My First Tank But Which One?

[Rossy1977]

Hello all this is my first post.

After buying my son his first tropical aquarium I'm hooked and have decided to treat myself I have been looking at what's available and quite like the Fluval Roma 200 (look, price range and size). I'd appreciate any opinions on this tank.

I've also read that a lot of people buy an external filter system rather than use the internal one that comes with the tank. Is this necessary?

Thanks in advance for any help....

 

[wellbeloved747]

Hey i owned a fluval roma 200 about 1 year ago and sold it due to not having the time for it

i must say it was a great tank as it fitted in with the furniture in my house and it was a very nice size

by buying it you straight away quality is in mind as fluval are a very trust worth and reputable company

i ran mine with a fluval 205 which is a external filter there are many advantages to using a external filter they are as listed

they give a much better clean as there are many types of matter in them
they are much easier to clean
there are some other benefits but they are a lot larger so need to be kept in a cupboard underneath and they can be a lot more expensive but are worth the investment

 

[freddie21]

hi
i have fluval 90 litre and i must admit (although a lot smaller than the 200litre) it is a great tank........the hood is easily removed, easy to clean and looks nice with furnishing as you can use both sides of the cabinet doors as they have reversable features.

 

[Wills]

Fluval Romas are a great range If you can push to the 240 go for it as its more flexable with stocking and not a lot of difference in dimensions but it packs in an exte 15 or so gallons.

I would always recommend externals - as they are so easy to deal with, clean and also you have less clutter in the tank. If you go for the 200 I would look into Ehiem filters or Renas as Fluval Externals apart from the FX5 and G5 have reputations for leaking where as Ehiems are so reliable (they are German!) but they are expensive - I have used Renas in the past with good success but some people disagree. If you go for the 240 just push the boat out and get an FX5 brilliant filter and the turn over on a 240 is brilliant and helps accommodate any larger fish you may want to keep in there. I ran an FX5 on a 240 for a bit over a year

You really can not fault the Roma range though, looks great, stands are well built and fit in with lots of decor schemes with the various wood options and the doublesided colouring. Black silicon so when you end up dosing any medicines 0 chance of it staining unlike clear silicone and the back is pre cut so it accomodates wires and external filter pipes pretty well

Wills

 

[Rossy1977]

Fluval Romas are a great range If you can push to the 240 go for it as its more flexable with stocking and not a lot of difference in dimensions but it packs in an exte 15 or so gallons.

I would always recommend externals - as they are so easy to deal with, clean and also you have less clutter in the tank. If you go for the 200 I would look into Ehiem filters or Renas as Fluval Externals apart from the FX5 and G5 have reputations for leaking where as Ehiems are so reliable (they are German!) but they are expensive - I have used Renas in the past with good success but some people disagree. If you go for the 240 just push the boat out and get an FX5 brilliant filter and the turn over on a 240 is brilliant and helps accommodate any larger fish you may want to keep in there. I ran an FX5 on a 240 for a bit over a year

You really can not fault the Roma range though, looks great, stands are well built and fit in with lots of decor schemes with the various wood options and the doublesided colouring. Black silicon so when you end up dosing any medicines 0 chance of it staining unlike clear silicone and the back is pre cut so it accomodates wires and external filter pipes pretty well

Wills

Thanks Wills. The Roma 200 is as big as I can go as it'll fit into an alcove. It's also a push on budget so do you think it would be ok to run for a while on the internal filter until I can afford to change over to an external or is this a big no no seeing as the tank would be fully populated by then?

Are there any other devices that would be essential that don't come with the basic kit (which includes tank, filter, heater, substrate, thermometer & background)

 

[Wills]

Ah right I see the 200 is still a nicely proportioned tank

Starting off with an internal is no problem as you say you will be adding youngsters to start with and also internal filtration is not a bad thing - it kind of depends on what you want to keep? Any ideas yet ? If you choose to get an external it would just be a case of taking all the sponges and media from the internal into the external which I have done before fine. Its just a case of same amount of media and bacteria to fish as before just a different housing and over the next few weeks the bacteria colony will just grow onto more surfaces in the large canister.

The Romas come with everything you need but I think it depends on the shop as to if you get a substrate with it or not. I would recommend starting out with a sand substrate as it helps accommodate the most types of fish.

Wills

 

[Rossy1977]

Ah right I see the 200 is still a nicely proportioned tank

Starting off with an internal is no problem as you say you will be adding youngsters to start with and also internal filtration is not a bad thing - it kind of depends on what you want to keep? Any ideas yet ? If you choose to get an external it would just be a case of taking all the sponges and media from the internal into the external which I have done before fine. Its just a case of same amount of media and bacteria to fish as before just a different housing and over the next few weeks the bacteria colony will just grow onto more surfaces in the large canister.

The Romas come with everything you need but I think it depends on the shop as to if you get a substrate with it or not. I would recommend starting out with a sand substrate as it helps accommodate the most types of fish.

Wills

Thanks again Wills (and everyone else who contributed) not sure on what to stock yet but I look forward to making those choices

 

[Wills]

No problem

Thought I would just post this here as well

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/

Its the begginers resource section and has tons of really good help on how to set up a tank - have a read through the Nitrogen Cycle and the Fishless Cycle topics as a starter and see how you go. Fishless cycling is the best way to set up a tank - it prevents your first fish dieing and also cuts a large chance of disease in the tank.

Wills