good value I think.
I went through the same choices as you are and my thinking was I hate corner tanks and I now shy away from anything bowed (they look great until you put fish in then it all goes horribly distorted )

Also with the 260 I was very nervous of the drilled filter holes in the bottom

Anyway, in our room the tank looks as though it was customed made for it. Walking into the room for the first time the tank certainly creates a wow response

 

[MermaidMel]

Hi ya!

Well, I have had a Fluval 240 Tanganyikan set up going for quite a while now and it's great and for the money, good value I think.
I went through the same choices as you are and my thinking was I hate corner tanks and I now shy away from anything bowed (they look great until you put fish in then it all goes horribly distorted )

Also with the 260 I was very nervous of the drilled filter holes in the bottom

Anyway, in our room the tank looks as though it was customed made for it. Walking into the room for the first time the tank certainly creates a wow response

And it looks very nice too! Are you happy with the cabinet? I have a mixture of light and dark wood in my lounge and really do like the cabinet

 

[MermaidMel]

Errrmmmm I like the Fluvals, I have a roma 240 and its just the right size for the room but that depends on what room is like haha! - Since you have a Sev and BA I would go for the bigger Renas though, 40 liters is a nice bit of extra room in that space. If you have the 405 cool but if not I would consider looking for an FX5 Second hand and the FX5 will be cheaper than the 405 but like I say if you have the 405 no worries.

Also whats a dwarf goldspot? Bit intrigued

It's a parotocinclus like the pitbull LDA25 I think it is, but slightly different species and doesn't have an L number

 

[MermaidMel]

How about putting a Rena tank on a Fluval cabinet, would that look/work alright?

 

[doresy]

Hi ya!

Well, I have had a Fluval 240 Tanganyikan set up going for quite a while now and it's great and for the money, good value I think.
I went through the same choices as you are and my thinking was I hate corner tanks and I now shy away from anything bowed (they look great until you put fish in then it all goes horribly distorted )

Also with the 260 I was very nervous of the drilled filter holes in the bottom

Anyway, in our room the tank looks as though it was customed made for it. Walking into the room for the first time the tank certainly creates a wow response

And it looks very nice too! Are you happy with the cabinet? I have a mixture of light and dark wood in my lounge and really do like the cabinet

Yes I really do like the cabinet (and so does the current Mrs D, it's how I sold the idea to her! )

I have the light wood effect right accross. I like the push release doors so no need for unsightly handles. The only comment I would make is I would have thought they would have put a back on the cabinet rather than just a support panel. I rectified that very easily and cheaply by adding a couple of hardboard panels from B&Q

 

[MermaidMel]

Hi ya!

Well, I have had a Fluval 240 Tanganyikan set up going for quite a while now and it's great and for the money, good value I think.
I went through the same choices as you are and my thinking was I hate corner tanks and I now shy away from anything bowed (they look great until you put fish in then it all goes horribly distorted )

Also with the 260 I was very nervous of the drilled filter holes in the bottom

Anyway, in our room the tank looks as though it was customed made for it. Walking into the room for the first time the tank certainly creates a wow response

And it looks very nice too! Are you happy with the cabinet? I have a mixture of light and dark wood in my lounge and really do like the cabinet

Yes I really do like the cabinet (and so does the current Mrs D, it's how I sold the idea to her! )

I have the light wood effect right accross. I like the push release doors so no need for unsightly handles. The only comment I would make is I would have thought they would have put a back on the cabinet rather than just a support panel. I rectified that very easily and cheaply by adding a couple of hardboard panels from B&Q

So it has a basically open back does it?