Hi, I have just been given a Juwel Vision 260L aquarium! (I currently have a few guppies in a Biube and another small tank).

I am wanting to get the very basic setup started so I can begin the cycling and considering the overall setup, but I am going in circles on a couple of things.

At the moment I am thinking of Java fern and Java moss as basic plants, Neon Tetras and Pygmy Cory's and possibly the odd guppy.

1. I do not have a heater......I was going to add a Visi-therm 300w model, is this adequate?

2. I don't have any substrate in the tank. I have always used a natural coloured gravel, but I was considering a sand, (dark). As I know nothing about the subject, any pointers to best type, suppliers, guidelines.......even how much I would need would be helpful.

3. I require an external filter. I am in several minds about the most appropriate choice, Fluval, Tetratec and Enheim have all been looked at, but since I have never had an external filter I am a little overwhelmed.

4. The current T5's are marine, I believe. With the basic setup in mind what Tubes would you change to? (It looks like I don't want the tank to be too bright).

Any other advice would be very much appreciated. Believe me, I will be spending a great deal of time reading before adding fish, but I want to get the basics in place and cycling started, asap. (I also want to make sure that the tank and fittings are 100%).

Then comes the step of perhaps a little advanced planting and then finally a few fish...... :)



Don't hate, I know that there is an abundance of info here, (that I will be taking advantage of), but stopping me from making silly mistakes and getting up and running quickly, (at least to "interesting water feature"), is my goal, and a few pointers from people with experience is what I am hoping for.

Thanks for your help, (and understanding :p ), :D

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Which fish to choose depends on water pH and hardness. Different species' thrive in different kinds of water; for instance Neons and Guppies don't mix as Neons need soft acidic water and Guppies need hard alkaline water.

Do you have a test kit?

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Yes

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Dark sand suitable for Cories is hard to find as quite a lot of the darker sand is actually either crushed volcanic rock or powdered glass, both of which are too abrasive for Cories' sensitive barbels. Suitable dark sand can be very expensive. If you were happy with a lighter colour then childrens' play pit sand from Argos, B&Q etc is inexpensive. Sand is pretty much required for Cories, but needs more maintenance than gravel: regular stirring to prevent anaerobic areas developing; any dirt shows up as it sits on top. For 1 inch depth in your tank you'll need around 25Kg. Adding some Malaysian Trumpet Snails can help keep the sand aerated.

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Eheims are excellent (many here will recommend them). I have three running at the moment and they are extremely quiet, reliable and easy to use. The Eheim Classic 350 or the Classic 600 would work well for you and on the links above are supplied with a full set of media, pipes, spraybar and double tap sets, plus in the members' lounge you'll find a discount for FK members from that shop.

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If they're the original Juwel lights supplied with the tank, they won't be marine. Unless you change the entire lighting system you'll be restricted to T5s of the same output so the brightness is going to be much the same (unless the current ones are the high output ones). Bear in mind if you want anything beyond the easiest plants, reducing the light output is not a good idea as a lot of plants need high light levels to grow well.

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As above, consider the lighting in view of this and check pH and hardness before choosing fish

Hmmm.

2. I was interested in the dark colour as I was reading somewhere it brought out the colours of the fish, (and was less stressful?). I am used to gravel, and didn't realise that sand was more work......so thats all still up in the air.

3. I wasn't looking into the classics, though they do look good. I may just get the 600. :)

4. I believe the tank had been set up as marine, so the tubes were marine. I will be changing the juwel tubes, just need to decide which are appropriate.


I have done a quick test on fresh tap water. I am not sure that the API GH and KH tests are working....the GH seems almost clear though there is a slight greenish tint after 3 drops. The KH turned blue then yellow after 1 drop. The pH showed as 7.

Done the same tests on some bucket water that had been sitting with an air stone and a little conditioner for 2-3 days. GH was the same, (though Im not sure if the test isn't faulty), the KH went yellow straight away and the pH was close to 6.5.

Hi

Water results sound right for your area. As far as I know Cumbria has very soft water which is what your results inicate. The only problem you might encounter is pH dropping rapidly once the tank is stocked because of the lack of buffering (kH). That can be rectified by putting crushed coral, oyster shells or similar in a bag in the filter which will gradually release carbonates into the water and keep pH stable.

With a gH of 3 and pH of 6.5 you have a huge selection of fish to choose from Cardinals and Cories will do well for instance (but you do need sand really for Cories). Guppies, however, won't thrive at all in such soft water.

I had decided to get some sand anyway, just incase I decided to go that route and since it is needed for the cory's I think I will have to get used to the difference in cleaning.

