# Advice on the Juwel Rio 180...



## AceCreamSoda (26 Apr 2015)

Hi all! I'm getting a new 180 litre Juwel Rio in about a month and I was just planning what fish and decor I will eventually put in. I am quite a novice, but I've had experience with a 10gal before.
I would think I could put in:

-8 Cardinal Tetras
-6 Platies
-6-8 Amano or Cherry Shrimp
I was also thinking of putting in some rasboras
I also have a few questions.
What sand should I put in? I chose sand over gravel because I think it looks more natural and plant should be happier than with gravel?
Are there any plants that you would recommend?


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## FIsh i (26 Apr 2015)

Rotala rotundifolia great easy plant to propagate love those reds


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## AceCreamSoda (26 Apr 2015)

Oh thanks, FIsh i, I will have a look!  They're really nice!


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## banthaman.jm (27 Apr 2015)

Hi ACS, Monte carlo grows really well in my tank along with Alternanthera cadinalis.
Jim


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## AceCreamSoda (27 Apr 2015)

Oh, thanks Jim. The Alternanthera looks really pretty! Love those deep reds and purples!


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## banthaman.jm (27 Apr 2015)

The reds and purples really stand out under the lights i use (Beamswork green evo LEDs) even though i am having a battle with unwanted snails.  They have chomped most of it so it looks terrible at the moment but the assassins are in now and doing a great job .

What are you planning as far as kit... filter, co2, EI?
Filter, best to have one rated 10x
Co2, any and if so inline atomiser, in tank atomiser or reactor
EI, a must from the start, IMO
Jim


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## AceCreamSoda (27 Apr 2015)

Hi Jim, thank you for all your input. I thought I could just stay with the juwel filter? I get co2 disposable cans and diffusers from my lfs, and also some fertilisers. Sorry, but I've never heard of the term EI...  Back to the first post, so you think my fish choices will be okay? And what about the sand?

Thanks, Nathan


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## banthaman.jm (28 Apr 2015)

Hi Nathan.
Disposable CO2 can add up after a while.  I have used DIY in the past but it's unstable... so for my current tank i brought a kit from CO2art http://www.co2art.co.uk/collections...get-sodastream-system-for-aquarium-up-to-120l The reason i went for this is that i can get sodastream 60L cylinders from Argos at £19.99 for a full cylinder and a replacement for £9.99, they last really well on my tank 92L at 2.5 bubbles per second.

EI stands for Estimative Index...  Here is a link from this site, it is lengthy but worth the read http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/the-estimative-index.13/ you can make up the ferts yourself or buy ready made Macro and Micro.  The cheapest option is to make them up yourself, but if like me you want an easy life then i brought mine from CO2art (before you star to wonder i don't work for them!) here is a link for you http://www.co2art.co.uk/collections/fertilizer  I would recommend using EI from the start, i didn't and growth was slow, as soon as i started using it.... wow, really fast growth.

*-8 Cardinal Tetras* - I would say they are best kept in showles of around 10 or more and for your tank probably 20, if price is an issue then you can get deals from ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-x-Card...076?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item25a22f26d4  As a note they like soft water at 23 – 27°C / 73.5 – 80.5°F
*-6 Platies* - not a big fan myself and they might eat the shrimp, especially cherries.
*-6-8 Amano or Cherry Shrimp* - I have 12 Amano shrimp and they are great for munching on any algae, they are quite bold and are out feeding all the time.  The three cherry shrimp i have (not sure where they came from?) spend most of their time under bog wood and in the plants.
*I was also thinking of putting in some rasboras* - I really like the Galaxy rasboras, the colours are great.

I also have a few questions.

*What sand should I put in? I chose sand over gravel because I think it looks more natural and plant should be happier than with gravel?* - If you are going for a planted tank i would suggest a base of some kind... I use JBL aquabasis plus and capped of with JBL Manado, you could use something like aquabasis or similar which could be capped off with the sand.  Their are lots of choices as far as substrate and some great threads on here for to read http://www.ukaps.org/forum/forums/substrates.17/ Substrate is a really debated subject on here, so i would advise a good read and weigh up the pro's and con's.

*Are there any plants that you would recommend* - Planting choice can depend on what type of tank you are going for... Dutch, Biotope, Nature style, dirty, iwagumi... you get the idea  if you are a new or just going for your fist real planted tank i would recommend easy species, have a look on the tropica website: http://tropica.com/en/plants/

At the start i would keep your lighting period to 6-8hrs until you get some really good growth, you don't want to have the battle with algae like did 
Jim


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## AceCreamSoda (28 Apr 2015)

Thanks so much Jim. I'll follow your advice on the equipment, but I have platies in my other tank with both shrimps and none have disappeared.. Yet. o.0 I too like galaxy rasboras, their patterns are really nice!

