JUWEL aquarium

[andyt_uk]

having only had my little 30ltr (7gal) tank for a week, the wife came with me to the LFS last night where i pointed out the juwel trigon 190 & 350 tanks, a 350 is used as a display tank - unfortunately the 350 is too large for the only space in the house we could site a tank.
a corner tank is by far the best for us, and the trigon 190 looks v nice and is just the right size.
anyway - she liked it, and is already so 'excited' by fish keeping she has agreed we can save up to get one (COOOL!!! ) - will take months cos we are skint

so has anyone any experience with JUWEL systems
are the pumps quiet?
is the filter system any good
the tank comes complete with pump/filter/lights/heaterstat
so all i need to do is decorate it, cycle it, and stock it (reckon we can get about 100cm of fish in there)

any opinions, or alternate recommendations appreciated

thanks guys

 

[platypus]

I currently have a Juwel tank and have had absolutely no problems with it - it is nice and quiet and came with everything I needed.

HOWEVER I have read bad things about them from other members on this forum. One thing to note is they are a bit expensive. But I still really want the Vision 180!

Oh, and their website is here.

 

[New Boy]

Andy,

I've actually got a Juwel 190 myself - I've had it for a year and I keep about 100 cm of fish in there (including some messy plecos and cichlids). I've been very pleased with it but I have 'added' some bits.

Having spoken to other people on this and other forums I was advised that the filtration wasn't really strong enough (600 ltrs - that's 3 times the tank capacity). I've added a Fluval 304 which does an extra 1000 ltrs per hour. I think someone advised me you should try to aim for at least 5 times the capacity per hour so a fluval 204 would have been sufficient but it was only £10 more for the 304. - this did cost £60 though.

For the lighting you'll need to get the reflectors (which are metal strips that you clip on to the light tubes to reflect all of the light back down). These cost £5 each - BTW buy Arcadia rather than Juwel (couple of £ cheaper).

I'd get a step ladder to reach the back if you're not very tall (as I'm not!).

I actually inherited my tank but I helped my mate put it together when he got it so beware that the cabinet may be flat packed.

I've also added an airstone recently but they were fine before this so not necessary.

My tank is quiet as a mouse - the only noise is when they all start eating!!!

Other people may have other recommendations on the filtration. You could always go with the filtration that is built in and keep less fish or do more frequent water changes.

Hope that helps.

Andy M

 

[Alien Anna]

I've got two Juwel tanks at the moment: a Juwel Triton 110 corner tank with the original Juwel filtration system and a Juwel Rekord 120 with two Fluval canisters running simaltaneously.

The main problem with them is the lack of light for my plants - its impossible to get the wattage required in those Juwel light fittings. The filter is a good biological filter (I even managed to swap out all my gravel without the tank cycling, thanks to the bacteria in the filter) but its a poor physical filter. It also takes up far too much room but it does work well.

I've succeeded in adding an extra light fitting to my Rekord 120 and intend to do the same to my Triton, by drilling a hole in the hood and suspending a light from an Arcadia light clip and some Duck tape.

 

[CFC]

Juwel tanks are great but the equipment that they come supplied with is rubbish IMO. I have two juwels, a Rio 300 and a Rekord 120. The first problem as AA pointed out is that there is no space for fitting extra lights without making adaptions to the hood, so growing plants with high light requirements is a nightmare. The next is the lack of coverglasses or any means of fitting them, if you fit the reflectors to the tubes to try and get the most from the lighting you get nasty sharp edges which fish can injure themselves on if they jump. The filters as mentioned are great biologically, to good infact and high nitrates is a common problem for people with juwel tanks, i have removed the juwel filter from the rio and have 2 eheim externals on it instead, the rekord still has its original filter but has a eheim ecco running as well. I have had the heaters fail 3 times, twice on the rio and once on the rekord, i have now replaced them with alternative makes as i dont trust juwel electrical equipment, i have had the powerhead that runs the filter pack up on the rio and lost a lot of expensive fish and the lighting unit has failed and had to be replaced as well (juwel admited a design fault and replaced the unit free of charge).
My advise is if you can afford the little extra then buy the tank and all the electrical kit as seperate items, i will never buy another juwel tank.

