New tank brand recommendation

Hi all,

I have been fighting against MTS REALLY hard since I started this hobby about 4 months ago... But alas... MTS seems to be winning.

Well, bonus time is coming up in a month or so I am deciding if I'm going to buy a new tank.

I'm thinking of getting a +- 240l tank.

My current fish that will be going into the new tank is as follows:
4 X Red wagtail platy
4 X Angel fish
4 X Zebra loach
4 X Clown loach
2 X kuhli loach
1 X Leopard pleco
1 X Albino algae eater
1 X Red tail shark

My question is though what brand is a good one to go for.

I have looked at the following systems:

Boyu EA-120 Volume: approx. 246 Litres

Juwel Vision 260 Volume: approx. 260 Litres

Juwel Rio 240 Volume: approx. 240 Litres

I heard about Jebo but I have never seen on in a LPS so I am not at all familiar with Jebo. (All I ever see is Juwel and Red Sea)

I am looking for quality but also where the price is good.

Juwel is very nice but the price is just a bit steep.

Can you guys perhaps tell me the model numbers for the tanks you think I should look at as well as what LPS stocks them as I cannot find the stores as Google fails me a bit...

Please forgive me if i have some of my facts wrong as I am a noob in this hobby.


Thanks in advance.

 

I say wait for a bit longer. If you don't want to be swamped with tanks in the future, aim to save up and get the biggest tank you can find. The Leopard pleco and clown loaches will appreciate as much space as you can provide, preferably around the 500 litre mark.

If you can, go for a Juwel, simply because you can get a good sized tank and you know you'll have quality. The one down side is that the tanks themselves as well as the replacement parts (including the filter stuff) can be costly. In the long run, though, it's a worthwhile fishkeeping investment that you could even turn into a marine system one day. They also look really good!

 

Ok, jebo is very much along the same quality and design lines as boyu. Both are decent, especially for their price, but you must factor in the need for decent filtration through either an external cannister filter or a sump. That of course would be an additional cost on top!

The juwels are by far the best quality from what I've seen, but at a cost! Although the juwel has its own internal filter box, it is not sufficient on its own, and should at least have an external cannister to help it out in my opinion, particularly if keeping messy fish.

On the fish front, a few pointers....

Zebra, clown and Kuhli loaches all like to be in groups of at least 6 to feel secure, and will behave more naturally in groups of this number.

Clown loaches can grow big (if I remember correctly, over 22cm?), and will need a bigger tank than the above when they start to get bigger.

Albino (Chinese) algae eaters have a habit of eating the protective mucus off the side of fish, once they get bigger, and also become more aggressive and boisterous, as will the red tail shark!

I cannot comment on the leopard pleco, as I do not know which specific pleco species this is, but a lot of plecos grow too large for most tanks.

So it may be worthwhile reconsidering your fish choice as you are going to have problems if you go ahead with the above list.

Hope that helps?
Regards
G!

 

I agree ! go with the Juwel if you can, the build quality is really good and the Stands really do look good. It looks awesome and blends in perfectly with the modern home.

 

Stupid question, why not a tank built from scratch?

 

Well, I went to a LPS this weekend that did custom tanks but I did not like what the tank looks like and the woodwork for the cabinet looked a bit sloppy...

So if someone can give me the name & details of someone that can do good custom tanks/cabinets then I can check it out... (preferably in the Randburg area)

 

Kenilworth Aquatic Centre in Kenilworth. From what i've seen of their builds, they are pretty decent. Another is Exotic, but they are on the East Rand.

Have you scoured the various forums for a 2nd hand tank? Juwel's are not cheap...

 

If you have the dollars buy a juwel .....big g is correct in saying the juwel needs added filtration but I'm sure another internal filter will be good enough......zoom has a jebo so pm him and ask him about it .....I would buy a juwel if I could but I would also buy a jebo over the boyu ,jebo just looks beter !

Whatever you can afford ,and by that I mean the biggest tank ......get as much volume for your buck
Cheers

 

I have been looking around and basically I found that a custom built tank might be the best option.

The biggest tank in the Juwel range is about 460 liters. but at quite the price!

Whereas I can build a custom tank of about 1500x60x60 for about R9 000.00

 

"1500x60x60 for about R9 000.00" you build it or have it build? Assuming this is now lights, filtration- tank and stand?

 

Ok, some details of the quote I got... (I have not had time to go to other places yet.)

Tank 1500x60x60 R4,450.00
Canopy Oak R1,510.00
Stand Oak with steel stand R3,050.00

Total: R9,010.00

The tank is made with 10mm glass and bracing.

Is there any other places that can give me a cheaper quote?

 

have you tried the second hand route? Like looking on TASA's sister site MASA's classified section?

Don't think you'll get a lot cheaper on the tank, 10mm aint cheap

 

To be honest I am not a big fan of 2nd hand items. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the 2nd hand items, It's just my preference to buy new.

I might consider buying a 2nd hand tank if it is in mint condition and does not need any work done now or in the next few years.

Like i said, no offense to the 2nd hand market, just preference.

 

Yeah there are some great 2nd hand deals out there you just need to look around. But if you go new rather get a tank built that way you can get away with something bigger.

 

I have a SunSun tank about 400l (90hallon) with the curved glass. It is a thing of beauty. It has 2 build in filters on top. I bought it local in Polokwane for R14200.00