shauntilyard Posted May 23, 2005 Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Hello, I am looking at getting a AR620 Tall. oes anyone have one of these. i would like to know the pros and cons from someones elses prospective. the lfs just wants to make a sale i think. if someone knows anything that would be great thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 My mate has one of these - and it looks great! I love the ViaAqua tanks, I find the filter/lights etc all very good The 620-T is good with the outflow for the filter coming out from a small pipe-type thing, rather than trickling out like it does in the smaller tanks... How much are the selling it for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Ummmm Aqua the 620T isn't a Via Aqua tank it's an Aqua One I have an AR850 and they are an awesome display tank, depending on how much it is you may want to price one up + freight fromhttp://www.petplanet.co.nz They are by far the cheapest and even with freight may work out cheaper, as an example they do my 850 for $650 and another well known LFS has the identical tank for $900 LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Via Aqua ARE AquaOne aren't they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petplanet Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Thanks for the plug Snowman. Via Aqua was the old name for the Aqua One tanks. They are made in China by Commodity Axis. If you buy large enough quantities they rebrand them for you. Kongs (the importer)markets them under the Aqua One brand in NZ and Australia. As far as getting a AR620T, how long are your arms. mine a long (matches the rest of me 197cm) and I fine deep tanks a pain in the butt to clean. Can you reach the bottom easily? Fish also prefer a longer swim length so take into account the type of fish you want to keep. I think a longer tank gives a more natural look and is easier to aquascape. Deep tanks tend to look like everything is piled up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis & Vicki Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 beware, look at other tanks the same as you are thinking of getting, i am stuck with an aqua one tank that the lid leaks like you wouldnt beleive, the supplier just dosnt care. check out one the same that has been established for a while just to make sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 I know of quite a few people that have Aqua One tanks from the 620, 850 980 and yours is the only one i've ever heard of that leaks. Does it have Aqua One written on the lid as from what i could see of the pic you posted it didn't look like an Aqua One, it should have what size it is on the left hand bottom of the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis & Vicki Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 definataly aqua one, in thier catalog, seen others at the suppliers(not the shop) jo1 and her husband saw it when they came to tauranga and have also seen others with the same problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shauntilyard Posted May 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Hey thank you for all the info about the tank. I have had a look at a set up AR620 tall and yes agree that i would be hard to aquascape. my arms are long but i dont think long enough. Thank you for the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Personally i would go in & cause mayhem & scare all their customers out the door and see how long it took for them to sort the problem out. I wouldn't leave until they did, and i'd love every minute of it LOL If their other tanks are out of sight of the staff i would enjoy going around and super gluing all the lids shut LOL :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis & Vicki Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 cant buy direct from the supplier, they just dont care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 They have a legal obligation to provide a guarantee, i would start by aralditing the locks in their doors, then when they get that fixed you araldite the door itself, what goes around comes around and i usually make it so LOL i got some real nasty and expensive tricks but as they say.... pay back is a bi@#$ LMAO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason_F Posted May 24, 2005 Report Share Posted May 24, 2005 Hi Shauntilyard, I have an AR620T and love it. No leaks at all and it has been going strong for 9 months or so. It's a deep tank, so make sure that you can touch the bottom of the tank without too much difficulty. If you are concerned about aquascaping when it's up and running, just do it when you do a water change. I have tall growing plants going nuts in the tank which suits the height of the AR620T. Depending on the frequency of your water changes, and getting it cycled properly, you can stock this tank with a lot of fish. They will occupy different levels, making it interesting from top to bottom. The only website I've found specifically for this type of tank is at: http://blog.kazza.id.au/mt-archives/000035.html It's just a blog/Q&A but some info can be found there. Cheers, Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shauntilyard Posted May 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Hello Jason_F Thank you for the info , i have tired getting information out of that site that you metioned before but the all seem to not want to answer my questions. this site is great to get answers. I have had a look at a AR620T at my local petshop and they have done a really nice job at aquascaping the tank. I took my partner down to have a look and she said the tall tank would not go with the room so have opted for the slightly smaller AR620 not really what i want to do but have to keep both sides happy. I was woundering if you need a bubbler in thes types of tank because there is alot of water airation through the filter, Have you put one in. What type of fish do you have and how many, just to give me an idea on stock levels. all these water/fish ratios get confusing sometimes. Thanks for the reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason_F Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Hey Shauntilyard - in my opinion the advantage of the tall over the normal 620 is that you can see the fish better standing by it or walking past it - that's how I got my wife to go for the one I ended up with. But I'm sure you'll like whichever one you end up with. I do have a bubbler in mine - more for aesthetic reasons than airation, but I did get paranoid about overstocking