# Juwel rio 180 filteration



## mlgt (8 Jul 2009)

Hi there,

I am after some advice.

I am wanting to upgrade my filter to an external filter. As you can see it is a 180l tank and I have the standard internal filter that came with the tank.

Any suggestions on a decent (somewhat quiet) filter. I am hoping to keep some discus in there as my current 77l tank houses cardinals and rams. 

Please help.


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## johnny70 (8 Jul 2009)

Fluval 405 is an excellent filter


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## Steve Smith (8 Jul 2009)

What's your budget?  Can highly recommend an EX1200, but for discus, I suspect you need pretty good filtration...


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## Joecoral (8 Jul 2009)

Unless you're going for a breeding pair of discus I would say a 180l is a little on the small side for discus. 5 in a 50/55gal is the absolute minimum I would say.
If the discus are the only fish and you do very large and/or very frequent water changes you may just get away with it however.

In regards to filters, a Tetratec 1200 or an Eheim 2026/2028 would do the job
I have a rio 180 and I have an eheim 2026 and it's virtually silent


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## mlgt (8 Jul 2009)

Im not after a breeding pair, but would like to own more discus in the future.

Currently have around 15 cardinals, few amanos, 2 corys, 2 plecs and 4 rams in my tank.

Its overstocked, but my arguement is that my current tank was a few hand me downs from friends as the fish were either getting bullied and outcasted.

Hence the upgrade.

Anyways Ive been looking at a Fluval 305 as it was recommended, but my budget is around Â£70 for a new or used one 

I currently have a Tetratec 600 in my 77l tank and was thinking worst case I could add it in to create extra filtration.

I do daily water changes in my current 77l tank of 20% and once a month i do a 50-60% water change and gravel vac.

I would like to keep within budget unless I am able to sell the current tank quickly


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## Steve Smith (8 Jul 2009)

305 won't be enough really.  I believe it's rated at 690lph.  You'd want something bigger like the 405 or EX1200.  I don't have an issue with Fluvals, but I much prefer the design of the Tetratec filters.  The Fluval's are a little dated now IMHO


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## mlgt (8 Jul 2009)

I guess if everyone is going on about these I will look into them.

EX1200 is around Â£90 which is doable so I will look into that. 

Both are around the same price so I will go and have a look and see what fits in the cabinet.


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## Joecoral (8 Jul 2009)

If you are able to keep up the daily 20% changes on the 180l then you _should_ be ok with the discus
I would go with the EX1200 personally, but you can't go wrong with an Eheim either, I'm not a big of the Fluval externals myself however


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## mlgt (9 Jul 2009)

So crunch question.

Armed with Â£90.... what would fellow members go for?


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## Joecoral (9 Jul 2009)

EX1200


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## mlgt (9 Jul 2009)

Thanks for that info.

I will see what other responses I will get and in 2 weeks I will buy  a filter based on comments


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## glenn (9 Jul 2009)

yup ex1200 thats what im getting for my rio 180...im also adding a korila to meet the 10x turnover rule.


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## mlgt (9 Jul 2009)

For those who use an internal filter with the Juwel how does one check if the thermometer is working? LOL

I bought mine second hand and just got it to work, however unsure if thermometer is on.


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## mlgt (10 Jul 2009)

What I notice on this forum is that many have issues with the ex1200 filter.

For the sake of extra Â£10 to spread my budget to Â£100 is it worth it getting the eheim 2026 over the ex1200?

Im probably gonna get it online as LFS was quoting silly price


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## CeeJay (12 Jul 2009)

Hi migt
I'm in exactly the same boat as you (need to upgrade Rio 180 filter) so I'm glued to this thread at the mo.
Best price I've found for the EX1200 is here http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TetraTec-EX1200-E ... 7C294%3A50 . Ends 31st July but has 'Buy it now' option.
At Â£76.90 and free postage, sounds like a bargain. I'm seriously tempted myself.  
Hope this helps.  

Chris


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## nickmcmechan (12 Jul 2009)

i have rio 180,  and i have two cannisters running along with the internal

in my opinion a 180 is not big enough for a shoal of discus, as a minimum you'd be looking at a rio 240

with the stocking level you have if you added discus you'd be looking at 50% daily water changes (probably using an HMA)


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## mlgt (12 Jul 2009)

Hi there,

I am somewhat swayed after meeting a few fishkeepers who swear on the Eheim filters rather than Fluval or TT.

I was told that the 2217 is a pretty good filter to use and and price is Â£80 which is within budget I am stuck in limbo.

However for that price and it does around 790l an hour it covers the 3x filteration mode.

What is anyones thoughts on this? Should I start a thread on Eheim 2217?

Nick, Im not planning a huge shoal of discus, I currently have 1 discus and hoping to add another 2 only. I will do daily 20-30% daily water change if needed when I get the other 2.

But for now I only have the one and although hes lovely and fun, Its unfair to have a shoaling fish be alone by itself.

Chris the price you found is a great price, go for it 

Right now I am waiting for pay day as just bought the tank and more bags of gravel and plants so kinda skint


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## dsandson (12 Jul 2009)

Hello mate

If it helps I have a rio180 and have went for none of the above! I've got a Superfish Aqua Pro 4 SP, which is rated for 1550l/hr.

