Uk Tank Prices

So I’m sure a lot of us are aware about the disparity between UK tank prices and that of the US, with their dollar a gallon sales and what not.

But store prices aside, I often hear people in the US picking up great secondhand or thrift store bargains. I’ve been looking up local selling sites just to see if it would be worth my while getting a secondhand spare / hospital tank instead of new and honestly, the prices people are charging is kinda shocking. Definitely wouldn’t make the effort of having to clean the tank properly and the potential risk of the tank carrying something worth it. And we’re not even talking about really big or good quality tanks. Even talking about the basic 15l ones you get in Pets at home being way overpriced cos they have some gravel and decorations included. Not that that’s what I wanted to go for.

I also saw someone selling a Fluval Spec for £100 and you can get them for £70 in Pets at Home.

I dunno what it is with people trying to over charge for things here tbh.

 

You can find a bargain but it takes time and constant gumtree trawling. I got my 150L with a heater, sand, light for £50 which I thought was pretty good. The problem is that new tanks are expensive so second hand tanks hold their value.

You could use a plastic tote with a sponge filter for a QT tank. Couple of quid at a B and Q, plus a spare sponge filter that you keep in your main tank until needed. A small heater and you are done. If it's just for QT you don't need a light or substrate.

 

Yeah I quite agree BloonStuff. Everything in the UK appears to be expensive both new or secondhand compared to North America. I looked at secondhand tanks before I bought new, it was not worth the hassle for the price.

 

So I’m sure a lot of us are aware about the disparity between UK tank prices and that of the US, with their dollar a gallon sales and what not.

But store prices aside, I often hear people in the US picking up great secondhand or thrift store bargains. I’ve been looking up local selling sites just to see if it would be worth my while getting a secondhand spare / hospital tank instead of new and honestly, the prices people are charging is kinda shocking. Definitely wouldn’t make the effort of having to clean the tank properly and the potential risk of the tank carrying something worth it. And we’re not even talking about really big or good quality tanks. Even talking about the basic 15l ones you get in Pets at home being way overpriced cos they have some gravel and decorations included. Not that that’s what I wanted to go for.

I also saw someone selling a Fluval Spec for £100 and you can get them for £70 in Pets at Home.

I dunno what it is with people trying to over charge for things here tbh.

Be patient and wait for the right price. Oftentimes you can offer less and they will accept. I got a betta tank (3 gallons) for 15 dollars, and a 10 gallon for 10 dollars.

 

I think the main problem here is our stock of tanks. Most of them are overpriced and just not useful like small "starter"tanks or there are some good tanks but they are quite expensive e.g. red sea. In the US they have good alternatives and cheap bare tanks like aqueon which are actually quite good. Buying used I would suggest looking at gumtree, a lot of people put high prices because they are aware of the lack of variety here and also because it was quite expensive in to buy. There are a few deals out there, you just need to look around a lot.

 

Hello! I'm from the UK and all my tanks are second hand after I got conned for a 2.5g for over £35 with a cheap light and filter..

So I usually use either Gumtree, Ebay or Freecycle (most people haven't heard of Freecycle but it's a great place to give and receive big-ticket items totally free). I got my 5 gallon from Freecycle (for free of course) and after a little bleach and wrinse it's as good as new save for one small scratch on the back! And I got my 10 gallon off EBay with a filter, heater, light and many more accessories for only £7

So if you check regularly, once every few days, on the three sites I listed I bet you will find your ideal tank in no time!

And in my opinion, it's worth it because it could save you upwards of £100 depending on the tank and it only takes a couple hours to ensure the tank is clean and ready to use

 

Gumtree is also a good place for fish, shrimp and snails.

 

Gumtree is also a good place for fish, shrimp and snails.

Yeah! The shrimp in my lfs are sickly at the moment so I've turned to gumtree and found a heap of awesome local deals! Starting to think gumtree can do anything

 

Yay for shrimp! What colour are you thinking of getting?

 

I'm just curious. How much is a plain basic 10 gallon tank in the UK without the bells and whistles? The $1 per gallon tank sales are awesome. But they're limited to specific sizes only and it is $17 extra for the lid to fit it (which I prefer to have). So $27 plus tax.

 

I'm just curious. How much is a plain basic 10 gallon tank in the UK without the bells and whistles? The $1 per gallon tank sales are awesome. But they're limited to specific sizes only and it is $17 extra for the lid to fit it (which I prefer to have). So $27 plus tax.

It is nearly impossible (in my experience) to buy just a plain tank. Almost every store here only sells kits. A 10 gallon kit is probably about £100.

 

The only way to get a plain tank is to go custom probably, which would be around 40-50 pounds in my experience with custom tank manufacturers.

