First Timer Requiring A Tank - What To Get?

[TropicalDrop]

Hi All,
I'm currently looking into getting my first tropical fish set up and am just having trouble deciding on the tank and cabinet. I have a 100cm (just over) gap to home it so the Juwel Vision 180 caught my eye, mainly because I like the curvature of the tank and the cabinet design and the reviews don't look too bad.

Would this be an okay tank to go for I've read things about needing external filters and sump tanks but being a first timer can't quite picture the significance of these and keep seeing mixed discussions when searching the net.

Also, the cabinet underneath is to house some electricals due to the format of the room (Blu-ray player), is this a seriously bad idea? How likely (touchwood) is it for aquariums to spill their guts?

I was looking (hoping) to keep a couple of angel fish, tiger barbs, bala shark and maybe pictus catfish and tetras if compatible.
Have to admit I've decided on these based on what I like cross-referenced with aggression levels so please let me know if there are any glaring problems!

Any help with a checklist or any pointers would be much appreciated!
Thanks in advance,

 

[TropicalDrop]

Also, a friend told me of a model that houses the pump and possibly filters all in the lid of the unit but didn't know the manufacturer, He said it would make maintenance much, much easier - does anyone know of any models like this? Or have any opinions on them?

 

[DrRob]

The simple answer with a tank is, the biggest that you can fit into the gap you have, particularly in floor area, and then in height, that you can afford. Trust me, the bigger the tank the easier it is to keep and make it look nice, plus you get more options for which fish to keep.

After that, whatever you like the look of aesthetically, especially if it's in the living room.

Tanks rarely ever spill their guts to be honest, but they do spray water about when you're messing with them, which you will be doing. Personally I'd keep blu-ray players well away from a fish tank, but it's not an impossible mix.

As for fish, to be brutally honest, drop any thoughts of a bala shark. It's a 16 inch shoaling fish. You're looking at tanks over 6 feet to keep them happy. I've not had much joy with the angelfish/tiger barb mix either, with one killing the other type, usually the barbs nipping the angel to distraction but occasionally the angel going killing spree. I've seen it done, but it's not top of my mixture list. Pictus again are larger fish that prefer groups, but are more doable depending on what you go for. Tetras and angelfish, yes, good mix (generally, with a few angelfish having habits of eating small tetras).

External filters are recommended by most of us, as they're more powerful and easier to maintain than their internal cousins. Sumps you shouldn't need to worry about at this level of tank.

 

[Shelster]

This is the tank I have, and its great to go for a decent size straight off.

I must admit I bought a fluval external for it, as the internal pump it comes with isnt great, plus takes up extra room in the tank.

I have owned mine since 2000 and touch wood, haven't had any leakages or spills.

I have my external in the left hand cabinet and fishy foods air pump and liquid test kits all sit the other side.

Personally I wouldn't put anything electrical non tank related in the cupboard.

The convex front gives the tank a great look I think.

I won't advise re your stocking as I have never owned angels before ( this tank is however a good size for them) I do know you will need a fairly sized tetra other than neons etc as when the angels grow they may see them as a food source, however others disagree.

I do recommend the tank though, very good choice!

Welcome to the forum!

 

[DrRob]

In answer to your second post, yes, there are a few of those. I'm not a huge fan of them as they tend to simply not be as good as their counterparts, but they are easy to maintain.

All pond solutions do tanks of that type, but there have been questions about their build quality. I'll rack my brains about other brands as I've definitely seen them.

 

[mike455555]

i think a Juwel Vision 180 would be a great starter tank, it has a large water volume so there's more room for error, you dont need a sump for that tank, the filter depends on what you want to stock, external canister filters is what most people use as internal's are unsitely as for your stocking i think the bala shark will outgrow it

 

[Shelster]

Btw I have the fluval 305 so I have over filtered, but I am equally heavily stocked but do 40 % water change every week and all is well, good luck with your search.

 

[Tuxyu3]

The decision on what tank to fit is up to you, Juwel tanks are generally a safe bet. You don't exactly need an external filter but I would always recommend one. Sumps are really not necessary and I would actually recommend people new to the hobby to stay well away from them.
Aquariums as a rule are not likely to flood water everywhere but due to the fact you will be doing water changes and will inevitably leak some water I would advise you to keep any electricals you value well away!
Angelfish could be done in a tank of this size but would need to be an established pair to avoid fighting and even then they may scrud with eachother and may attack other fish (especially if they spawn).
Tiger Barbs will be aggressive in small numbers and should not be kept with any long-finned fish (Angelfish).
Forget about the Bala Sharks, they are way too active and way too large for a tank of this size.
Pictus Cats need to be in a shoal and will make a snack of any fish small enough to fit in their mouths (some Tetras).
There are many types of Tetra, some are small and peaceful but some can be fairly large (as in a couple of inches) and aggressive, or anywhere in between.

The most important thing for somebody new to the hobby is cycling, have you read about this at all?

