U.K. based tank suggestions wanted....

[ClownLurch]

Just thinking out loud again here and need an off the shelf specific tank of a specificish size. IE 5 or 6 foot long X 16 to 24 inches (max) high X 12 to 14 inches deep.
The depth seems to be the main problem as I’ve found numerous variations of the L&H sizes both new and used on the internet already.
Id prefer to buy used or off the shelf rather than custom made for obvious reasons. I’d also prefer a black plastic top as we’ve a cat and I’ve never liked glass sliders.

In case I do need to go custom made does anyone know a place where off the shelf black plastic lids can be bought? As I may need to custom build to fit available lid?

 

[Malawif@n]

Well all the tank I had in the past which weren’t custom made had plastic lids but the good quality tank were mainly 5 ft I would say go custom as you can get the exact dimensions that you are after. To mention a few ac aquatics, nd aquatics and prime aquatics do custom made and the tank and hoods are good quality, If you’ve had no luck with secondhand or off the shelf then phone around provide how you would like your tank and they will give you a quote. I myself will be getting in touch with ac aquatics for a custom tank around 7 or 8ft for my next project a year a so down the line. Hope you get what you’re looking for.
Good luck ??.

 

[Malawif@n]

Also in regards to a 5ft tank juwel do a Rio 450 rectangle 151x51x66cm with plastic hood and a juwel vision 151x61x64cm bow front

 

[Essjay]

Maidenhead Aquatics Aqua Oak make a tank 5 ft 6 inches wide x 18 inches front to back x 24 inches tall. That's a bit bigger front to back than you want but it does come with a cat proof lid. But it's only available in light oak.......

 

[ClownLurch]

Maidenhead Aquatics Aqua Oak make a tank 5 ft 6 inches wide x 18 inches front to back x 24 inches tall. That's a bit bigger front to back than you want but it does come with a cat proof lid. But it's only available in light oak.......

What is a cat proof lid?

As you say it’s the front to back measurement that’s gonna trip me up.

 

[ClownLurch]

Well all the tank I had in the past which weren’t custom made had plastic lids but the good quality tank were mainly 5 ft I would say go custom as you can get the exact dimensions that you are after. To mention a few ac aquatics, nd aquatics and prime aquatics do custom made and the tank and hoods are good quality, If you’ve had no luck with secondhand or off the shelf then phone around provide how you would like your tank and they will give you a quote. I myself will be getting in touch with ac aquatics for a custom tank around 7 or 8ft for my next project a year a so down the line. Hope you get what you’re looking for.
Good luck ??.

What do their tank hoods consist of?

 

[Essjay]

What is a cat proof lid?

Mine! It's a chunk of 'wood'. The whole lid is so heavy it needs two of us to lift it.

 

[Malawif@n]

@ClownLurch it depends really if it’s custom made then anything you want to be honest if you describe it to then and if they can do it then they’ll give you a quote. I’ve never got myself a custom aquarium the 7 or 8 ft one will be my first. I would call and find out as much you can then that way you’d have all the information, it’ll make it easier to make an informed decision. I visited a fish store called tropical supplies northeast ltd. I spoke to them for a bit and they said they make custom aquariums so they will sit down with the customer to design it and then make it either before it gets to you or they could build it in your house!! He went on to say the whole process would take 6 weeks which is great. Try them staff were very helpful and knowledgeable.

 

[AquaBarb]

Like your already finding it will be difficult to find a 5ft to 6ft tank off the shelf with the depth you need.

There are some out there like the Aqua One OakStyle 300 which is 150w 60h 38d (cm) what isnt far off what you want size wise. It just depends on your budget. Might fall on one for a decent price on facebook market place/ gumtree.

If you do go custom id advise you to give Nd aquatics a miss or at least really look into the reviews. Some members have had tanks of them in the past with good experiences but they have taken a nose dive in recent times. Their customer service is appalling!

 

[Essjay]

I got my tank in 2014, and back then their customer service was good. I've not really looked at their site since then, it's a shame if they've gone downhill.

 

[AquaBarb]

Unfortunately its their customer service what really lets them down these days. I lost patience with them in the end. They didnt reply to my emails and i found calling them no better.

Reviews on their site are ok but when you dive in deeper you start to see the cracks and i found too many negatives in the end.

Tbh Swell uk are no better for customer service.

 

[Malawif@n]

Unfortunately there are a lot of places where the customer service is bad however there are places that go over and beyond, I phoned tropical supplies northeast ltd to enquire about their African cichlid stock, he spent about 25 minutes in the phone with me even took my number and sent me a video of their african cichlid tank, then had a full blown conversation about arowanas and black diamond stingrays ? visited them today and and the store is amazing all of their big tanks are made by them as they work with clearseal and offer custom aquarium builds which is amazing! Can’t wait to get the floors reinforced and get a custom tank