Juwel Lido 120 or Juwel Rio 240

fogzo

So we've decided to get an aquarium but can't decide between the Juwel Lido 120 or the Juwel Rio 240

Does anyone have either of these and are they reliable? any reviews would be appreciated.. Cheers!

mtbbuxton

A wise man once told me "you don't keep fish, you keep water" and he's absolutely right The water quality in a larger tank is easier to maintain, (so long as you don't overstock it) but you do need to properly set up and cycle your tank.

M x

gonzo127

Sorry long post

agree with the above, the bigger the tank the 'better' because it’s much easier to keep the water quality good, because quite simply, there is more water to balance out any mistakes - ok so your weekly water changes become a bit more of a job because you need to remove more water as it should be a % of the overall tank size. But this is much better than finding dead fish.

Also as said read up on cycling your tank as if it’s done wrong this can be disastrous for the fish if done wrong.

so to answer your basic question, get the rio, as its bigger, so will be easier to keep, also try to think of the fish, they do need some space to swim, and most fish swim side to side, not up and down, so having a longer tank will give them better options to be active, and an active tank is much better to watch.

some other things to consider,

do not waste time and money on buying a product called cycle - yes it is sold as a quick way to cycle your tank, but it doesn't do it properly, and will tie you into buying the product for the foreseeable future as it doesn’t allow the correct, natural bacteria to build up to keep your tank stable.

Get live plants not fake ones, and drift wood is always good, the reason for live plants is because they will use some of the nitrate in the water (from the cycle) as well as oxygenate the water, so helps keep the water quality better.

You do not need to buy branded filter media, you can get generic filter replacement supply’s which are as good but a lot cheaper

Final bit of advice – don’t believe a word any of the pet stores tell you, most of the time they are not saying what is best for you or the fish, but what they feel they can sell you, so read up on the fish you like the idea off, and look at stocking levels personally I find this website useful http://aqadvisor.com/ for stocking and find http://www.fishlore.com/ useful (and easy to navigate) for fish details

for example, a lot of stores sell the common pleco, which might be small at the time of purchase, but can grow up to 18 inch (46cm) which is far too big for most tanks, considering the length of the rio is only 121cm, this one fish will be over 1/3rd of the length of the tank when full grown, so really gives it no space to move

otherwise enjoy your fish (once you have them) they are fascinating creatures and I personally find myself watching my fish more than the TV