Malaysian Trumpet Snails......I can see the benefits of introducing them into a tank, but there seems to be a few discussions around the googlesphere about them breeding like crazy and becoming an issue. Is this just going to happen, or will keeping algae/waste food to a minimum, (suggested in one post), actually keep the population under control?

As for the Crushed Coral....it's in a bag waiting to be used.

One more thing. Any suggestions on the backing? There are a few options. I've seen Java Moss being used as a carpet, background posters, or the Juwel 3d background tiles, (although that may end up costly).

MTS populations can explode but usually only if there's overfeeding and therefore a good supply of food for them. I have MTS in some of my tanks and haven't been overwhelmed by them You won't see much of them as they tend to spend most of their time under the sand when the lights are on.

Backgrounds - all very subjective, but personally I like plain black or blue, or 3D textured backgrounds. I like the idea of a moss wall, but it would take a long time to establish a good level of moss cover on a Vision 260. I would worry that it may not grow well and look patchy. I made my own textured background for my 5ft tank. Nothing very complex, just made it to look like a muddy river bank with stones/gravel embedded in it. It was quite a time-consuming process though. In another tank I set up recently I've siliconed reclaimed Welsh roofing slates to the back wall.

So this is where I am......

I have filled the tank with water, (gradually over a couple of days incase there was a problem), and it is water tight.

I have also received the Eheim classic 600 (2217) external filter and have a few of questions.

1. This filter comes with charcoal filter, fine white filter and six coarse blue filters. I notice that there is a filter media set for ~£50, that I am going to buy and swap out some of the blue sponge, but I'm guessing I will have to also buy a couple of media bags?....what sort and size should I be getting?

2. I haven't started cutting the hose that came with the unit, but I am a little concerned that its not going to be quite long enough, (although I know that the taps are going to add to the length). I can't see it being an issue but, if I add additional eheim hose will this have any negative effects?

3. Included is a spray bar, as well as the plastic bit that goes over the edge of the tank, (part 4004710), which then bends again so it is horizontal, (if you get what I mean). The easiest way for me to connect this is to place it on the back-right side, (there is a precut hole the lid). This would mean connecting the spray bar along the right side of the tank. - I was thinking that having the spray bar at the back-centre, facing forward would help create better surface movement, but would this be okay?

4. If I have enough hose, and I place the spraybar on the right side, where would be the optimum place to put the intake?

5. Talking of the intake. It looks like it is going to sit a fair bit off the bottom of the tank, BUT I am a little worried that there will be a chance that sand entering the filter will be a problem, (even if I turn it off when cleaning the tank and doing water changes). I have been searching about and there is some talk of adding prefilter sponges to the intake. I can't seem to be able to find any sponges that I can be sure is the right size for the use. Do you know of any easily obtainable?

I know I am probably over thinking/worrying about this entire thing, (its just the way I am - I worry until I do it, then wonder what the problem was! )

Also, sorry for the length of the post, it wasn't my intention. Sometimes I can't stop typing.

Don't bother using the carbon - it's only really beneficial when removing medicines and if used needs frequent (expensive) replacement so keep it aside until needed.

If you want to add some biomedia such as Eheim Substrat Pro, don't buy a full media kit, just buy the Substrat Pro on its own as it will be a lot cheaper. Eheim recommmend that for their biomedia you don't use bags as these restrict the free flow of water through the media.

You can add extra hose if needed, but make sure you get the right size, and try to only have a joint at the tap.

You can place the spray bar at the right end if you wish and if so, place the intake at the other end, back corner to create a flow that goes from one end of the tank to the other.

Eheim make a specific pre-filter for their canisters.

Interesting about the carbon, I hadn't realised that. I can think of that cost saving, while I continue to spend more and more setting the tank up.

Ordered the Eheim media, extra hose. One thing I noticed is that the spray bar only just fits across the side, meaning that with the connector jutting out its not going to fit that way unless the bar is put diagonally, (and mostly into the water). I was thinking about using some of that extra hose and cutting a 1-2 foot length so the bar goes in the centre back, but maybe the tank would benefit from having some of the spray under the water?

As for the Prefilter........I searched and searched and searched some more and found all sorts, but not one had that! I imagine it was my googling that was at fault, anyway its been ordered.

Thanks

Yo can shorten the spray bar with a hacksaw so it fits straight if you want - that's what I do when I want to position one at an end. Whether to position it above or below the waterline will depend on the fish you keep and how much flow and/or surface disturbance they prefer.