I haven't had a proper planted tank, but I wasn't planning on having a LOT of plants.

Thanks!


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## AceCreamSoda (29 Apr 2015)

I was also thinking of using some wood too. I have free access to some contorted hazel in my garden - do you think I could use this?

Also, do you like booleans?


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## banthaman.jm (29 Apr 2015)

AceCreamSoda said:


> I was also thinking of using some wood too. I have free access to some contorted hazel in my garden - do you think I could use this?


I can see no reason for it as i have come across people on other forums using it, might give off quite a lot of tannins from the pictures, here are some links:

http://forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/archive/index.php/t-83829.html
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=637002
http://www.apistogramma.com/forum/threads/adams-3-foot-biotope-semi-rio-nanay-tigre-biotope.11546/



AceCreamSoda said:


> Also, do you like booleans?



The only booleans i know of are used for yes or no answers in java script (probably being thick!) 

Jim


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## AceCreamSoda (29 Apr 2015)

Thanks Jim.. I've always liked having wood in aquariums, but it's too pricey where my lfs is, and i have trouble finding deals on eBay.. I thought about the hazel as it looks nice. Could I strip the bark off, soak and dry it to remove some tannins and sap? 

I asked about booleans because I like the sound of the word - nothing related to aquatics 

Nathan


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## FIsh i (29 Apr 2015)

Check out Manzanita wood sinks super fast with no tannins from day one Picked mine up from https://www.mrmanzanita.co.uk/ great service huge selection


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## Rahms (29 Apr 2015)

Seconding the bigger schools! With a 180L tank there really is no need to have tiny schools.  The bigger the better!


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## AceCreamSoda (29 Apr 2015)

Thank you both. I'm thinking of getting bout 20 cardinals, Rahms, and I'm liking that site, Fish I. Please give more advice if you have any!

Thanks, Nathan. Btw, booleans!


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## banthaman.jm (30 Apr 2015)

booleans!  
Jim


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## AceCreamSoda (25 May 2015)

Hi everybody! I got my aquarium set up bout 3 weeks ago and now it's cycled and got my other fish in it from my old tank! My mum wants the tetra and WCMM and to get them some friends in another tank, and I was thinking of getting some endlers soon!


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## Richie (25 May 2015)

Nice to see this up and running, just for your reference if you go with the soda stream co2 source as suggested above a bottle lasts just about 4 weeks in my Rio 180


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## AceCreamSoda (25 May 2015)

Oh thanks Richie - I'm proud of the setup so far!  The fish seem to be happy, and the co2 is no problem - I'm not too skint so it should be fine, Richie!


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## AceCreamSoda (27 May 2015)

A bit more of an update... I got a cheap deal in Aqualife, Leyland for 10 cardinals for £15, and I also added some friends for the White Cloud - they love to dart around together... Surprisingly my cat doesn't care! xD I added some more plants too, and my co2's doing great at 2 bubbles per second and increasing.

Also, aqualife had some cherry shrimp in the same tank and 3 went and got in the bag! I wasn't charged luckily, they must have not noticed, but they haven't gotten stuck in the filter... Yet. 0.o

The fish are all hiding right now in the picture - my nephew must've scared them when he came round!


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## banthaman.jm (28 May 2015)

Tank is looking great with the fish and extra plants, will you be adding more?
Jim


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## AceCreamSoda (28 May 2015)

Definitely Jim, I'm quite proud of them myself!  I was thinking some livebearers... Any suggestions? Preferably ones to bring a colourful spectrum to the tank. A pair of dwarf gouramis might be nice too but I'm not sure if they'll be alright yet - I've read that they're great fish and relatively docile in a community.

As for plants I'm thinking of getting some moss or carpeting plants, and I'm going to put a big piece of bogwood, and tie some plants too it, in after I've boiled it and cured it. I'll post a pic later! Any suggestions are more than welcome!


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## banthaman.jm (28 May 2015)

Nathan
As far as livebearers go i like the endler's http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu..._nJ93Ib8XHmLM_muw=&docid=kG7uekN2OqUGxM&itg=1 

I have also kept Golden rams, great fish and no bother to the other fish or shrimp apart from when they spawn https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=g...imgbuddy.com%2Fgolden-ram-cichlid.asp;720;478

As far as carpeting plants i have mixed Monte carlo with Eleocharis mini, when they grow in together it look really natural IMO.  MC is really fast growing and has covered my tank really well, Eleo grows really slow for me. Here is a pic of my carpet 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			





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Looking forward to seeing the BW in the tank.
Jim


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## AceCreamSoda (28 May 2015)

Here it is!  A few more taller plants and it should look all right!


