all in one tanks

[Gav]

i have been looking for an all in one tank for an office reception area, but have little knowledge or experiece with them as i have always had tanks with either systems or hob/eheim filters. there are several things i am interested in, and just wondering what opinions are out there. it will be ideally around 4ft and have plants and tropicals.

1) how good is the filtration on these tanks? which brands are best for filtration and keeping the tank clean?

2) which brands look the best? I would like something with a cabinet that looks neat and tidy

3) what has the best value for money? balance between the above needs and price is a consideration.

looking forward to your feedback

[mcsx]

Well i dont have much to say, as ive only just recently set mine up, but i have a little 80L nano marine tank i set up, its an all in one aquarworld tank, maybe not the best looking, but so far no problems at all, seems to do the job.

Thanks Mark~

[fongyfong]

Get the aqua nova think they are the cheapest and it does the job and they look arlight for a 4 foot you can get for 450@ seven hills but dont know if they are open anymore, but dont think anywhere sells it that cheap anymore. around 650 you can get it. The aqua one is pretty much the same but has no lid in the light so a pain to feed fish, i had the aqua nova and 4 footer for about 2 years was an excellent tank,

[GlennC]

I have a Juwel aquarium and think it's awesome.

I have the Rio 125 (which has about 110 L working capacity). The Vision 180 and above are awesome display tanks, but they were too heavy for me to manage on my own.

The German quality is very high compared to all of the other all-in-one tanks I looked at prior to buying this one. I initially wated cheap cheap, but thought the better of that and was lucky to buy a display tank for much cheaper than retail.

The filter seems to work really well. It has two sets of sponges in the filter box, but I only ever clean the top set. And, after having it for over one year now, I haven't replaced any of the filter material and it doesn't look like I will need to for some time yet.

I was going to replace the filter pump to give more flow through the tank (not necessarily better filtration), but was advised that too much current through the filter would effect the filtering ability and that the filter's flow rate has been designed for maximum breakdown by the bacteria and so I didn't upgrade to a more powerful filter.

The lighter seems more than adequate. However, I broke both tubes some time ago and they were almost $100 to replace the pair! They are an odd length and so I couldn't find any replacements except for the Juwel ones.

The heater that came with it is OK, but underpowered. They are meant for European conditions (central heating). This has meant that my tank was heated at about 22 degrees during winter.

So, maybe a Juwel would be too expensive for your intended use. And, replacement parts are expensive for sure. But, atleast it's likely to be relatively trouble free and it's designed really well so it's easy to clean the filter etc etc.

The Juwel also has a decent automatic feeder (sold separately), which might be of interest to you if you there's no one in the office to feed the fish during the weekend.

Cheers

Glenn

[E4G13M4N]

Filtration all depends on brand and size but most need either better bio material than supplied or even another filter added.

As for brands make sure the glass thickness is adequate for the size of the tank (example Aqua one 6' is 12mm glass other brands are 8-10mm not thick enough on the curves and tend to split), that is the first thing to look at,

then look at the lighting and make sure its water proofed enough (some only last 12 months and are rusted out)

Thirdly and the most important look at their spare parts availability and i dont mean whats listed in the book i mean what is readily available in Australia. ( used to sell a major brand but waiting 6 - 12 months for an impellor to turn up is crapolla) so we no longer sell that one. (They may have improved by now but they lost me after 2 years of running around)

Hope this helps

[OSAKA]

Aqua nova is really good value, Neptunes in Blacktown had the best price when i bought mine about 3-4years ago. The wet dry filter system is excellent and i have found no need to add a canister filter. I use matrix and standard filter wool and at times had to go 3months without water or filter changes with no losses.

Only issue i have is that due to condensation build up in the lid, 2 of the 3 fluro lights have shorted out. This could be minimised if i had use the tank lids supplied lol. I think the Aqua one version of the tank has a better sealed light section.

If you can put it down as a business expense get the Aqua One if not then Aqua Nova is great if your on a budget.

HTH

[Gav]

so based on quality and general access to spare parts aqua one seems the likely choice so far

[rosco]

Gav,

I have 2 little AR380's (aqua ones) for the kids and I cannot fault them. They are only lightly stocked with tetras etc but easily keep up with any bio load. They are really quiet and the access to spare parts is the winner for me as well. I have only had to replace one bulb in nearly 3 years for both tanks (touch wood), but they are easy to get hold off, even down here in the sticks. I removed the carbon cartridge after it was cycled, and replaced the noodles with Matrix but that was only because I had some. I am not sure if it was necessary.

cheers

rosco

[hyperfocal22]

I have had an Aqua One now for 2 years and can't fault it. Would certainly consider another.

[fongyfong]

aqua ones are good but bit more priceyier gl wif ya choice