Looking for a tank upgrade

DrPhilG

I have a 180 litre tank that I inherited from a family member who was getting rid of it. This has reignited my enjoyment of the hobby (I used to keep fish in my late teens).

I had been thinking of upgrading to something around 400 litres and my plan has pushed forward lately because the 180l tank is starting to show it's age.

I really would like a solid wood tank but I think the price would be prohibitive. I've looked at stuff from Maidenhead Aquatics in Belfast but for the size I'm after I'd be looking at around £1200 just for the tank and cabinet, never mind filter, heat etc.

Unless I happen to find a second hand one I think I'll have to give up on the solid wood plan and just go with a standard cabinet.

Any recommendations for me? I'm in Donegal. Budget wise I would prefer to stay as close to €500 as possible although I know that will be tough.

Nody

Well what do you want in the tank? Are you looking for wide or tall or deep? Any idea on the size you're aiming for?

DrPhilG

Sorry for being vague...

Ideally 5ft x 24 x 18 or thereabouts.

I just keep a tropical community tank. Usually have anubias plants (until my silver dollars eat them all).

Sleepy

With a budget of €500 and looking for a tank size of 400 litres or so, you're firmly in the second-hand market.

Keep an eye on Adverts.ie, DoneDeal.ie and the for sale section over on the Leinster Fish Keeping Society forums

DrPhilG

There is a bit of wiggle in the budget... Just trying not to go mad!

Sleepy

Anything that size is going to cost 1k plus new for a dry tank and another couple of hundred to fit out.

Luckily, there are a lot of people who take up the hobby and then give up when they realise the time commitment involved. I'm actually really looking forward to the release of Finding Dory in this regard. When Finding Nemo came out, loads of people went out and bought marine setups which ended up getting flogged cheaply in the second hand market 12 months later. I'm hoping a similar effect from Finding Dory will help me upgrade my marine tank to something in the 300l region in another year or two

él statutorio

Sleepy wrote: »

Anything that size is going to cost 1k plus new for a dry tank and another couple of hundred to fit out.

Luckily, there are a lot of people who take up the hobby and then give up when they realise the time commitment involved. I'm actually really looking forward to the release of Finding Dory in this regard. When Finding Nemo came out, loads of people went out and bought marine setups which ended up getting flogged cheaply in the second hand market 12 months later. I'm hoping a similar effect from Finding Dory will help me upgrade my marine tank to something in the 300l region in another year or two

I hadn't actually realised that.

Good call, I'll sit tight on my purchasing plans for another year or so in that case.

Sleepy

It was something the Gavin mentioned to me back when he was running Artane Aquatics. There was a notable increase in the number of marine setups sold in the wake of the popularity of Finding Nemo. I'm just hoping Finding Dory has the same impact!