Another Newbie here...

[ClownLurch]

Hi everyone and thanks for reading.
I’m U.K. based slightly north of London and not far from what’s apparently the flagship store of the UKs largest fishkeeping shop group.
I kept freshwater tropical as a kid in the 70s then again as an adult in the late 90s when a few house/job moves resulted in me giving away my set up. Now I’m settled Ive been intending to start up again and this lock down now gives me ample time. I intend to keep a tropical freshwater community tank containing the usual suspects with nothing too exotic at the moment.
My main problem is there’s really only one place in the house suitable for a tank/cabinet combi which means I’m limited in size to 33”x14” (840Lx355W mm) max but I’d like the tank to be as tall as reasonably sensible. The nearest off the shelf tank I’ve found being the Aquaone Oakstyle 145L which measures (810x380x780H). This could work but as we’d prefer 355mm wide we may opt for a custom made tank.
Thats the background. My questions thus are:
1/ Could anyone recommend a custom tank and glass lid only builder in the U.K. who deliver?
2/ Would there be any point in having a custom made tank built taller than the Aquaones 780mm if it’s only 840Lx355W from a number of fish stockable and plant length point of view? I’m over 6’ with long arms by the way!

Thanks for reading what is a longer introductory post than I intended to write and any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[Essjay]

I have a custom built tank by ND Aquatics. They are based in Hertford and if you look at the delivery info on their website they do tank & cabinet free in your area, though they charge for tank only. I can recommend their tanks. Being custom built you could opt for bigger front to back rather than taller, though the available length will still limit your fish choice somewhat.

With your location, you probably have hard water. You can confirm this by looking on your water company's website - you need a number and the unit of measurement rather than some vague words. We now know that hardness is important, and we should keep fish that have our tap water in their hardness range. With hard water, if you want to keep soft water fish you would need to 'soften' your tap water by mixing it with pure water such as reverse osmosis (RO).

Look at ND Aquatics site, and other companies that do custom tanks. It will take a while to get the tank as they are made to order and especially with the current lock down. This will give you plenty time to decide what fish you want to stock, then when the tank arrives you'll be ready to go.
You mention plants, and if you intend a well planted tank you can do a silent cycle, which involves planting the tank, waiting till you are certain they are growing well, then getting fish a few at a time. The other option is a fishless cycle, then plant the tank when it is finished.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Welcome to the forum

 

[ClownLurch]

Thanks everyone.
It turns out the eBay ad for the aquaone oakstyle 145L has mistakenly quoted both cab and tank height at 780mm when tank is actually 550mm.
After a few preliminary enquiries via online price calculators it looks like the taller tank size I’d prefer is roughly the price of the off shelf one above which includes a cabinet that I’d have to modify to fit. That’s no problem but as being a carpenter Im now leaning towards making my own cabinet anyway.
Decisions decisions eh?

 

[ClownLurch]

I have a custom built tank by ND Aquatics. They are based in Hertford and if you look at the delivery info on their website they do tank & cabinet free in your area, though they charge for tank only. I can recommend their tanks. Being custom built you could opt for bigger front to back rather than taller, though the available length will still limit your fish choice somewhat.

With your location, you probably have hard water. You can confirm this by looking on your water company's website - you need a number and the unit of measurement rather than some vague words. We now know that hardness is important, and we should keep fish that have our tap water in their hardness range. With hard water, if you want to keep soft water fish you would need to 'soften' your tap water by mixing it with pure water such as reverse osmosis (RO).

Look at ND Aquatics site, and other companies that do custom tanks. It will take a while to get the tank as they are made to order and especially with the current lock down. This will give you plenty time to decide what fish you want to stock, then when the tank arrives you'll be ready to go.
You mention plants, and if you intend a well planted tank you can do a silent cycle, which involves planting the tank, waiting till you are certain they are growing well, then getting fish a few at a time. The other option is a fishless cycle, then plant the tank when it is finished.

Cheers essjay.
We‘re with Affinity water and they’re classifying our water as ”very hard”.
With a figure of 335mg/l.
Calcium 134 mg/l.
ph content 23.45 degrees English or Clarke.
No idea how that affects my plans but I’ll research it. Can you recommend somewhere I can read up on this stuff either on here or elsewhere on the internet as it’s way out of my comfort zone.
My previous water suppliers were Northumbria which I’m sure you’ll appreciate tasted like the nectar of the gods in comparison with what comes out of our taps here.

 

[Essjay]

I agree - Northumbrian water is mainly soft with low nitrate. I consider myself lucky


From those figures, the 335 mg/l is mg/l calcium carbonate, which is also called ppm.
134 mg/l calcium converts to 335 mg/l calcium carbonate, so that confirms that the 335 mg/l is calcium carbonate.
23.45 English/Clark isn't pH, it's just another unit of hardness measurement.
These all convert to 18.7 dH

There are at least half a dozen units of measurement for hardness but only two of them are used in fishkeeping. These two are ppm and German degrees, also called dH. You need to know your hardness in both as some fish profiles use one, some use the other.
Your hardness is:
335 ppm
18.7 dH


The best way to research fish etc is to look them up on Seriously Fish https://www.seriouslyfish.com/knowledge-base/
The profiles on there tell you the size tank they need; the hardness, pH and temperature; whether they need slow or fast moving water; what they eat; what are suitable tank mates, and lots more.
If you don't want to mess around with reducing hardness, look at livebearers, rainbowfish, Rift Lake cichlids - check with the fish index at the bottom of the forum for species names to look up on Seriously Fish.
If you don't mind using reverse osmosis to reduce hardness, then almost all fish from south America and Asia.

 

[FishGuest5123]

 

[ClownLurch]

Evening all.
Still tankless!
The lockdowns causing a few more problems than I thought it would on that front. The size I’d get custom made is almost identical to the Boyu LZ810 198L Which seems a lot cheaper than a custom made tank and available a lot quicker. Has anyone any experience of these as I’m not too sure about the curved corners?
I wouldn’t be wanting the cabinet it comes with as it wouldn’t fit in with the 1930s theme in the room it’s too be housed in. I’ve sourced an antique cabinet that’ll slot inside a timber frame/leg set up I’ve planned to house electrics filter etc. It’s turning into a bit of a project before it even starts!
API testing kit arrived today.
Been passing the time searching for hard water fish for a 800mm tank.....it’s like selecting a fantasy sports team!

So.....Boyu rounded corner aquariums then.......?