Whats With The Uk

[CFC]

To be honest it just isnt cost effective to build your own tanks unless you have access to cheap materials. Tank manufactorers which buy in bulk quantities of glass sheets and silicone are able to get their supplies are far cheaper prices than the average joe can and this is reflected in the price. If you go to a glass merchants and buy the individual glass sheets and buy tubes of silicone from a hardware shop then you will probably end up paying more than a outfit such as Windsor aquatics will charge to build you one.

 

[ox5477]

To be honest it just isnt cost effective to build your own tanks unless you have access to cheap materials. Tank manufactorers which buy in bulk quantities of glass sheets and silicone are able to get their supplies are far cheaper prices than the average joe can and this is reflected in the price. If you go to a glass merchants and buy the individual glass sheets and buy tubes of silicone from a hardware shop then you will probably end up paying more than a outfit such as Windsor aquatics will charge to build you one.

True except for when you get on to the larger aquariums. One day I'm gonna have a 300G to 500G aqaurium, but im gonna do a Plywood/glass tank, and make some interesting mods to the normal design, so I don't know if I would wanna pay someone else to do it. It would be fun and gratifying to make it own my own anyways

 

[Inchworm]

I agree with you, ox5477

I'm surprised at the number of people who are buying these fancy and expensive package deals. It makes more sense to me to buy a good basic tank and add the accessories to meet your requirements. Then, when one breaks, or if you want to upgrade it, it can be easily done.

Marketing products is big business and they seem to have convinced a lot of people that buying something new is always better than doing something the old way. That's simply not true.

 

[Vicky99]

I have a Fluval set up (have had to replace the filter). Mainly because as a newbie I was confused about what I needed and where to get it and was getting very conflicting advice from shops I went into so it was a good starting point - it was very expensive though. I don' regret it - it looks really nice and the cabinet it came with fits in with my furniture great.

I probably wouldn't buy a package deal again - the problem is finding somewhere that sells something other than branded packages.

I will be looking to get something biggish probably in the new year so if anyone has any suggestions of places to get good quality tanks for less (I know about ebay) I would be grateful to hear about them!!

 

[scubadoo]

There are a couple of points to be made here I think - some I already touched on in another thread where ox raised this question:

In terms of cost of consumbales / goods generally the UK is far more expensive than the US - we tend to pay in £ what our friends over the pond pay in $ - which makes the stuff in this country almost twice the price generally - its just a fact of life. But when we come to the US - woo hoo everything is just soooooo cheap 'cos of the rate of exchange !

One thing that the larger manufacturer's offer is designed units that generally look pretty neat in a house. Now I'm not saying that custom tanks dont look good, but the appeal of some of the all in one packages is their conveniance and their looks. Some custom tanks look amazing - but I'll bet you they aint cheap. If what you want is a cheap glass box with the best filtration etc. then custom is probably best for you. If you want something more designed for your living room, then you're probably going to look at an all in one job.

I have a juwel trigon - I wanted a corner tank which would look ok in our living room, I knew that I wanted to keep small tropicals, so whilst the lighting and filter may not be the best, they do all that I need to create a good stable environment for my fish and looks good too. I also bought it second hand so I paid £150 not the £400 plus it would be new - It was mint condition and only 11 months old

 

[dwarfgourami]

In my case, it's because I went round the fish stores costing up the price of buying a basic glass tank and adding filter, heater and lights- and in every single case it came more expensive than buying the basic Juwel tank, all three of which I was able to get on special offer. I'm not into fish that require mega-filtration and being totally uninterested in technicalities, I didn't see any point in paying more for the privilege of a job I find boring (assembling my own tank) to perform tasks I do not require. Of course, if the situation was different, it would probably be very worth while, but in my case it wasn't.

 

[ox5477]

There are a couple of points to be made here I think - some I already touched on in another thread where ox raised this question:

In terms of cost of consumbales / goods generally the UK is far more expensive than the US - we tend to pay in £ what our friends over the pond pay in $ - which makes the stuff in this country almost twice the price generally - its just a fact of life. But when we come to the US - woo hoo everything is just soooooo cheap 'cos of the rate of exchange !

One thing that the larger manufacturer's offer is designed units that generally look pretty neat in a house. Now I'm not saying that custom tanks dont look good, but the appeal of some of the all in one packages is their conveniance and their looks. Some custom tanks look amazing - but I'll bet you they aint cheap. If what you want is a cheap glass box with the best filtration etc. then custom is probably best for you. If you want something more designed for your living room, then you're probably going to look at an all in one job.

I have a juwel trigon - I wanted a corner tank which would look ok in our living room, I knew that I wanted to keep small tropicals, so whilst the lighting and filter may not be the best, they do all that I need to create a good stable environment for my fish and looks good too. I also bought it second hand so I paid £150 not the £400 plus it would be new - It was mint condition and only 11 months old

That is quite true, that usually these boxed packages look better than a custom built tank from most people, and when you get them with the deal that you recieved, its a bonus. But brand new, I can't see getting a tank such as that as I can't see paying that much money when it prob isnt exactly what I want.