 

[Alien Anna]

I concur with the electrical problems with Juwel tanks - I've also had heaters blow on me after only a short time and I've had to replace my impeller in the powerhead twice in 2 years.

 

[andyt_uk]

could anyone put a price to some of these components?

my problem is going to be finding another tank of similar design, it really is perfect for the location.. suppose i could replace faulty parts with other mfcts as they fail - though realise my fish could be at risk if they fail when i cannot replace quickly...

thanks for the comments though

 

[Alien Anna]

could anyone put a price to some of these components?

my problem is going to be finding another tank of similar design, it really is perfect for the location.. suppose i could replace faulty parts with other mfcts as they fail - though realise my fish could be at risk if they fail when i cannot replace quickly...

Juwel components are also outrageously expensive IMHO.

However, if you want a Juwel tank for the size and shape you could just buy the tank and get the other parts seperately. There are other makes who do a similar size and shape - do shop around.

 

[teknikz]

ive got 2 juwel rio's and they have been perfect.....the filters are brilliant and even tho they do take up a LITTLE bitt of extra room they look smart as its just a plain black box.....so u havent got trailing wires everywhere

ive heard that juwel have manufactured a cover for it that looks like rocks or wood so u cant see it

my lighting is well enuff for both my planted tanks....all my plants are doing well and growing nicely.

the stands are soooooo solid that u could probably get an elephant to run over it and it'll still be in 1 piece

as for faults everything will have a 12 month guarantee so ur sorted there

as ive said b4 in other posts.....i wouldnt buy any other tanks other than juwel unless it was an unmissable offer or if i wanted a certain shaped tank

hope you get it and enjoy it loads

Tek

 

[New Boy]

Andy,

BTW check out ebay whilst you're saving up - they often sell Juwel tanks and other fishkeeping stuff. I've not personnally brought anything from ebay yet (waiting for a nice 10 foot tank or something!!) but I've heard other people on this and other forums raving about ebay.

Andy

 

[uptheiron]

I like the trigon tanks, (how much have you been quoted for the 350?) but we recently bought a rekord 96 for my missus and am very disappointed with it. I mean its very nice to look at, but it has a couple of inherent problems. Firstly the lack of a condensation tray is mooted as a good point, but in my experience, the condensate just forms on the inside of the lid and drips down the front of the outside of the tank, and the aeration is terrible. I did a full test on my tank, and the ammonia, nitrite and even nitrate were zero, but the oxygen was crap. Was trying to find out why all my rainbows were gasping all the time. Added an airwall and are happy as larry now, but the tank is now noisy. Not too sure about how effective the filter is yet, cos too bed it in i transferred an existing superfish external to help out, and am not yet brave enough to take it off, but will have to soon as i think this is almost full, plus i need it for my new sand tank.

 

[andyt_uk]

i think the 350 was either 549 or 599 including the cabinet
sadly that is about 2 inches too big for where i want to put it, but by my maths it would be suitable for 198cm of fish
while the 190 at 399 including cabinet is good for 128cm of fish
while an extra 70cm if fish is nice - is it worth £200 extra

however as i said it is just a fraction too large anyway

note those figures assume the tank is a full quarter circle not 100% it is, but the triangle would be good for 81cm so 100cm of fish would be a good estimate for now anyway

 

[Cian McLiam]

I have a Vision 180 and a record 70 for over two years and have never had a problem with either, parts included. The filter is fine for most tropical fish but large cichlids and catfish may require stronger filtration. I find its good for keeping angels because its not too strong and doesnt create a heavy current in the tank, plus if you point the outlet upwards, the filtered water breaks the surface and this helps aeration. Juwel also supply an ir tube extension for the power head with a valve to regulate the airflow. It only cost me €4 and you dont need an airpump. I only use it when the tank is at higher temps.
Of course keeping a spare power head and heater is a good idea with any manufacturer.