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Opinions on where to buy aquarium

T

Tom Michael

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16 Nov 2014
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270
Hi all

Having moved from a small flat to a house I'm impatient to upgrade to a new planted aquarium!

I would like to go higher end, but struggling to find where I can purchase an Ada aquarium given TGM are limited/odd sizes.

I'm thinking of a 90p, although probably wouldn't want to purchase the ada cabinet as I would rather spend that money on plants and decent lighting/filter.

I like the look of the Aquascaper but the 50cm depth is just too much for my living room. Any ideas?

I also travel frequently to Japan, however I don't see any savings here given shipping- looking at recent prices for RGB light for example there would be no saving.

Thanks

Tom
 
I know what you mean, I like the aquascaper as well...the depth is perfect for aquascaping and it looks amazing, but it can also be a bit too deep for the average alcove etc.
Unfortunately though, there aren't that many alternatives if you want high spec optiwhite glass with seamless silicon work.

There's an ongoing debate here about the best custom tank builders, covered in several threads, but as far as I can tell the quality is a bit hit and miss...I wouldn't risk it personally. For instance, https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/best-custom-tank-builders-uk.52473/ try a search for more.

The only other alternatives; try a European continental outlet like Green Aqua https://www.greenaqua.hu/en/. or Aquasabi.
Or buy a decent second hand tank; keep an eye on the classifieds, or sale/swap/wanted section of this forum, and eBay.
 
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I'd definitely echo Tim and advise holding out for something that you can be assured of quality.

As they say, buy cheap and buy twice, or something to that effect. I've tried to cut corners in the past with opti-whites etc, and even when you do get a decent one custom made, it still pretty much doesn't compare whatsoever to the recognised brands, and just sits there at the back of your mind until you go for the good stuff.
 
Thanks all, plenty of food for thought. I have made some initial enquiries with green aqua, unfortunately they don’t supply Ada tanks a above 60p! They have their own range but I rather make no compromise on the aquarium quality at all.

I will be in Japan in Feb, if only it would squeeze into my suitcase! I may make some enquiries with Ada japan directly to see if they have plans for distribution into the UK or Europe
 
Let us know what you find out. Personally I think Evolution Aqua have a massive opportunity to corner the market once and for all by manufacturing tanks to ADA spec and sizes. Amano understood the market place very well and if it were me I'd definitely take his commercial lead.
 
Let us know what you find out. Personally I think Evolution Aqua have a massive opportunity to corner the market once and for all by manufacturing tanks to ADA spec and sizes. Amano understood the market place very well and if it were me I'd definitely take his commercial lead.
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I'm with Tim on this one, I think EA really need to look at this as part of their business model. It's quite a common occurrence actually. When I first looked at their range i just couldn't get my head around the dimensions, at first I thought is it me just being a bit OCD about it and too picky but when I follow various social media accounts and George in particular you will be surprised how many times the question of dimensions are asked by people who are put off. I'm guessing both tanks and cabinets could quite easily be altered without much expense, it's not like it would need any special tooling. Wouldn't do any harm for EA to put out some kind of survey to find out what the most popular size of tank and cabinet would be, I think they would find they could increase sales if they went more down the route of ADA stuff dims wise.

Every time I see these opti white and where to get threads pop up there's always a mixed response from buyers on what they ended up getting, one common thing though is the quality of EA stuff but the dims become the stumbling block for many which are lost sales. With ADA stuff becoming like rocking horse doo in the UK these days there's no reason why EA couldn't step right into that opening. Last I spoke to George he said it was something they were looking into, not sure how far they got. Fair enough, George helped to design them based on what would be the best for scaping but I personally don't think they got it wrong I just think they over thunk it and forgot about the average punter looking for a fish tank. Not just aquascapers would like a nice opti white and cabinet and they sort of restricted themselves a bit IMO. I was looking for a possible replacement for my ADA 60 H 600x450x450 for me the best ratio but obviously that's my opinion. The next best thing was signature 600x300x450 but mixed reviews on the silicone work and 300 is too limiting for height for my liking especially with plants that are quite tall. The signature also do 600x450x450 but bizarrely only with black silicone again limiting the market for no apparent reason, it would cost exactly the same to do it with clear silicone but how many scapers want black? I'm guessing not many. That just leaves the EA L600mm x W500mm x H360mm and I'm just not feeling it, it prevented me pushing the button otherwise my hard earned would be in EA's bank account right now. I'm not the only one.

