Two tanks, which one?

[zain611]

Hey everyone,
So thinking of getting one of these 2 tanks:
1) Aqua one aquastyle 620T
2) juwel lido 120

Both around the same dimensions and litres. Now I have my heart set on the aqua one as I've planned on getting it for a while plus found a place which said today they have 2 left. They had one on display which made me have a good look at it in the flesh.

What I like with the aqua one is it has a trickle filter which is located on the roof of the tank. To me this minimises noise and makes it easy to access however I think it's discontinued so makes it harder to find. Not worried about filter parts as those are still available. With the juwel filter it looks like its stuck onto the aquarium glass. From my own experience the suction cups don't work on my current filter now which causes it to detach and vibrate against the glass making a loud noise.

Would like others opinions. I might go ahead and get the aqua one tank.

 

[Essjay]

If it helps you to decide, Juwel filters in the Lido are not attached with suckers, they are siliconed to the glass. This does make it more difficult to change the filter however as you have to saw through the silicone blobs to remove the filter.

 

[zain611]

Hey essjay, thanks for your help. Didn't know that about the juwel filter. It looked like a suction cup until you said but like you said it will be a problem when it comes to changing it.

Which of the filter systems would you say are good out of the 2 tanks? Personally looking at the aqua one as its easy to access and probably looks like it's able to cope with a good amount of bioload. The trickle filter comes across the tank so will have the same length of sponges, white wool and bio noodles.

I hope I'm not being biast lol

 

[Colin_T]

How about getting just a normal tank with a HOB power filter?
They are cheaper and better value for money than a pre-packaged unit

 

[Essjay]

Just tanks are not easy to find in the UK, most of them are packages. And HOB filters are not common either - most shops sell just externals (cannisters) or internal filters that attach with suckers, which zain611 isn't keen on. I also find it irritating when the suckers get hard and won't work any more, particularly the filters where the suckers can't be removed and replaced. (This is one reason I like Eheim internals as it is easy to buy and replace the suckers)





I should have said in my last post that most Juwel tanks, including the Lido line, have siliconed in filters. The Primo line is different; their filters attach with suckers.

 

[zain611]

How about getting just a normal tank with a HOB power filter?
They are cheaper and better value for money than a pre-packaged unit

Hey Colin, the price for the aqua one aquastyle 620T is £190 in that place I saw it. The cabinet is £109. The juwel lido 120 I think was around £205 - £210 however this place don't do delivery outside their town and others are selling the complete set for £350 and over. cabinet I think is £107 (this is online). If I do decide to get the aqua one I might ask about getting the filter media in their empty display tank plus that one also has LED lighting which I don't know if the boxed one will have. Cabinets I'm deciding on as my dad likes the oak finish on the lido cabinet. Might get the lido cabinet and change the top of it so the aqua one tank sits properly on it. Both these tanks are just 1 - 4 cm different in length and depth so won't be a massive change on the top part of the cabinet that it could upset the balance.

I should have said in my last post that most Juwel tanks, including the Lido line, have siliconed in filters. The Primo line is different; their filters attach with suckers.

Thanks again essjay. Their filters aren't bad plus I like that the heater can sit in it but like you said there will be that problem of cutting the silicone when changing the filters. I haven't taken a good look but that silicone bit looks about halfway down the tank so you need to remove water so you can cut the silicone and apply it back on which doesn't sound bad but might be a hassle / pain.

I'm looking at either these two tanks as they aren't long in length but can hold a good amount of water. It's also going to be in my room which is why I'm looking at noise and size. Maintenance parts aren't a problem for both tanks. The aquastyle 620T I think now is discontinued but still has parts available online plus there's a place selling them for a discount.

 

[zain611]

So went today and got the 620T. The shop also had the lido 120 which I just noticed today and looks decent. They was another cabinet there which had a darker oak design for the 620T so might get that later and hopefully will match the furniture. Really happy with it and it also came with the filter media so just need some gravel, heater and seachem stability .

I also managed to squeeze an extra sponge in my current filter so in a months time when I set up the new tank i would have 2 sponges with healthy bacteria to transfer over.

 

[zain611]

Got the cabinet which is for the 620. Exact same cabinet as the 620T but comes with a darker oak finish and white doors. The place didn't have extra ones left so just went ahead and got their display one. It was £110 but they took off £40 as its a display cabinet. Looks in great condition however there is a small chip on the back corner but don't worry about it.