 

I'm just curious. How much is a plain basic 10 gallon tank in the UK without the bells and whistles? The $1 per gallon tank sales are awesome. But they're limited to specific sizes only and it is $17 extra for the lid to fit it (which I prefer to have). So $27 plus tax.

We just... don't have plain basic tanks?! They all come with lights and lids at the very least, and some have filters and food flaps and heaters and aeration and all that jazz too.

Yay for shrimp! What colour are you thinking of getting?

Mmm not sure yet but either red or blue. I'm leaning more towards blue but depends on if I find any really good quality red cherry shrimp or not

 

Theres some great bargains but people don't understand that a fish tank is like a car almost, if you don't take care of it it looses more value and once you "drive it off the lot" it goes down in value. A lot of people do that with second hand tanks so you just have to keep looking and hoping you'll catch a deal before someone else snatches it.

 

Oh, I'm in no rush to get another tank as I'm still only in the early days of cycling my first but it's just something I've noticed when having a nosy. It does make sense for a lot of the better quality, bigger tanks that they hold their value and that's why they're still expensive. Tho less sense for the smaller/cheaper tanks but I guess you're always going to find people who try to chance their arm. I've seen the same with hamster cages too. You'll see people try to get £50 for a cage that is £30 new (which isn't big enough to house a hamster either way lol).

Maybe part of it is the fact I'm in Northern Ireland too. Smaller place, more limited options and higher prices.

 

Maybe part of it is the fact I'm in Northern Ireland too. Smaller place, more limited options and higher prices.

Yeah, that probably doesn't make it easy. Tanks are quite expensive in ROI as well aren't they? Otherwise, I'd say take a trip down south.

 

Yeah, that probably doesn't make it easy. Tanks are quite expensive in ROI as well aren't they? Otherwise, I'd say take a trip down south.

Oh, I have no idea what they're like down South. I've not been down there since I was a kid and never to a pet/fish store. I actually ended up getting my Fluval Spec V online because I wanted white and my local store only carried black. The website told me they wouldn't post it to Northern Ireland from England as it might break but my mum had already ordered it (as a Christmas present) and they sent it. Luckily it arrived safely. Tho I dare say if the tank had been any bigger than 5 gallon the journey probably wouldn't have gone as well. Lol.

But yeah, it would be interesting to know what the prices are like in the South. I wonder what the exchange rate is like right now. Lol.

 

The only way to get a plain tank is to go custom probably, which would be around 40-50 pounds in my experience with custom tank manufacturers.

Wow O_O that's horrible I couldn't imagine those prices. I'm shocked actually, I wasn't think they would be that high. I was at a reptile convention recently and found a custom aquarium seller with some really neat sizes. Their prices ranged from 25-40 for small tanks including lids. The $1 per gallon aqueon tanks are made in the US, there may not be a major manufacturer/distributor in the UK?

 

Oh, I have no idea what they're like down South. I've not been down there since I was a kid and never to a pet/fish store. I actually ended up getting my Fluval Spec V online because I wanted white and my local store only carried black. The website told me they wouldn't post it to Northern Ireland from England as it might break but my mum had already ordered it (as a Christmas present) and they sent it. Luckily it arrived safely. Tho I dare say if the tank had been any bigger than 5 gallon the journey probably wouldn't have gone as well. Lol.

But yeah, it would be interesting to know what the prices are like in the South. I wonder what the exchange rate is like right now. Lol.

Hello o am from the South too! Right next to London I don't know what they have in Ireland but we have a chain store called "Maidenhead Aquatics" here and it's basically a chain store of professionals. Some stores are better than others but I've found one 10 minutes away from me which only hires professionals and has all healthy fish stock!

The prices are about the same over here as they are in Ireland from what I've heard, except we can get all our aquatic needs in one convenient place.

 

Here in Australia it's even more. We have 0 nano tanks that are just the tank. EVERY SINGLE ONE is a "betta goldfish shrimp fish starter kit aquarium bowl". And they cost over $100 which includes a tiny filter, tiny light and a 1-2 gallon tall tank.

 

Here in Australia it's even more. We have 0 nano tanks that are just the tank. EVERY SINGLE ONE is a "betta goldfish shrimp fish starter kit aquarium bowl". And they cost over $100 which includes a tiny filter, tiny light and a 1-2 gallon tall tank.

Maybe its where you live, but here in Melbourne its hard not to find a tank that's not a nano! Theres loads of small glass tanks which is nothing by tank.....


But I agree with OP, tank prices are extremely similar to the UK. However, the second hand tanks normally aren't as expensive as the real deal!

 

We can probably all agree the Americans on the forum are lucky with their tank availability and pricing.