Now I must note that its huge! In my opinion its too wide for fitting behind a cabinet door, although Superman has used the same size filter but I think he may have had to remove the doors to take the filter out. Instead I used the centre space, removed the shelf and drilled 2 holes for the pipes and 1 for the lead for a 4-way extension (so I could unplug the filter and remove the whole unit). I then slid the shelf vertically infront of the cannister to hide part of it from view. I'm going to try to source a second shelf to blank almost all of that space.

I have to say its an excellent filter. I'd previously used a 960l/hr external but it just didnt cut the mustard.

Regards
Dave


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## mlgt (13 Jul 2009)

Looks a pretty decent bit of kit.

Does it come with spray bar as well? 

Can you take a pic of the set up?


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## Peter F (13 Jul 2009)

I also have a Rio 180 from day one I removed the internal filter and replaced it with an existing Eheim Eco 2321.
However, I have decided there wasn't enough flow for the size of tank. 
So I have just upgraded to an Eheim 2324 pro thermo filter which is providing enough flow and enabled me to remove the heater from the tank.


Kindest regards: Peter


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## mlgt (13 Jul 2009)

What is it like? Quiet? I have thought about getting one with a thermo option which means I wait another month before purchasing my filter. 

Does it still come with the spray bar etc? If this is the case as well as heating the water then might be a good buy as well. 

Means less cabling around etc 

I will look into this. However it is double my budget. Hmmm


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## Peter F (13 Jul 2009)

Yes, the filter does still come with the spray bar etc. I am unable to hear the filter running, only the CO2 when it switches on. I hope this is some indication of how quiet it is. 

I purchased mine from the web for Â£118. contact me if you require more info.

Regards: Peter


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## mlgt (13 Jul 2009)

Thanks for the advice and pricing.

I will look into this. 

R


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## CeeJay (14 Jul 2009)

Hi migt 
As you know I'm keeping an eye on the Tetratec ex1200 on ebay as per my previous post. My previous post stated free p&p.  and it was.
When I looked today they have now added a Â£9.95 delivery charge.  
They must read this forum and realised their mistake   
Still a good price though.

Just for your info. Many moons ago I had a 5' Discus tank and had a huuuuuge Eheim filter on that (can't remember the model No.) and it was definitely the business. Crystal clear water and virtually silent.  As you've probably worked out by now,  they are 'top of the tree' but you also have to pay top dollar. If money was no object I would certainly recommend the Eheims. I've just had to lower my sights somewhat due to my current financial predicament (skint   ).

Chris.


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## mlgt (14 Jul 2009)

Chris,

I couldnt agree more with the comment about the tree status, whereas money vs quality is a factor that goes hand in hand with such filters.

Since I have only been dabbling with tropical fishes for a few months I have caught the bug and went from a cheapo 77l tank with in built filter to spending money on getting a better filter for that in the tt600 plus. 

Then upgrading lights and going from plastic plants to proper live plants. Now after 2 months I read forums and housed a few more fish I went on the path of finding a new tank. I lost a few bids on ebay(last minute ones) and frequently got outbidded by Â£2 each time. I gave up on getting a 125 and jumped into the 180l tank.

Financially I should not be spending money on such things just for "FISH" and with my wedding coming up next month money is very tight LOL.

I love discus, but in order for me to keep them I have to sacrifice possibly other fishes or upgradng to a very big filter and constant water changes 

But what you paid for the filter I am slightly envious as my quest to find a filter vs a bigger filter for future(in which I might upgrade the tank to 240l) in the foreseeable future means I have to plan ahead...

Damn this fishkeeping hobby...!!!


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## CeeJay (15 Jul 2009)

Hi migt 
Loved my discus too. Very addictive.   I had 6 in my 5' tank at the time. Ran it for about 4 years, then went back to a community tank. 
On a slightly different note, in all my  years of fishkeeping I never had much success with plants until a visit to TGM back in April and an introduction to this forum whilst I was there. Now I have to say, with the help from the guys round here, (who certainly know their stuff), my plants have never looked so good.  
I've learnt tons of useful stuff round here, but it has turned most of my previously gained knowledge on its head, even to the extent that I now even have to take advice from my LFS with a pinch of salt. We live and learn.  


			
				mlgt said:
			
		

> Financially I should not be spending money on such things just for "FISH"


 I get that comment off my other half all the time, but she changes the word FISH to PLANTS. 

Hope you continue to enjoy your new found hobby as I still do.
Wishing you all the best for your wedding too. Good luck.

Chris


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## mlgt (15 Jul 2009)

Thanks,

Maybe I might add an external thermo heater and co2 system as my wedding present lol!!!!

Anyways since you are in surrey fancy meeting up one day? I go to Living waters quite often and know them very well.

Would be interested in talking filters,fishes and stuff.

On the other note, I have decided to up my budget to Â£150 now and wait for some deals to pop up.


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## CeeJay (16 Jul 2009)

Hi migt
I've been to Living Waters a few times a long time ago. Is that the one in Beddington Lane?
If that's the one it's fairly easy for me to get to and most weekends are OK with me.
PM me if you want to meet up there one day.
Thanks.

Chris.


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## mlgt (17 Jul 2009)

Yeh thats the one. Ive sent you a PM


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