jude Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Hi again I am hoping to get a much bigger tank soon. It will be a focal point in the house and I want it to be attractive. I've been browsing round trademe and found something that I thought looked good - the url and description are below. I just wanted to check out if anyone knows of reasons why these are not good tanks and whether the filter in the hood is likely to be OK. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Lifestyle/Pets ... 502981.htm Listing is - 285 Litre Aquarium R2-120 Fish Tank and stand Description is - 285 Litre Aquarium R2-120 moulded glass tank (no joins at the front). Includes Filter, filter media and lights. Filter is in the hood. Tank can be purchased separately for $700.00 123 x 46 x 67cm 285 litre capacity Colour: Black Fish Tank Stand can also be purchased separately available for $250.00 23 x 46 x 67cm Colour: Black Tank and stand are the same as pictured except black.These are brand new in the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 the thing about those units is that they are still "fish tanks", break a hole in the wall and make it a part of your home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 like this... (should be fully completed by end of week) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted September 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Looks fantastic but seeing I can't do it myself it would be too expensive and time consuming. And the one thing I've found about built-in stuff is that it limits furniture rearranging .......... LOL Cheers Judy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooky Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 I have a similar, but smaller, tank of the same design. In general it is fine, Pros: - It is nicely integrated and reasonably quite (good for a living room tank). - The filters are really easy to inspect and change. - The lighting is good, my one came with good lighting for plant growth. Cons: - Access into the tank is limited. The main hatch is a quarter of the top but doesn't let me reach everywhere. You can remove the lights and the filter if you need to, but removing the filter is cumbersome. - There is a strong current. This may not be a bad thing, but should be kept in mind for the fish you get. This will probably be less of a problem with the bigger tank. - The cables have to come out the side, which make them harder to hide. - The cabinet isn't anything much. Sort-of typical TV cabinet quality. In short it is not optimal, but it is convenient.The main reason I won't be buying one again is a desire to keep my options open in terms of filtration and I want good access since I am planning an "experimentation" tank. Experimenting with the decor and plants that is, not the fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted September 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Thanks Spooky, thats exactly the details I'm looking for. Being a short-"arms" (that's ARMS, not A**) I would probably have even more trouble reaching in to the tank. And I definitely want to be able to hide the cords etc. You just saved me buying something I wouldn't have been happy with Thanks again Judy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Hi Jude, I have the HR-1280 advertised on trademe, it expires this morning. http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/auct ... d=15512518 It doesn't have a top filter, is also black and is 300 litres. Access looks good on this one and you are most welcome to take a look. I am also able to get any of the other tanks in this range. As for getting your arms in - have you thought of a planting stick? We use one which also has a sissor attachment and it is very useful. If you wish to call, the number is 04 904 3128(kapiti). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaway Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 A question for the pros - do you think its a good investment buying ready made tanks like shown in the above post with built in heater, lights and filters? Or is it not as good as a custom setup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooky Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 I'm not a pro, but I will say why I purchased the integrated setup: convenience. I didn't have to go to a lot of effort to get a hood, or decent lighting or a decent filter and make sure it all fits together. Next time, because this tank had provided me with a bit of experience, I would go for a custom setup. The custom setup is always better, but it costs you more in time and effort (but probably not money). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted September 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Hi Jo Your ad on trademe was another one I was interested in. But it looked to me as though the curved end was at the left when facing the tank. That's the wrong end for where I want to put it. It would end up with the curve in a corner and the sharp end being the bit people had to walk around. If it hadn't been for that I would probably have bid. It would be good to come and have a look at some stage though. I will give you a call when I have some free time What was the price you were selling it for - I can't remember now. Cheers Judy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted September 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Hi again Spooky I agree about the custom tanks, especially as I could get something exactly the right size. The problem is I don't feel I know enough about how the cabinets are designed and especially how the hoods are designed - how they sit on the tank, what lights would be needed, where there should be holes for tubes and cords etc. etc. etc. I get a bit daunted when I start to think about it all ........ :lol: Cheers Jude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucid Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 HI Jude :lol: I have always had a custome setup, tight from the start and I have found that if for any reason( like me being too eager) you get the wrong thing i.e the light is too short or filter too powerful then you have an easier time changing it than on an intergrated( where you would have to change the whole setup) With having a custome Ihave external filters that hang on the side and it means I can change the end it sits on to give the fish a bit of change. As for the hoods, holes and cord, you can trail most of them down the back of the tank, and I just have a pre made light fitting that i purchased and it just sits ontop of the tank, so no hassle with custom hoods. hope this helps some. IMHO It also gives you a wider scope for the sizes that you can choose or have made, as you stated above. B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted September 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 Thanks Ballistic One of my problems is I start to get too fancy. I think it comes from having a father who used to make all sorts of gadgety things to make life easier - most of them were really clever and worked well. I get confused over things like lights - if you have several flourescent tubes in a hood how can you get them to connect to one switch etc. - my brain just isn't good with stuff like that. I guess when the time come there are lots of people here who could offer advice. I'm kinda thinking it would be cool to have bright light in the centre and dimmer (maybe purple) light at either end. Ah well, at least I have plenty of time to dream and plan and confuse myself! Cheers Jude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 HI Jude Yes it looks to me like the tank is curved at the left end. The stand comes flat packed so not sure if it can be swapped around. I will ask the sales rep. I was looking at $750 which is really cheap as the company ordered too many. The purchased setups look very tidy and are finished much better than a custom made one ever could be. The hoods look so tidy and streamlined and being plastic would be much easier to remove than a wooden hood. If you decided to go with a custom made, all you would have to do is get a cabinet maker to do the stand and hood making sure you told him the weight it would have to support. You would then have a really nice tank but I think it would cost more than a ready made one. If you want any help feel free to call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 jo i understand what youre saying about the clean look, but lets be honest, with a bit of effort a custom job can look ten times better you cant tell me that chimera's tank looks less attractive than a prebought unit (imo opinion it is way better) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 If a built in the wall unit was an option, I would agree with you but I have yet to see a free-standing unit with a nicely finished, rounded edge hood that was light enough to remove single handed. The moulded glass is attractive too and I hate to think how much that would cost if you had one specially made! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted September 13, 2004 Report Share Posted September 13, 2004 Just my two cents worth - I like the look of the rounded corners on these one piece units but: - how well do our flat algae scraper magnets work on them? - if you have the misfortune of breaking the front (or side glass) I assume it costs about the same amount to replace the glass as it does to buy a brand new tank Also having talked with people who have this style tank (not necessarily exactly the same brand as on trademe though) they did like the whole intergrated thing but said that sometimes the power head is too strong and sucked up smaller fish (so they ended up putting on a course sponge pre-filter) and also if the filter media became clogged it was a tendancy to overflow out the power cord notches at the back (ie onto the floor). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooky Posted September 13, 2004 Report Share Posted September 13, 2004 how well do our flat algae scraper magnets work on them? Not very well. You can really only scrape with the edge. On the other hand my bristlenose likes it in the rounded corner so I get some help. With respect to overflows, the Aqua One AR series have quite well designed filters and the overflow goes straight back into the tank. It has all sorts of other quirks, but none that are as serious as spraying water all over the floor (I leave that to my cat and the water-change bucket). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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