my tank and the amount of surface area available on my tall tank to the volume. So you probably don't need one - and in my tank the bubbler is the noisiest component - so I often turn it off. Before I tell you my stocking rates, the 620T is 130 Litres and the normal 620 is 90 Litres - so you will need to reduce the numbers. Also stock gradually, with weeks or months between additions. What I have in my tank are: 4 Bronze Corydoras (for getting scraps and occupying low levels) 2 Clown Loaches (for fun and snail control) 11 Platties (all different colours - with 5 being born in this tank) 8 Cardinal tetras (for schooling in the middle region) 3 Pearl Gouramis (who hide up the top) 1 Zebra Danio (the last one surviving of the fish used to cycle the tank) My initial stocking intentions were 4 Corys, 4 Platties, 8 Cardinals and 8 Zebra Danios. But once you start - you just want more! I try to do a 20-30% water change weekly, but the tank has survived without problems for 3 weeks without a water change. Hope that helps. Cheers, Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooky Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 Referring back to the mention of leaks. If I remember a previous discussion about the Aqua One tanks it is a problem with the filter overflowing when it starts getting clogged. It appears that this only affects some models. The AR-850 I purchased a year ago does not have this problem - the individual filter boxes have backed up and overflowed, but the housing they are in makes sure that the water goes back into the tank. All the same, have a good look at the filter and satisfy yourself about what will happen when it goes wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo1 Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 Just noticed Vicki's post about the Aqua One tank leaking. It is an HR1280 which Kongs are no longer stocking as most people prefer a tank with an inbuilt filter which this did not come with. The problem was a slight drip from the joins in the plastic at the top of the tank. We improved the problem by putting in cover plates which also protected the light unit. The tank has been set up for at least 6 months now and no more drips. We have it set up with cold water fish but Vicki's is tropical and the problem was a lot worse on hers. Would recommend getting cover plates for all models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shauntilyard Posted May 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 Hey, with all this talk of tanks it is making me antsy. i have heard that the do not come with very good instructions about setting up the filter and stand. has anyone had any trouble with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misnoma Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 heh... want to see the instructions for the stand? http://nzdance.net/~misnoma/fishtank/ That's for a R2-150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason_F Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 Hi, the instructions that come with the Aqua One tanks are pretty shocking. I got my tank off Pet Planet who was kind enough to provide more detailed instructions, but if you can put together a kit set shelving unit - then no problem. I managed my way with the stand unit ok, and the top compartments are pretty self evident. Be careful where you put the back board piece, as you might want cords to go inside the stand, so give yourself enough room to slip a power plug through. My only big mistake was that I ripped the little satchel of carbon open and spread it through the second compartment! :oops: I left the little pieces there for about 3 months, before giving the whole filter a good clean out and getting rid of them. I can sometimes still find a black rod of carbon sticking out of the gravel in the tank! My filter set up is: 1st compartment spray-bar then filter pad (to collect large debris) then ceramic noodles (circular thingies) on bottom. 2nd compartment is reversed with filter pad on bottom and ceramic noodles on top to weigh it down. That's it. One additional point is that I use a black piece of plastic board that I cut to fit in the groove at the back of the tank, instead of painting / picture or nothing. Costs $8 at local art store and makes it look a million dollars. Good luck, Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooky Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 Yeah, the instructions aren't too good. Mine came pre-assembled by the LFS, but I had to push a few of the tubes more firmly into place. I've tried the filter with both the wool on top and on the bottom - it makes no real difference (in theory the wool is better on top). So in the end the lack of instructions wasn't an issue. If I recall correctly the instructions mention a height to fill it to - in practise this is a minimum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 I fill mine to the bottom of the black line on the side, so that you cant see the water line when looking at the tank, make sure you get what you should, there should be a coarse and fine filter pad for each compartment as well as noodles and the bag of carbon, there should be a clear plastic return that pushes into the bottom side of the filter and it should have a clear extension as well. Mine came missing one coarse filter pad and the return and extension, didn't realise this until 6 mths later when i was looking at them again in a LFS The instructions are a joke so i didn't pay them any attention as it made no difference anyway LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misnoma Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 I have the wool on the top because it makes the filter quieter somewhat. In terms of how full to fill it, I fill it so that you can't see the waterline, but it's been known to sit up to 1" below the black top strip before without incident (I think people have hit issues with the powerhead sitting slightly out of the water and getting too hot/dying) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_boi Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 I am thinking of getting an ar620t and was wondering where you can get the best prices. I have found one including stand and all the stuff u need gravel, heater etc. for 589.95 is that a good deal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted July 4, 2005 Report Share Posted July 4, 2005 Check out Pet Planet in Whangaparoa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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