Tank Opinions

[PeteA]

Hi All,

I've decided to move the living room around which is going to ultimately mean that I will be able to get a larger tank Sadly the space that I've got to put the tank in is a corner (76cm x 76cm), but it's away from the telly and no sunlight will ever fall on it, plus there is a double socket so I don't need to mess around trailing wires everywhere.

I've been doing a bit of mooching and have found 3 corner aquariums & cabinets that will fit quite comfortably within the space:
Fluval Venezia 190
Juwel Trigon 190
Jebo R4700 (sold by www.reef-aquarium.co.uk)

Now the Fluval appeals as it has an external filter which goes in/out the bottom of the tank, which seems really neat.

Because I don't have bags of spare money, I'll be after a second hand one, but was just wondering what people's opinions were of these or if there are any others that would fit in the space I have? I always value "real" people's comments rather than reviews from random bods on the internet!

pete

 

[JamesD]

It is a difficult question to answer without knowing what you want to achieve or what your expectations are. Each of those tanks are great fish aquariums in standard guise. However when it comes to a planted aquarium each one has its limitations and may well become challenging without upgrading or adding extra equipment.

For example the Juwel and fluval filters will not have great water circulation. This of course can be rectified easily enough by adding powerheads, upgrading the filter but as you mentioned value for money is key.

Have you thought about a smaller tank? By scaling things down the amount of ferts, liquid CO2, Pressurised CO2 etc will be less and thus saving more in the long run?

As an example to create enough CO2 in a tank of that size biologically is going to be difficult and unpractical compared to a much smaller tank. Likewise the ferts dosing will be higher and cost a lot more in the long run.

I am pretty sure lots of people here have had great success with producing beautiful aquascapes in tanks of that size and on a budget but just be wary of setting yourself a realistic goal.

Not wanting to put you off but I started out with a standard Juwel Rio 125 litre tank and the only thing that hasn't been upgraded is the glass! I also wasted a substantial amounts of money by setting my goals too high and not having the experience or equipment to reach them.

 

[PeteA]

I've currently got a AquaStart 320T (37 litre) tank and to be honest wished I'd gone for something larger almost from day one, it's been a great learning curve but three months on I'm very limited on both the plant and the fish fronts (although no catastrophes despite the small size). My long term goal is a mature tank, nicely planted (though not heavily) with a nice range of fish & shrimp and wood/rocks in - relatively easy maintenance as at least once a month I spend a weekend away from home. I love the smaller shoaling fish, so likely to stick with fish under 2" in length - so a mixture of tetras, guppies - similar to what I currently have, just more

Cost wise, I accept that whatever I do is going to cost more money than I currently spend - on pure electricity alone it's going to. I've already got all of the Ei ferts and plan to add a FE CO2 system (yeast CO2 is a pain). Most second hand tanks of this style seem come with an external filter rather than a weaker internal, but I know that a powerhead will be needed. The problem I have with a different tank is that the space I have available isn't really right - for example the Rio 125 is 80 cm wide - I only have 76cm which is behind a door so the tank can't go beyond this. The sofa & window blocks the tank the other way, so the space just cries out for a corner tank.

My intention is to get the tank and then buy and other bits as money allows. The main reason for going for a second hand tank is that I can't justify the £400+ for what is technically a hobby.

I know what you mean about spending a lot of money though and share your pain as my current tank seems to have taken quite a big blob of cash. Thankfully a good portion of it can be re-used (such as Ei dry ferts, RO unit, etc).

The reason for my post was that I was wondering if one of the above tanks were better or worse than the others or if they're roughly the same.

 

[Bobtastic]

The main problem that you face with corner tanks is getting the flow right, so that it carries your Co2 and fert (if used) all around the tank. I know that it can be achieved as I've seen some lovely scapes in these type of tank but it is more challenging than the standard shape. High tech tanks will obviously cost u more than low tech setups just in start up equipment.

As for which tank is better, you'll probably find that they are pretty much the same. You'll probably find that you'll get better flow/distribution with a spray bar across the one of the back walls which can be done with either of them.

 

[GreenNeedle]

If you're after honest opinions then mine would be to find any way to fit a standard rectangular tank into the space. They just look so much better IMO. Mine is in a corner

Andy

 

[Ian Holdich]

firstly, you'll only just fit a Trigon in there. Trigons are well made tanks, i have one on the dark wood. The cabinet is OK. Personally, i would remove the internal from the word go. I kept mine in for about 18 months, and decided to get rid, it gives you much more room.

Corner tanks are a challenge to scape, as said above. There are some great corner scapes out there though. The problem with scaping a corner tank is that back goes down to a point. This automatically throws the 'golden ratio' off before you start scaping. Your eyes will gravitate straight to the back of the tank. You have to do something pretty bold to through the viewer off this and make them look at the main feature which should be 'about' a third of the way across the tank (either side).

The way i go about it (and i'm no pro aquascaper or anything), is to look at the tank as a rectangular tank. Remember as well that you have a massive depth of the tank to play with. It does take some practice, but aquascaping a corner tank is achievable, and can add a nice addition to a living room.

The next thing that you have to remember is, the flow around a corner tank is hard to achieve. We need good flow to ensure all the valuable nutrients are distributed around the tank. Again, it is achievable with a spraybar and a small powerhead.

heres a couple of my journals to get some idea.

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15058

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=16204