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## banthaman.jm (28 May 2015)

It's looking good now


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## AceCreamSoda (10 Jun 2015)

[Ok, another update. I've not done much except water changes and sand cleaning, but I did add a dwarf male gourami as a sort of 'centrepiece'.
My lfs (which I DO trust) said it would be ok if I got two, but do you think it would be ok? You all are the experts!


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## banthaman.jm (11 Jun 2015)

He's a nice little centrepiece with great colours, as for keeping more than one male?  Some forums i checked said absolute NO and others said it's ok.....  You could submit a post under the fish section on this site, im sure you will get some good advise.

From the picture above it looks as though you are getting some nice growth from your plants, full tank shot would be nice 
Jim


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## AceCreamSoda (11 Jun 2015)

There we go! I think some diatoms are growing on the rocks, but they should go if I lower the feeding.


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## AceCreamSoda (18 Jun 2015)

Okay, so after the last few weeks I added plants, 10 more Cardinal tetras, otocinculus for the algae (they are doing an excellent job!) and 4 platies. I think that I've reached the limit now, so no more fish! 

Also, straight after I got my first male dwarf gourami, I just HAD to get another. They're gentle giants, and they don't chase/fight at all!


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## Mick.Dk (18 Jun 2015)

I would really suggest, you remove the Dracena sanderiana - those are the "palm-like", white and green ones. They are not aquatic plants and will slowly but surely die.......polluting your tank in the process.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news; but this is a fact !!
They are terrific window-plants, though, so if you just plant them in a pot, they will allmost certainly grow happily on........
If the "grassy" ones are Ophiopogon, the same goes for them - sorry!!!


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## AceCreamSoda (18 Jun 2015)

Oh, thanks for that! I don't think the grassy ones are ophiogon though, but I'll quickly do that. They were In a tank full of water when I bought them do I suspected they were aquatic plants!!

EDIT : Nvm, turns out they're both not fully aquatic. I wonder if I can return them as I have no room in my PLANTiful (haha) rooms. I got them from McMillans in preston.


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## AceCreamSoda (9 Sep 2015)

Hi everyone! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time - I have my Year 10 coursework to think about and I've just been REALLY BUSY! D: But anyway, a lot has changed in the past few months...

I've changed some plants in my tank and added some platies. I now own a very large anubias, and when I took it out of the pot, 2 small (about 5cm) freshwater lobsters came out, but I know that they grow very large and am thinking to take them back. The only thing that's different to that picture below is that those plants next to the rocks aren't there anymore.





I also think that some of my platies are pregnant...








So on impulse buy I bought a used tank for 15 quid off of the internet for the fry whilst I find out what to do with them...





But it turns out that it was only 5.5 LITRES and not GALLONS after I got it, and I'm not sure what to do with it now. I was actually wondering if I could put a couple of cherry shrimp in it. (Btw it's a "Fish 'r' Fun 5.5 litre)





But here's 30 minutes of fish in 30 
seconds!
http://sendvid.com/zi2cf5gn?secret=bf150b39-883c-433f-816e-7c9193b693e2


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## AceCreamSoda (1 Feb 2016)

Hey everyone! It's been SOOOOO LONG is once I updated the tank, and it's going great. Here are my current stocking a since some I returned and some I gave to other people and some... well... died.  

13 x cardinal tetra
5 x rummynose tetra 
1 x assassin snail
1 x pearl gourami
1 x gold gourami (may have to return because of the aggression)
+various other small species 









Anyway I was thinking about having a group of 2-3 boesman rainbow fish ad they are really pretty and I think they will make a great addition to the tank!

P.S it is a Juwel Rio 180 litre (40 gallon) tank


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## AceCreamSoda (3 Feb 2016)

I was also thinking some cleanup snails? Not ones that breed like rabbits though.


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## banthaman.jm (25 Feb 2016)

The tank is coming along very nicely, plants and fish looking really healthy.  I have nerite snails, they are great at tank cleaning and have great patterns, plus they are cheap to buy from LFS or eBay.  Did you end up adding shrimp?
Jim


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## AceCreamSoda (25 Feb 2016)

Thanks Jim! I think nerite snails would be great, and maybe some adult amano shrimp (depends if the gouramiddle and boesmans eat them) 

I sold that 1.5 gallon and I got a bigger tank but the shrimp kept being ducked up into the filter. I eventually gave up and added some galaxy rasbora and a honey gourami into this new tank. 

http://i64.tinypic.com/2i9nvxs.jpg


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## AceCreamSoda (24 Sep 2016)

Update time! (Woohoo) just a picture of a very different looking tank.


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