Sue's Tanks March 2016

I was talking to one of the guys at MA last week (the one who pointed out the 240L tank on sale) and he was telling me about the company they use. They have the Seashell all glass aquariums on their website, but he said they also do custom tanks. Apparently if you want a tall tank (above standard) it does become quite expensive, but shorter/wider tanks are pretty reasonable. I guess "pretty reasonable" is all relative when considering tank price, but if it's exactly what you want, and makes reaching the bottom of the tank a bit easier, then I figuring that's a good thing. 

When the bracer bar in my 125 litre came detached from the back and the glass started to bow, I decided I wouldn't trust myself to repair it - and I'd have to find somewhere else to house the fish while any repair was done. My husband readily agreed to me getting a new tank, I'm surprised no-one heard the sound of my jaw hitting the floor  . I had suggested to him that if we rehomed the piano which hadn't been played since the children left home then there would be room for a bigger tank in the dining room. The 125 litre was in the lounge and the very slight humming from the filter was a huge interference to his music listening so I think he would have agreed to anything that made the lounge tank free 

A look on-line confirmed my suspicions that most ready made bigger tanks were quite a bit taller than my 125, especially when the stand was included. I'm only 5 ft 4 inches and wouldn't have been able to reach the bottom.
I did look at MA's custom built tanks but the cabinets put my husband off as it would need to match the dining room furniture    I'd heard of ND Aquatics on another website and everyone who'd bought one was very pleased with the tanks. Their website at the time quoted prices for certain sizes, and to email them for other sizes so I did and they made me a tank the size I wanted. And a cabinet that matched.

The 180 is made from 10mm glass, unlike the 125 which was 6mm, and the front panel is opti-white glass. It has sliding glass covers and hinged lid made from the same board as the cabinet. Instead of a plastic bracer bar siliconed to front and back panels - the back edge became unstuck in the 125 - it has glass strips along all 4 sides level with the top of the tank. This seems to be the preferred method with most custom built sites I looked at.


The only thing I regret about this tank is that I didn't get a 48 inch tank instead of 42 inch 

That sounds good, especially with a matching cabinet.
I was considering getting a custom made tank for the axolotls. I have a 1.5 meter space currently taken up with a tank and a bookcase. Also, as axolotls don't need deep water, a shallower tank with a larger footprint would be better. It would also free up a 200L and a 125L for fish. 
As one trio is juvenile (approx. 15cm) and the other trio is verging on mature (and approx. 25cm) they can't be put together. I think I will also wait until they are all mature (possibly the end of this year) so that they can be sexed before deciding which ones go together (because there's only so many axolotls eggs anyone needs).
Hopefully I will be able to keep my MTS in check until the right time. 

If I hadn't gone for the opti while panel, my tank would have only cost a bit more tank the eheim tank that was the ready made I liked best. I used my combined birthday and Christmas present off my mother to buy it.



The downside was the delivery cost with me being outside their area. They used another courier to do longer distances but shortly before I got the tank I had an email from them, also addressed to several other people, saying they'd had problems with the courier damaging tanks and cabinets so would we all be happy for them to deliver our tanks on this date so they could do them all at one go. They were very reliable and arrived exactly when they said they would, unpacked everything, put the cabinet where I wanted it and set the tank up on top with a thick layer of polystyrene between.
I see from their website that delivery is now free except for a list, which includes me, where delivery is subcontracted out. I presume they have found a new courier!

If they do the delivery, they send one man. He'll set it up but you need to help, and with huge tanks you need a few friends as well.
If you are out of the area and a courier delivers, not only do you have to pay for delivery but the courier won't do anything. I was lucky that they delivered it themselves due to an unreliable courier, and because of the distance they had to drive there were two of them. I had the feeling that this delivery was a one off, and the email was sent to 5 of us to make it worth their while for a long trip.

Before you get too tempted, bear in mind that the prices on the website are just for the tank and cabinet. Lights, heater and filter are extra, if you want the brands they sell.

Thanks for the information Sue.
I'm trying to let common sense rule the day. It would make more sense for me to wait until the axolotls mature before I invest in a custom tank.
However, it is good to know that there is a company available that has a good reputation, personal recommendations, is very reasonably priced, and can deliver.
 

Thanks Sue, I have the picture now. At some time I'm thinking of replacing a couple of smaller tanks with one big one. However, like you, I wouldn't be looking to get bigger fish,but larger shoals of small fish. The longer I keep fish, the more I like the little ones best, provided they are in numbers.

The biggest fish in the 180 are the dwarf chain loaches.

After losing so many fish to camallanus worms last year, when I restocked I went for slightly bigger fish that I had before. I went from 1 inch fish to 2 inch fish 

Hi Jesnon, nice to see you back 



I've had the betta almost a year. I bought him on 25 March last year so he's probably around 18 months old.