 

[TropicalDrop]

Thanks for all the input.
I'll explain the dilemma with the electricals (skip this bit if you find it a bit frivellous/boring) ...basically there's a TV mounted to the chimney breast and the fish tank will be going in the alcove immediately to the side of it, this is also the only real option to home the bluray player. The only alternative is chasing out the plaster to behind the fishtank anyway as the telly needs power and aerial and then chasing out the plaster for several metres going in the other direction and homing the blue ray player precariously on a small shelf. It means a lot of destruction and seperation of electrical equipment (stuff dotted about the room), my thinking is for the sake of the chance of water spilling on the <&pound;100 BD player (I'd remove it from the viscinity when water changing) it doesn't make sense to do all the aforementioned. Understand this isn't exactly fish related, I just wanted experienced views in case there was something obvious about fish keeping I was unaware of that made that a really bad decision.


Thanks for comments on the fish all the ones that have been discounted above to be honest were just on my 'would be nice' list, I was really aiming for the Angels and tetras - although tiger barbs would be nice (would it be doable with a good number of them?).
I was looking at blue neon tetras and then having the angel fish as the bigger 'attraction', The other alternative I was looking at were malawi cichlids (am I right in thinking angels are a slightly less agressive member of this family?) but have been told my numerous fish keepers they really are aggressive and will have a go at more or less everything unless you keep 1)exclusively cichlids or 2) a lot of cichlids to help manage the territories


By cycling do you mean running the tank without fish to establish a suitable environment (I'm assuming you're not saying 'on yer bike' and try another hobby!) ? PH testing and the like? I'm aware of that and have read most of the guides , but must admit I want to settle on a tank and my 'goal' with the fish before muddying my mind up with more info!

Any suggestions for an attractive (that adjective seems a bit 'wrong' for fish!) alternate to cichlids or angels really would be welcomed - I am totally new to tropical fish and you don't see that many fish in central England let alone tropical ones!

Edit: Add black red tailed shark to the 'really would like' list!

 

[Glitzy]

Don't put angels and barbs together, barbs and 'traily' fish with long fins are not a good mix, the barbs will nip.

 

[Tuxyu3]

Tiger Barbs may be doable, but i would advise you don't try it as you will have enough to deal with on a first time tank without getting stressed over your fish ripping each other to pieces! Also note that most Barbs are actually great community fish, Five-Banded Barbs for example are very peaceful and nice to include in a 'relaxed' aquarium.
There are two types of Cichlids, American (or 'New World') Cichlids and African ('Old World') Cichlids, there are some that live in Madacasgar and somewhere around nine species in Asia but you do not need to worry about these ones as they are not commonly encountered in the hobby. African Cichlids as a rule are more aggressive and are usually kept in an aquarium specifically designed around them. American Cichlids are generally calmer and less aggressive (certain ones are often described as timid and nervous), Angelfish are New World Cichlids and believe it or not have very unique personalities, some Angels are aggressive and territorial but some are friendly and do well in a community aquarium, it's luck of the draw really. The kind of Cichlid-only tank you mentioned are usually comprised of African Cichlids, they are called Malawi tanks because they are comprised only of Cichlids that come from Lake Malawi, setups like this are often referred to as 'Biotopes' (meaning all the fish come from the same place). Cichlids from Africa live in Rift Lakes (Malawi is one of these) that generally have vastly different conditions to those most tropical fish are used to, this is just one reason for them to be kept in a biotope.

Cycling is where you allow bacteria to grow that deals with waste the fish give off in the form of ammonia. Ammonia is deadly to fish and will kill them very quickly if it is not removed, luckily for us there is a kind of bacteria that just loves to feed off ammonia and convert it into nitrite (still deadly, just not as much), and another kind of bacteria that feeds off nitrite and turns it into nitrate (will only kill fish if allowed to build up to a very high concentration). These bacteria need time to build up and our fish would be long dead before any bacteria became established if we did not cycle our tanks beforehand. When we cycle we simply run a tank with no fish in and add pure ammonia for the bacteria to feed off of and grow without our fish being poisoned, that way when we finally do add our fish the bacteria is ready to take care of their waste as they make it. There is a much more detailed explanation of cycling in the begginers section, be sure to read it.

A single Red-Tailed Black Shark could be kept in a tank of 180 litres but beware, they are very territorial and can be aggressive, especially to other bottom dwellers.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I second the five-banded barb suggestion in place of the tigers. They are very similar in look, but MUCH more docile, nearly reclusive in comparison... also need to be kept in numbers - the more the merrier. ;-)

 

[deftuch]

juwel 180 visions are lovbely looking tanks. i have 2 of them. only tip i can give ya is that you cant fit big internal filters under them eheim classics seem to be ok. but for example. my all pond solutions 1400 ef is too big

 

[TropicalDrop]

Hi all,
Just a quick update and question.
I'm hopefully (fingers crossed!) picking up my Juwel tank tomorrow.  The guy I'm buying it off has offered me some coral sand with it it, a quick look on the net says it's probably not a good idea with my intention of a community tank and my choices so far; angel fish, black red tail shark but the guy seems to reckon it'll be alright.  He had cichlids in there and angels are a type of cichlid (not that the other fish will be), but my guess would be that it's more to do with where the fish are from.
 
Any help appreciated - cheers!

 

[TropicalDrop]

Now the opwner of a Juwel Vision 180!
Went against the coral sand.  Off shopping to get all the beginners stuff for a new tank tomorrow. The guides on here will be really handy.
 
There are internal filters fitted at the moment - I'm going to give these a go for now.