Juwel Hoods - Tell Me More!

[whizzbee]

Hi there,

I'm looking to upgrade from my Fluval Duo 1200 to something along the lines of the Juwel Vision 450. Unfortunately all my LFS' (Maidenhead Aquatics) seem to have stopped supplying them; while I am happy to go ahead and order it via mail order (!!) I am interested to find out how the hood works in terms of access and feeding before I purchase...

I've struggled to find any good pictures focussing on the hood anywhere on the internet, so if somebody had some then this would be really helpful (of any of the Juwel Visions or others).

Also I'd really like to know:
Is there an easy position for an auto feeder?
Is it easy to open a small bit of the hood to feed?
Does the whole thing hinge - or do I need to lift the hood off for maintenance - what happens with the lights in this situation? I ask this question because a problem I have with my Fluval is that it really takes two people to lift the lid off and flip it to stop the condensation going everywhere - something I cant do easily on my own. A hinged lid would be MUCH easier!

If anybody has another other thoughts on this line (or other tanks that are similar) I'd be very grateful to hear them too. I am quite keen on the curved fronted tanks, and have found Juwel to be one of few suppliers doing them this big off-the-shelf. I cannot accomodate much bigger than the 5' that this offers, and have come to the conclusion that the cost of a bespoke tank, factoring in an overhead separate luminaire, coupled with the loss of the advantages of a hood are not overall worthwhile for me.

I'm really wondering because the hood is quite an important part to me - as I may well ditch the internal filter/heater supplied in favour of something like the FX5...!

Many thanks in advance! - feel free to comment otherwise!

 

[Rob.S]

Right then...... Take a look HERE Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on "download instruction manual". This is a PDF file, and will open in acrobat reader. Got to page 7, and you will find pictures of the hood assembly.

 

[SuperColey1]

Why do you need to take your fluval hood off for feeding? It has a full length hinged flap at the front which also has a section to fit an auto feeder!

These are 2 of the main reasons why I stuck with my Duo800 lid instead of doing a DIY one to fit all my extras in as I like the neatness and compactness of it whilst also being a very well fitted canopy to stop insects and flies and dust getting into it.

I have fitted a 55W power compact in the rear of the hood.

Upgraded the ballast to an electronic one in the hoods recess powering the remaining single front T8 lamp(your lights will be underpowered by the original which will probably be a 2 x 30W ballast whilst you probably have 36W lamps fitted)

Fixed in proper reflectors.

Added 3 computer fans to the left of the hood to help ventilate and keep the tank cool.

And added an automatic feeder into the small recess on the front flap (Is for holidays only)

I think the Fluval Duos are great value for what you get compared to the Juwels which seem to have a cheap laminated look to them for a much higher price.

Andy

 

[whizzbee]

Sorry - should have made it clearer; when I need to take my Duo hood off to clean the tank and gravel, I need two people - feeding yes is fine and very good with the integrated autofeeder which I have for holidays. Oh and one of my ropefish got out once through the external filter cut-outs, but that must have been through the gap between the pipes so no fault of the hood.

I don't have any other problems with my Fluval tank - I wish they did make one as big as the Juwel 450, but they don't...the biggest they now do is a 260l, which is the same length - 1200, only with a bow front (apart from their corner range).

Thanks otherwise!

 

[Rob.S]

You may have a similar problem with the Juwel. You can remove the two flaps, and then slide the light unit backwards & forwards along the top of the tank surround, when doing maintainence. I find this to be a real pain; so I remove the light unit. Not sure how heavy it will be on the 450 though. You have to be a bit careful not to drop it into the tank - as I have (twice), it is waterproofed though.

 

[whizzbee]

Thanks again - I think I'm probably going to end up going with the Juwel regardless; I just phoned my LFS and they say they can match the best internet price I can find !!! - much better than any deal I would get on a bespoke, which is the only real alternative at this size.

 

[SuperColey1]

I do my cleaning (sand) with the lid on.

I just open the flap and hold the hose just above where the rigid pipe goes in and guide it around where I want to clean.

The Juwels from what I have seen have a front and back flap with an IU bar for the lights in the middle.

Andy

 

[DevUK]

Yep. There is a light bar in the middle which rests on either end of the tank. Then, two flaps slot into a little gully down either side of the light bar. This acts as a hinge untill the flaps are at a 90 degree angle, at which point you can remove them completely. My tank is a Rio 180. One thing I would say about it, is I don't like the middle brace to support the middle of the glass. Its made of plastic for a start, and just sort of clips into place. I've read on this forum (search the hardware forum) about larger juwels having problems with broken braces... Thats not to say its a common thing, just something to consider.

Edit: Oooh, that was my 800th post!

 

[Waterloo Kid]

I have the Rio 400 and have no problem with the hood as supplied. My tank is a few years old now and I believe that the lids on the larger tanks have been uprated to hold 2 pairs of lighting tubes. Not sure if that's standard though! When cleaning the tank I remove both flaps and simply slide the light unit to the back of the tank. If you need to remove it it's an easy one person operation, just be careful of the water that can collect in the grooves that the flaps fit into.

If you are going to keep any higher light plants thaen I suggest you see if you can get the T5 light units as opposed tot he Juwel T8 units. They are SO much brighter! I have extra T5's to complement the 2 T8s in the hood which rest directly on the 2 bracing bars at 3rd points. The braces on my tank are metal although one appears to be coming loose!

As far as an autofeeder goes, the Juwel lids are flush fitting around the entire tank, apart from two cut-outs at the rear of the tank (one either end) for cables. You would probably have to cut the lid flaps to accomodate the autofeeder.

The supplied openings in the hood should be OK for fitting an external filter. If you need to enlarge them it'd be a simple case of going at it with a hack saw.


WK

 

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