What i have now.


Juwel Vision 180 inc light unit

Juwel Heater

One thing about the 180, it doesnt seem to have plastic covers between the lights and the water surface
am i right in thinking the light unit is waterproof. Where does all the condensation go etc?



Things to get- From what i have read on here.


1. API Master test kit - Freshwater

2. 10ml syringe

3. Bottle of pure ammonia

4. Thermometer

5. Eheim classic 2215 - Just going to use the sponges it comes with then fill the rest with the eheim substrat- How many litres of it will I need?

6. Air pump- Thinking tetratec one with the legs. + black silicone air line and stone etc

7. Fine gravel 1-2mm- How many kg for my tank??

8. Aquarium background

9. New life spectrum sinking goldfish pellet, 1mm or 3mm for 2-3 inch fancies?

10. Seachem prime declorinator

11. Gravel cleaner


And at some point, 1x oranda + 1 x ranchu


Summing up questions in one place.

1. One thing about the 180, it doesnt seem to have plastic covers between the lights and the water surface
am i right in thinking the light unit is waterproof. Where does all the condensation go etc?

2. Eheim classic 2215 - Just going to use the sponges it comes with then fill the rest with the eheim substrat- How many litres of it will I need?

3. New life spectrum sinking goldfish pellet, 1mm or 3mm for 2-3 inch fancies?

4. Does my water look ok, info from water company site.

5. Anything else

get a couple of big strong home brew buckets for water changes.
a net.
plants.
shammy for glass.

also the lighting units are sealed but don't drop them in tank obviously.
and if you haven't already bought filter have a look at the tetratec ex series externals. far cheaper and silent. i can't fault my ex1200

are you buying from star? my 1st replacement is arriving tomorrow. just asked them to send 1 in case any problems.

i think 25-30 kg of gravel.

Good call on that stuff. That looks a good filter, alot more advanced than the classic, with its media baskets and instant start thing.

I hope you new fish does well. I will probably go with star, so will watch your progress with keen interest.

i had an eheim and the noise drove me mad so bought the tetra. amazing for £90.
i bought mine from here.
http://www.aquatics-warehouse.co.uk/t ... 1200-aquarium-filter.html

i'll keep you updated on how fish does fingers crossed.

Had read the classics were a very quiet reliable filter. Might have been a bad one eh. Whats the cost like on the consumables for that filter?

media or electricity?
it's 99% ceramic and plastic rings and balls. the sponges would last yrs.think there's 1 filter floss that would need replacing, prob £6 would last years.

never noticed the power consumption to be fair.

You also need a non return valve for the air pump to stop water siphoning back down into it in the event of a power cut.

I'd get some live plants too, your fish will enjoy them very much (some as a snack, others as decor!) http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles ... ed-tanks-for-goldfish.htm

A gravel vac will be a godsend so you can hoover up all the grot from the gravel while doing a water change. Lots of buckets, buckets are always handy, a large plastic jug too (if you don't have one you'll suddenly find you want one!).

Algae magnet? The hobby one is good http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/ ... ectory/product.php?id=207

A brush on a wire for cleaning filter hoses,



Ooh, there's all sorts of stuff you never knew you needed

What does your water company say about your water? Can you confirm nitrate, PH, GH and KH?

Quote:

I have three Eheim Classics (2213, 2215 and 2217) and a 2128 and all are virtually silent. As long as the priming sequence is followed correctly they make barely any sound. If a bit of an airlock forms though they can rattle like crazy and if that happens the only way to stop it properly is to empty the water from the filter and re-prime. Once running correctly, as long as you always shut off the taps when taking water out of the tank or cleaning the filter they run flawlessly.

If you decide to go with the 2215 (or any of the Classics) I can talk you through set up so you avoid the airlock issue.

The 2215 has a canister volume of 4 litres. It comes with enough blue sponges to fill it, so the amount of Substrat Pro is up to you, but I would suggest sponge on the bottom, 2 to 3 litres of Substrat Pro and then sponges to fill to the top with a final layer of filter floss.

The sponges and Substrat Pro will last years just being occasionally rinsed in tank water. Filter floss will need regular replacement but it's a lot cheaper to buy a roll of pond filter wool and cut to size.

Also buy a box of activated carbon and a fine mesh media net so you can run carbon as and when needed (after meds for instance).

Wow, loads more stuff! Lol. Thanks for that. Think might give 2215 a shot. Im all for old school tech.

Yep deffo gonna get some real plants. Probably amazon sword for sure, they seem really hardy and were virtually silver dollar proof when I had them in my tropical tank. And some other ones they might like a nibble on.

Tap Water pH 7.5 (Exact was 7.4)
Tap Water Nitrate 11-20ppm (Exact was 14ppm)
Tap Water General Hardness (GH) 210 to 320ppm
Tap Water Carbonate Hardness (KH) 210 to 280ppm
Water is hard