Fluval Vicenza Aquarium Setup - A Journal.

[mangoed]

Accepting the slim chance that this will be of interest to anyone, I have determined to describe my experiences with this aquarium in prose form (i.e. words with, hopefully, a few pretty pictures).

First the tank/stand itself:

Fluval Vicenza 180 Silver Trim Aquarium Set
Fluval Vicenza 180 Black/Silver Cabinet

Cost was £399.00 from, appropriately, Aquariums Delivered. It arrived in 6 days with the cabinet flat-packed and the aquarium in a large unpadded box (which, to be fair, made it a lot more manoeuvrable in terms of access to my rather ill-appointed flat). The courier happily accepted my help to get the kit from the back of his truck to my front-door but baulked at the idea of returning the favour by assisting me in carrying it up a small flight of stairs to where I actually live!

Anyway, less crap, more information... the tank is supplied with the following additional items:

Fluval 205 External Filter - 220V
AquaClear 50 Submersible Heater - 200W
Power-Glo Fluorescent Bulb - 24W - T5 x 2
Marina Aqua-Minder
Nutrafin Cycle - Biological Supplement - 118 ml
Nutrafin Aquaplus - 118 ml
Nutrafin Max - Complete Flake Food - 26 g

Also included are appropriate stems, nozzles and shortened hoses for connecting through the bottom of the tank to the filter (a system dubbed "EasyConnect" by Hagen and "LeakyConnect" by my paranoid mind). The appropriate ballast units and white PVC reflectors are pre-installed (along with the bulbs) in the fitted-canopy (though the entire lighting unit can be lifted out).

The bulbs are specified as 55cm (22"), T-5 (16mm), High Output, 24W, 18000K, 900 lumens, 122 lux (this information seems difficult to find online, which is why I'm providing it here - I had to purchase a spare to have access to the details on the packaging).

The stated capacity of the tank is 180l (151l usable); 47.5 US gallons (39.9 usable). The external dimensions are 92x30-41x55cm (there are two width dimensions due to the bowed front) or 36.2x11.8-16.1x21.7". The gives a rectangular surface area of 3772cm2 (0.3772m2 or 4.06 square feet) - I'm too lazy to do the maths to achieve greater accuracy (due to the curve).

Here ends the first post - pretty dull, I know. One of my problems in choosing this aquarium was a lack of accessible English-language information and Hagen's product support is willing but vague. If you're considering this tank then feel free to ask any questions and I'll try to provide accurate answers (it seems possible to know more than Hagen about their products simply by owning one). I'll provide a photograph next time as well!

[Edit: I just wanted to add the following information relevant to this post...]

The cabinet has eight adjustable feet (meaning that the feet are secured with special bolts which have a hexagonal inset suitable for manipulation with an Allen key) - these are badly positioned often in internal corners but are still better than nothing. The aquarium also has a mains-powered Automatic Light Timer (single-programme).

The following filter media are provided with the modified Fluval 205 kit:

Fluval 204 - 304 / 205 - 305 Foam Filter Block (2 packs, i.e. 4 blocks)
Fluval Biomax Bio Rings (2 filter-baskets full, 415g total)
Fluval Carbon (2 nylon bags for 1 divided filter-basket, 144g total)

(These links are indicative of the product, not the quantities or containers actually supplied.)

It is amusing how the Hagen website states "Colourful display box" as one of the product specifications. I guess that this is aimed at retailers - it isn't like I'm going to hang it on my wall, or stand it on the mantelpiece, and invite friends round to admire the filter media box, is it?

[End of edit.]

-dan

 

[JamieH]

Accepting the slim chance that this will be of interest to anyone, I have determined to describe my experiences with this aquarium in prose form (i.e. words with, hopefully, a few pretty pictures).

First the tank/stand itself:

Fluval Vicenza 180 Silver Trim Aquarium Set
Fluval Vicenza 180 Black/Silver Cabinet

Cost was £399.00 from, appropriately, Aquariums Delivered. It arrived in 6 days with the cabinet flat-packed and the aquarium in a large unpadded box (which, to be fair, made it a lot more manoeuvrable in terms of access to my rather ill-appointed flat). The courier happily accepted my help to get the kit from the back of his truck to my front-door but baulked at the idea of returning the favour by assisting me in carrying it up a small flight of stairs to where I actually live!