Vicky99 stated she got one of the total packages from fluval when she started and I do agree that when you don't know what you are doing, it is helpful if someone gives you everything you need, but if it is your first time, your bound to make countless other errors and you might end up with a beautiful tank full of dead fish. And alot of people, seeing that all their fish died, get discouraged and give up fish keeping, as what may have happened to the previous owner of your used tank scubadoo. I think it's better for a newbie to start with a cheap tank, a good fish keeping book, and some good advice from a repitable lfs and if things don't work out, then a great deal of money would not have been lost.

For the more experienced person, then by all means, go for the nice namebrand tank and enjoy its beauty, if you can foot the bill. But for the more ambitious person, a custom or cheap tank may be better as it may be placed in the wall or built into a nice custom cabinet.

In my case, it's because I went round the fish stores costing up the price of buying a basic glass tank and adding filter, heater and lights- and in every single case it came more expensive than buying the basic Juwel tank, all three of which I was able to get on special offer. I'm not into fish that require mega-filtration and being totally uninterested in technicalities, I didn't see any point in paying more for the privilege of a job I find boring (assembling my own tank) to perform tasks I do not require. Of course, if the situation was different, it would probably be very worth while, but in my case it wasn't.

Exactly, thats why these companies make money, because most people don't wanna mess around. But, if you look in more than one store, you can find deals on things and it will actually be much cheaper than the package deals, especially on the larger 55USG+ tanks

 

[annka5]

IMO, Juewl tanks deserve a better reputation than they have - maybe not for the older models, but a lot of the poor design in most models has been fixed, including the poor lighting and daft filter position.
That said, the smaller tanks do seem hideously expensive, and when you look at glass thickness etc they shouldn't really be.
I've a Juwel Vision 260, which worked out cheaper than getting a similar volume (260litres) of any other type that I could easily find - remembering that I live in a small isolated village so delivery/ transport costs would add to the price of many options. The main factor was that it would exactly fit the available space for it; the alternative was getting one manufactured to pretty much the same dimensions, which would've cost more (due to the glass being slightly curved).

 

[black angel]

All my tanks in the past have been packages and I wont be doing it again. With the internet theres plenty of sites that can make them as you want and then you can get all the extras cheaply enough.
My rio 240 lighting unit packed up only a year after i bought it, and juwel just dont want to know.

 

[SamUK]

So whats the deal with you people over in the UK? You guys don't have like generic tanks? I always see you guys talking about Jewel, Rio, Aqua and so on tanks, and these are freaking expensive. For what most of you guys are paying for these 40 or so odd gallon tanks, I could get a 125 with everything; hood, filter(s), heater(s), and all the tank decorations and fish stocking. It's really quite rediculous IMO what you guys are paying........

my 180g cost £50, 80g cost £40 and my 55 gallon cost £100 (complete setup).


i wouldnt dream of paying the prices u mentioned.


dont think i would of been able to afford one of those yet let alone the 6 tanks i have now lol.

 

[SmileyMan]

I set up my 200 gallon tank for less than the price of a 100 gallon juwel (rio 400), total cost of equipment and the stand was �480, it could have been less but i used expensive high impact resistent plastic for covers since the tank was to contain a large arowana.

Can I ask where you got the stand from and was it plain metal or cabinet and how much?

Also how much you pay for the tank from windsor?

 

[cjohnston]

I have to say, the make of the tank does not interest me whatsoever.

I get mine, from the freeads or car boots.

Personally, I prefer natural plants, boogwood etc as opposed to an expensive tank.

Maybe, I'm just a cheepskate.

I think the price of most new tanks are a rip-off!

 

[Fishkeeper2004]

I would never switch to the cheaper option. With the larger makes you pay extra for the guarentee, and the fact that any replacement equipment needed for the tank is widely available. More money in tank terms, is better quality, and more choice.

 

[Nauplii]

When i bought my tank, Juwel rekord 60, i thought it wasnt such a bad price since you get the filter, heater, light all in built.
Whereas i saw separate tanks of a similar size and it would actually cost more to kit it out with all that stuff.

 

[ox5477]

I would never switch to the cheaper option. With the larger makes you pay extra for the guarentee, and the fact that any replacement equipment needed for the tank is widely available. More money in tank terms, is better quality, and more choice.

If we are talking automobiles or electronics, I wouldn't agree with you more. I only stick to certain brands and would never dream of buying a cheaper model just cause it was cheaper.

But when it comes to tanks, glass is glass, and silicone is silicone. Sure you get the whole set with these large name tank set-ups, but you get the tank set-up they want. If you want better lighting for plants or to do marine, then you have to buy them seperate anyways. If you need more filtration for a messy fish, you have to buy it serperate anyways. If you are going to be keeping a sub-tropical or coldwater species in it, then you don't need the heater and are buying it to just sit in your closet. It is so much easier, even though people don't think so, to buy everything seperate, because you can buy what fits your needs, and if you shop around a bit, then you can find some great deals on used tanks and sale items.