UK Tank Purchasing Advice?

[Akeno071]

Wasn't 100% sure where to put this.
Looking for a future 9x3x3ft Aquarium in the UK, preferably glass.
Asking anyone if they can provide previous experiences buying similar,
rough idea of cost, recommended manufacturers etc.
I'm not really up to building one myself but still have a strong desire for one. Potentially moving house in January put that idea back on the table for me.
Also something that I can save up, having just left education this year and going to start employment soon (hopefully).
I wouldn't say cost is too much of an issue, but I would really prefer spending somewhere in the £1000-2000 mark, anything above that will probably need
reconsidering.

 

[Far2lively]

eBay is one to keep checking as you can get some extremely good deals on there! I’ve bought loads of tanks off there over the years, these were all apt smaller than what you’re looking for though but the best deal I got was a Fluval Roma 125 almost brand new in condition and came with a 2 month old top of the range external filter and tons of bits and pieces for £25!!

I still check every other day to see if there are any tanks on there going cheap.

Hope this helps

 

[esoxlucius]

So, you don't have a job yet and this huge tank is going to go in a property which i'm pretty sure you don't own! Hmmm, the realist in me is thinking you may be biting off a bit more than you can chew, at this time. Nothing wrong with chewing the fat though and talking about what could be.

I was after a 6x3x3 acrylic tank and did some research on uk suppliers of tanks. The prices were eye watering but I needed acrylic because I just simply couldn't imagine safely manoeuvering a glass tank of that size about. I ended up going down the fibreglass route. Your planned tank, in glass, will weigh more than you could ever imagine and will cost more than double your budget!

That's before you start spending on filtration, stands, lighting, fish etc. It would be a huge ongoing committment. A commitment, that at 19 years of age, is one that I certainly couldn't of committed to.

Would you think that setting your targets a bit smaller would be better for you at this time, given your age and current employment status?

 

[Andy woods cichlids uk]

A tank like that at a guess will cost around 4k to 5k, and more than likely have to be built on site. At that size you will struggle to get through the average uk door way, not to mention getting it around corners in a hallway or entrance porch.

 

[Akeno071]

Would you think that setting your targets a bit smaller would be better for you at this time, given your age and current employment status?

The budget alone will probably put me off buying one, the prices for a 9x3x3 compared to a 8x2x2 is astounding. Almost unreasonable maybe.
Considering my end goal is to keep the fish of my childhood, Fire Eels. It would be entirely pointless and a waste to buy yet another tank incapable of holding them. I was originally after an 8x2x2 but I read a thread discussing Asian Arowana tank setups and 9x3x3s seem to be suggested as suitable for a super red, so I figured I go for the larger tank and give myself the possibility of getting one several years down the road or something.

I'm not really too worried over commitment, with the exception of the 2 fish mentioned above and the royal pleco, I wouldn't be having anything much more than my current 40gallon holds in terms of stocking, so in that regard its essentially an upscaling of current commitments, infact having the burden of needing to maintain the tank may help get me out the house and give meaningful reason to even find employment beyond paying the next bill.

I don't mind waiting and saving up for a large tank like this, but I feel like the limit is really at £2000 before it seems too much towards unfeasible. I don't really have too many issues sticking a fire eel into an 8x2x2, they spend 90% of their lives staring at you from their cave thinking "give me more food", that was originally the goal, and at the prices for them being £1100~1300 its something I could get with time and far more easily movable then a 3x3 tank would be. The problem is that I'm then pushing myself entirely out of getting the arowana without then re-purchasing a suitable tank, which kind of obsoletes the first and the money spent on that if I did.

The end result is really based on what sort of house me and my mother end up renting, and whether it can support having a large tank moved into it and back out several years down the line. That's probably unlikely to anything I want, and I'll probably end up saving up and replacing some aging computer components, but I've lived in this current house for probably over 6 years now and the replies of "we can't fit or afford something that big" so between moving and finally having income of my own it really feels like now is the opportunity to do it and I'd regret not taking it.