Anyway, less crap, more information... the tank is supplied with the following additional items:

Fluval 205 External Filter - 220V
AquaClear 50 Submersible Heater - 200W
Power-Glo Fluorescent Bulb - 24W - T5 x 2
Marina Aqua-Minder
Nutrafin Cycle - Biological Supplement - 118 ml
Nutrafin Aquaplus - 118 ml
Nutrafin Max - Complete Flake Food - 26 g

Also included are appropriate stems, nozzles and shortened hoses for connecting through the bottom of the tank to the filter (a system dubbed "EasyConnect" by Hagen and "LeakyConnect" by my paranoid mind). The appropriate ballast units and white PVC reflectors are pre-installed (along with the bulbs) in the fitted-canopy (though the entire lighting unit can be lifted out).

The bulbs are specified as 55cm (22"), T-5 (16mm), High Output, 24W, 18000K, 900 lumens, 122 lux (this information seems difficult to find online, which is why I'm providing it here - I had to purchase a spare to have access to the details on the packaging).

The stated capacity of the tank is 180l (151l usable); 47.5 US gallons (39.9 usable). The external dimensions are 92x30-41x55cm (there are two width dimensions due to the bowed front) or 36.2x11.8-16.1x21.7". The gives a rectangular surface area of 3772cm2 (0.3772m2 or 4.06 square feet) - I'm too lazy to do the maths to achieve greater accuracy (due to the curve).

Here ends the first post - pretty dull, I know. One of my problems in choosing this aquarium was a lack of accessible English-language information and Hagen's product support is willing but vague. If you're considering this tank then feel free to ask any questions and I'll try to provide accurate answers (it seems possible to know more than Hagen about their products simply by owning one). I'll provide a photograph next time as well!

-dan

Interesting choice.... can i ask why you chose the fluval tank above the more widely accepted and used Juwel equivalent?

Looking forward to hearing how you get on.

 

[paul_219]

Nice choices u had made. Good job.

 

[mangoed]

Thanks Guys!

To JamieH, I must admit that the choice is puzzling me somewhat.

I guess that the competing tank would be the Juwel Vision 180 which is available online at slightly less expense. The light unit seems comparable (2x25W as opposed to 2x24W, though the Juwel's bulbs are much longer) and the supplied heater (cheap anyway) is identical at 200W. The filter provided with the Juwel, however, appears to be internal and my preference was for external (especially since the Fluval tank aquarium allows connection directly through the base of the tank). To me this gave it a technical advantage (in terms of what I wanted).

Also, I think that the Fluval tank has a slight aesthetic edge. I really wanted a silver cabinet but was unable to find one that I liked (and was in-stock) at any online supplier. The Fluval cabinet has silver/black reversible door and some of the tank trim is silver. It gives the unit a slightly retro look/feel and ties together some of the silver/black/glass stuff in my living room: black plasma, sofa, speakers; glass coffee table; silver media centre, fridge. (I've got a fridge in my living room because the kitchen is too small.) Lastly, it was described as a "Designer Italian Aquarium" - stamp those words on a bubonic rat and I'd probably still cuddle it.

Overall, I wanted an aquarium from a respected, reliable manufacturer and I believe both Juwel and Fluval/Hagen would have fitted that requirement. Vorsprung Durch Technik, as they used to say at the end of Audi car adverts.

-dan

 

[JamieH]

cool!

Don't get me wrong... i'm not suggesting it's a bad choice. You got T5 lighting which the luddites at juwel don't seem to want to admit exists

also... most people seem to remove the juwel filter after a while...

i'm really looking forward to seeing more on this.

Can you post some pics of how the pipes look in the tank and how it all connects to the filter???

thanks.

 

[mangoed]

The cabinet was easily assembled (finest chipboard, with a matt black/silver laminate, no less), though it took a while to adjust the level to within a couple of millimetres (I had both left-right and front-back imbalance issues). I had chosen the area of my living room which seemed most stable (not easy in a pre-Victorian house), it creaked less when stepped on than others and the planks didn't move perceptibly underfoot. It is against a supporting wall and spans multiple joists for, I hope, maximum safety and security (both for its eventual inhabitants and my downstairs neighbour). However, now that it is full, I can observe a slight disturbance of the surface when I approach. It isn't like the Tyrannosaurus Rex scene from Jurassic Park but it is discernable.

I'm estimating the load at around 200kg (maybe a little more). One could imagine, with some license, four 5'10" models permanently standing in the corner of the room... wearing stilettos (source Wikipedia). Seriously, it seems likely that most floors would be able to support this weight, though I am not a structural engineer and I'd rather be taking pictures of the aquarium than of a gaping hole. Caveat emptor - nothing is 100% certain.

