Juwel Rio 125 'v' Aqua One 620T?

[Platy-puss]

I'm new to forums and new to fish, so new in fact I don't yet have any fish.
I've just been spending the last few weeks doing a bit of reading about tropical freshwater fish and keeping them etc.
I've now reached the stage of buying my first tank and don't want to get things wrong. I've narrowed my choice of tank, because of space and cost ( max £250 on set up), to probably either the Juwel Rio 125 (125litres) or the Aqua One 620t (130litres).

The spec for each is as follows:
Juwel Rio 125
-high-lite Light Unit 2x28w
-Bioflow 600 pump
-heater 100watt

Aqua One 620t
-2xcompact T5 lighting
-Wet/ dry filter system in hood Powerhead 750l/hr
-heater 150watt

All opinions and advice gratefully recieved. Thanks.

 

[twodoctors]

I have te AquaOne 620 (non-T). Mine is an older version using T8 tubes. The selling point of the AquaOne is its trickle filter in my opinion. You can certainly fit more ceramic media in there than your average in-tank filter, so in theory the biological filtration is better.

You don't need the T version unless you need want to keep angels in my opinion, but even then it is probably not wide enough for them. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Adrian

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

As much as I got my 620T second hand for a bargain price of £20, I would swap it in an instant for a longer tank!


Basically, it is two standard 2-foot tanks stacked on top of each other (~ 62x40x55cm), which still ultimately limits the type of fish that are suitable (in terms of both size and energy levels) despite its volume. In addition, the extra depth of the "T" model makes it harder to well aerate the water, due to the reduced surface area for gaseus exchange, in comparison to the ~80x36cm footprint of the Rio125.


It is well worth checking out Ebay for tanks, you will get a lot more for your budget without sacrificing condition.

 

[Platy-puss]

Thanks very much both of you for your replies. I've taken onboard your comments and will now think about the normal Aqua One 620 and the Rio 125. What a great site for honest, impartial views. Worth it's weight in gold.

Marie

 

[doresy]

Thanks very much both of you for your replies. I've taken onboard your comments and will now think about the normal Aqua One 620 and the Rio 125. What a great site for honest, impartial views. Worth it's weight in gold.

Marie

Hi, having had a Juwel 125 Rio and an AquaOne (850, 165ltr) I feel I can speak for both.

The trickle AquaOne filter is excellent in that you can tweak/clean it without disturbing the tank. However, the power head was a bit awkward to remove for major cleaning. It consistently produced perfect water stats for me. The only thing I would repeat is that the T (for tall) version allows for a lot less water surface area for the capacity of the tank. The cabinets for these tanks are great if not a little over engineered.

The Juwel tank build quality is a bit better than the AquaOne although the AquaOne (in my opinion) is the more handsome. There are many that do not rate the Juwel filter system, I am not one of them. I found it to be more than capable of keeping the tank clear while maintaining perfect stats. My version was quite old and I once had to replace the power head. With mine you had to remove the power head to remove the filter media which was a pain. Another gripe was that as the intake of the filter was at the water surface it tended to suck in a lot of the floating food that I used which either meant having to switch the filter off during feeding or using a feeding ring. The cabinet for these tanks looks like a 1980's cheap MFI cabinet and age pretty quickly.

The choice, my friend, is your's

 

[Platy-puss]

Thanks Doresy, very grateful for your views. I have to say that at this stage I am probably siding towards the Aqua One tanks and am now considering the normal AR620 and the 850. One comment I read was that the filter system of the Aqua Ones can be somewhat noisy, have you found this to be at all true?

 

[ardandy]

Have a look at the Aqua One Eurostyle 80. Same length as the Rio 125 but little deeper and taller.

 

[Montydog]

hey,

i was going to get the ar620 (normal, not T) but desided to not go for it due to a few reasons:
lighting was only 2X18w and i had read that the filter wasnt the best out there..., i dont
know about the T but that was what i found out about the non T version.
Since, i have decided to go with a fluval canister, good T5 lights and to buy my own tank.
thats just my decision! i would say however since this is your first tank go-ahead with either pick
as it will be easier to get the all in one design! besides you can always upgrade later..!

hope this helps
^*^ BTW i am no pro

 

[CrazyAirborne]

buy secondhand and u can have lots of money left over! i just bought this tank

for £60, then a APS 1000+ filter for £50, and another 20 or whatever for a heater, and ur set.

its just shy of 4ft. 200L

 

[doresy]

Thanks Doresy, very grateful for your views. I have to say that at this stage I am probably siding towards the Aqua One tanks and am now considering the normal AR620 and the 850. One comment I read was that the filter system of the Aqua Ones can be somewhat noisy, have you found this to be at all true?

The front and rear sections of the canopy can vibrate against each other if not fitted properly. Also the chamber where the water returns into the tank there can be a noise similar to water going down a plug hole! This can easily be stopped by placing a chunk of coarse filter media over the hole thus stopping swirling (also adding an extra bacteria trap)

The 850 or even the 950 are two very handsome tanks especially if placed on the dedicated cabinets. You have the advantage of the seamless bow front too if that does it for you!

 

[minnnt]

The filter on the aqua one is brilliant. Really easy and no mess. Never heard a peep out of mine. The rounded corners are nice too. But if you are comparing it to the 125 then I would go with the 125. If you are comparing the 125 to the 850 or the 950 then go with either of the aqua ones.

 

[Platy-puss]

Thanks very much indeed for the comments, they really have helped. After a great deal of deliberation I have finally settled on the Aqua One AR850, which will hopefully tick most of the boxes including price for set up and style, and also the room I have for the tank.

I did take a look at the Aqua One Eurostyle 80 as mentioned by ardandy, which I saw in the flesh at a local dealer. It has an external filter and I have to say what an absolutely fabulous looking tank. This would certainly have been my first choice if money was not a consideration, and they are just a bit too new to the market to pick one up secondhand I think. For the tank with cabinet you're looking just shy of £400!

Thanks to everyone for their comments much appreciated.

Marie

 

[twodoctors]

I paid £100 for my AR980 but it was second hand on eBay. I came with cabinet as well. I'm sure you'll love the AR850. Just want to say have a look on eBay or Aquarium Classified. Also the buy and sell section of this forum. Again, I paid about £70 for my AR620 with cabinet.

Adrian