Juwel Cliff background review

The Juwel cliff background is a stunning addition to any tank but it needs to be install correctly.

Read through my review and see exactly how not to install this – from my own personal mistakes!

It’s a lot easier to install into a new tank rater than add it to an running tank.

It is possible but you’ll need to get a lot of the water out and sort the stones/ soil in the bottom of the tank.

The other thing you’re going to want to do is to pick the right room and overall environment for your Juwel Cliff Background. The aquarium looks great as an expansive of glass that you can place anywhere in a room to give the decor a focal point. The aquarium looks particularly nice in rooms with lots of windows and natural light, giving the aquarium a great daytime and nighttime backdrop.

If your home is nice enough to have a room like this with lots of windows and light, you’re going to want to keep all of that glass clean. Nothing looks worse than a room with lots of dirty windows. If you head over to getsoapy.co.uk, you can find an independent window cleaner to come by on a regular schedule to hit your whole house. It’s cheaper to go to an independent network of freelancers than to hire a big company, usually.

Juwel Cliff options

First thing you need to do is select the one you want.

There’s a few options – I personally went for the light option and love it. It gets some algae on it but I personally think that helps it to look more natural.

I also really like the root option for a planted tank but worried it was a bit too dark for what I had planned at the time.

Here’s a quick look at my tank, fully installed and running for just over a year.

I love the 3D effect that it gives and it really enhances the look of the tank compared to a black background or even worse – a poster of plants.

Juwel trigon tank review

Cliff Types

Light Cliff

juwel light cliff background

 

Black granite

juwel stone granite

 

Once you’ve picked what you’re going to use then you’ll need to measure up and see how many panels you’ll need and what other options you may want.

I have a Juwel trigon 190 litres and needed 2 panels, filter cover and I also bought a terrace option that’s on the right side of the tank.

This just gives a bit more to the tank and creates a nice raised section for more plants.

See below (Its a good idea to use the glue to stick this to the bottom of the tank so it doesn’t slide when you add your soil)

Juwel light cliff terrace added to tank

You’ll also need some Juwel aquarium glue – buy it here from Amazon

NOTE!!! – Make sure you’re really happy with the option you’ve selected and there’s not really any going back at this point!

Installing the cliff background – must-read review

I installed this myself in my tank without watching any videos or really reading any guides and whilst from a distance it looks good I did make a mess of it!

My top tips for installing 

  • Make sure its 100% straight. I bought mine from the local shop and it had a very slight bend in it. I stupidly assumed the glue would correct that – but it didn’t. I now occasionally get fish stuck behind it and there’s no chance of getting it back out.
  • Go right to the top of the tank – I tried to cut mine shorter so I could still see the water level markers. It now has plants all over the top.
  • Use the straight edges where you’ll see them – Again for no apparent reason I use the cut bits on the outside of the tank rather than the nice smooth edge – Don’t do this! See below:

Don't use rought edges at the side of the tank

To start with cut the cliff to shape using a Stanley knife or smilier.

It’s a bit tough but keep scoring it with a ruler and you’ll get there.

Check it fits before you add the glue and make sure you’ve got the neat edges the right way round. Then add the glue to the back, use lots of blobs of glue to secure it in place but keep it a little away from the edges.

Then stick it in place and hold it for a couple of minutes until its secure. Then leave it for 24 hours to dry.

If you’re using it on a smaller tank like a Fluval Spec then you’ll only need a very small piece to cover the back of the tank.

Once its dry you can then add water to the tank and it should look like this once you’ve got the gravel in

Cliff back ground fully installed