As background, I used two sheets of Juwel Rock 450 (£22.95 each at Seapets) and some black silicone sealer (£5.29 from the same place). The sheets are exactly the correct size (90x45cm together) for the inside of this tank but they can be cut to size easily enough using multiple-passes of a craft-knife. A layer of silicone was applied to each section which was then pressed against the back of the tank and left for 24 hours for the adhesive to set. It is ironic that the most difficult part of the build so far has been trying to force the viscous black liquid from the tube – perhaps I pierced it incorrectly!

With the background in place, I have ambivalent feelings as to its efficacy and suitability. It really does look good, especially when submerged, it is very three-dimensional and quite realistic, adding convincing depth to the scene. On the negative side, the join between the two panels is rather visible and probably should be disguised with a plant or some variety of ornament. Were it not for the filter’s intake and outlet pipes on this particular aquarium, it would have dropped right into place. However, it is 5cm thick and needed to be cut around the intake pipe (I covered the gap externally with some black drawer-liner which was hanging-around).

This brings me to the main problem with this background: at 90x45x5cm, it reduces the capacity of the tank by 20,250 cm3, displacing approximately 20.25L of water (or, to use one ‘rule of thumb’, about 20cm of fish). Still, this means it also reduces the overall weight of the aquarium by 20kg!

Because of the overlapping structure of the background panels, I was able to feed my substrate heating cord (a Rena Cor 25W, £24.99 from Aquarama) underneath it, allowing it to exit invisibly from the tank. This cable is divided into a 3.5m heated section (which is ample) and a 1m unheated section. Wanting to keep all of the former embedded in the substrate and with a tank height of 55cm, only 45cm remains to get to a power-socket. I bought an SMJ Electrical single-socket extension lead from Robert Dyas for £6.99 (which seems expensive – due, no doubt, to the nature of offline-retail). Although the Rena website asserts that 8 suction cups are provided with the heating cord, it only arrived with 4. It required 15 in total to anchor, necessitating the purchase of three additional packs from Aquatics Online at £2.65 each.

The canister filter was straight-forward to assemble (see photos, below). The plastic intake/outlet pipes were passed through the bottom of the tank and fastened with plastic nuts. The ribbed hoses are then attached to the Aquastop (which clips to the lid of the canister) with more plastic nuts and finally to the stem of the connector stems using metal clamps. I’m always rather wary when instructions say things like “push it all the way, as far as it will go†because how far is that? Until it breaks? Too late. Likewise “as tight as you can make itâ€. However, the Fluval instructions are exceptionally thorough. If the hoses ever need replacement, Hagen claims not to stock them “any longer†(like, when did they?). The alternatives are 2.5m long and, due to the rubber connectors at each end, are not intended to be cut to size.

The cost so far (including the spare bulb at £16.99 from Aquatics Online mentioned in a previous post) is £490.12 and rising!

-dan

The connected cannister filter in the cabinet underneath the tank:

Ribbed hose to stem connections:

Ribbed hose to AquaStop connections:

View through front of tank (note heater, background cut-out and about 7cm of substrate):

View through side of tank (note heater and about 7cm of substrate)

 

[JamieH]

eekk....

i'd be really scared of m whole tank pressure baring down on the gasket of the fluval....

if you wanted to add a new filter or a bigger model, does that mean you'd have to empty the tank before taking the hoses off? or is there a shut off valve

I noticed the eheim MP range of tanks now use a similar system for the filter pipes (www.eheim.de) so it must be safe... but scary none-the-less!!!


looking good still mate... and nice detailed update.

Keep us posted.

Did you have a look at my journal yet?

 

[rfisher]

Hi,

Thats the same tank that I was looking at. Going to follow this thread with interest. Good Luck.

Richard

 

[mangoed]

i'd be really scared of m whole tank pressure baring down on the gasket of the fluval....

Well, as you can tell, it has me concerned as well. I wonder what the pressure actually is - anyone care to do the maths?

if you wanted to add a new filter or a bigger model, does that mean you'd have to empty the tank before taking the hoses off? or is there a shut off valve

Basically, yes. The only shut-off valve is that on top of the filter (which is obviously required). I guess that if I wanted to change the hoses, I'd go with a couple of corks (or those rubber bungs I remember from Chemistry at school) in the tops of the stems and see what happened!

Did you have a look at my journal yet?

I certainly did and enjoyed it very much, mate.

-dan