Like Tim said, I think the extra depth for scaping just juts too far into a room for most people. especially if they're limited for space already.
 
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Tom Michael said:
Thanks all, plenty of food for thought. I have made some initial enquiries with green aqua, unfortunately they don’t supply Ada tanks a above 60p! They have their own range but I rather make no compromise on the aquarium quality at al
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You might contact George Farmer privately as he’s seen enough of Green Aqua branded aquariums to judge the quality (which I suspect is excellent judging by their showroom aesthetic)


Jurijs mit JS has shown custom Aquariums made by EMMEL (who made ADA tanks until the manufacture was moved to China)
example 240x30x40cm optiwhite 15mm glass - :sorry: link not included as bleeping apple software 😡 is struggling with this posting nonsense 🙄
 
I bought one of the Green Aqua shallow tanks online recently and can't remember the shipping being expensive. Top quality optiwhite glass with silicone work to ADA standards IMO. Have also been over to Green Aqua and seen they're full range of tanks up close and can't fault their product at all.
 
Cost of NACD 90p equivalent and cabinet 620 including postage.

Other option is a 90h from TGM in their sale, but not sure I want to go that high as I presume I may have CO2 distribution issues and although I have long arms maintained may be tricky! Anyone have experience of this height aquarium please?
 
I’ve a 90cm x 45cm x 55cm (old “show” aquarium) - main issue with the height is light penetration to substrate if you want to grow “anything” - that extra 5 cm distance is going to reduce substrate PAR significantly ... and don’t forget with these sort of high intensity lights, the PAR near the top of the aquarium is substantial

If you’re planning Kessil A360 or similar, the height is fine - especially if you’re planning tall fish (eg, angels BUT then I think the 90cm length is insufficient - after keeping angels in a 150cm x 45 x 60 😉)

Check Filipe Oliveira Youtube channel & FB for some great tall tanks (he often mentions filters, lights etc as well)

If you want a tank like what’s in the GreenAqua showroom, realize these are all the opposite dimension ie width is greater than height - this completely alters the perception aesthetics

The aquarium glass completely defines the tank, don’t settle with regards this aspect
 
Tom Michael said:
Cost of NACD 90p equivalent and cabinet 620 including postage.

Other option is a 90h from TGM in their sale, but not sure I want to go that high as I presume I may have CO2 distribution issues and although I have long arms maintained may be tricky! Anyone have experience of this height aquarium please?
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I have a 60cm cube tank, the “155L Goldfish Cube” in the journal section. it’s deep but I love the challenge. You will have to think creatively about how you lay out the hardscape to get an effect you like that is still maintainable. I don’t have any CO2 circulation issues, getting the lighting right has been the bigger challenge...

As far as maintenance goes I can’t reach the substrate but because the whole central island can be removed from the tank with all plants attached I do most of the pruning on dry land. Then I syphon off half the water into a nearby sink using an off the shelf syphon attached to some filter hose using it to vacuum the substrate as I go. When it’s half full it’s easier to clean the glass, position drop checkers etc. Filling the tank could be made easier with a Powerhead and hose but I just use a large water barrel resting on the side of the tank (it’s braced) and pour it in over my hand at the moment. If I was doing in-tank pruning I think I’d generally keep slow growing plants low down and faster growers towards the surface to avoid getting wet arms too regularly.

I have recently been thinking that the 90h would make a good next project but with clean normal fish not goldfish! The extra height gives the tank more window-like proportions, which although challenging could produce some amazing scapes!

Good luck!
 
I agree, I was baffled by the Aquascaper range being 2ft wide, I apricate the depth allows greater aquascapes, however the difference in floor space between a 20" wide aquarium and 24" aquarium is quite substantial.
 
After doing some research on the 90h I have seen some really impressive aquqscapes, so couldn't resist and bought the 90h plus Ada cabinet.

Journal to follow, although might be a few months with babies and DIY!
 
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