[Curiosity101]

Tried to keep the title generic... My ideal tank would be something in the region of:

• 120 x 50 x 50cm
• Opti white / low iron
• Oak cabinet
• Oak hood (hood is none negotiable, my husband doesn't like open tanks)

Visually I love the Aqua Oak range from Maidenhead Aquatics as it matches our decor perfectly. But the tanks are too shallow front to back and too tall from top to bottom. The cabinet doors aren't particularly nice to open/close either.

I'm finding it really hard to find anything that fits our requirements without going custom? Particularly because of needing a hood. Anything with a hood seems to be standard ratios rather than planting ratios. I've been out of the hobby for almost a decade though so I'm really hoping that what I'm looking for exists and I've just not stumbled on it yet. Or that I've failed to consider some alternative options.

At the moment I'm considering a custom tank/cabinet combo from either ND Aquatics or Aquariums 4 Life - with low iron class, clear silicone, mitred edges, oak cabinet etc. Although we're also considering going for a totally different cabinet colour, possibly black, as the cabinets we've seen are all quite modern in design so even if we went for oak veneer it wouldn't match the rest of the decor in the house.

Opinions, thoughts and ideas all appreciated.

 

[minorhero]

Tried to keep the title generic... My ideal tank would be something in the region of:

• 120 x 50 x 50cm
• Opti white / low iron
• Oak cabinet
• Oak hood (hood is none negotiable, my husband doesn't like open tanks)

Visually I love the Aqua Oak range from Maidenhead Aquatics as it matches our decor perfectly. But the tanks are too shallow front to back and too tall from top to bottom. The cabinet doors aren't particularly nice to open/close either.

I'm finding it really hard to find anything that fits our requirements without going custom? Particularly because of needing a hood. Anything with a hood seems to be standard ratios rather than planting ratios. I've been out of the hobby for almost a decade though so I'm really hoping that what I'm looking for exists and I've just not stumbled on it yet. Or that I've failed to consider some alternative options.

At the moment I'm considering a custom tank/cabinet combo from either ND Aquatics or Aquariums 4 Life - with low iron class, clear silicone, mitred edges, oak cabinet etc. Although we're also considering going for a totally different cabinet colour, possibly black, as the cabinets we've seen are all quite modern in design so even if we went for oak veneer it wouldn't match the rest of the decor in the house.

Opinions, thoughts and ideas all appreciated.

As someone who has purchased a custom tank, I would advise just making do with whatever normal sizes you can get. If you really want a custom cabinet, that's fine. Woodworkers can produce amazing results all across the globe. But most places can't produce custom tanks that look anywhere near as nice in the seams as the big manufacturers. Plus you will spend 2 to 10x as much for a custom tank.

You have access to some great stores near you (compared to the USA where most people would need to drive for 10+ hours to get to an equivalent store). You might want to check out aquarium gardens and what they can offer.

 

[jeffkrol]

110 x 55( 21.7") x 61(24") cm
Aqua Oak
Overall 120cm length.

120 x 50 (19.7") x 50(19.7")
Your Requirements

Hmm if your required dimensions are that tight you may have a hard time finding anything " commercial".
The Aqua Oak doesn't t list low iron glass either.

Can you get the cabinet without a tank?
Then just do a custom low iron glass tank
110 x 55 x 50. Depth( height) doesn't influence cabinet.
Success would depend on tolerances of course.

Huh then again ..120 x 50 x 50

 

[Curiosity101]

Thanks both. I'm relatively flexible in theory with length as it's a gap much longer than 120cm and I'd be willing to go a bit shorter. Depth front to back is a maximum of 25.5" based on the recess but then removing an inch for skirting board takes you to 24.5" or 61cm?

I definitely can't go much higher than 50cm though. I used to have a Fluval Roma 125 and couldn't touch the bottom of it unless I used a stool. I've got aquascaping tools, but sometimes you just need to be able to reach the bottom of your tank 😅

I feel like the Aqua Oak is a potential option if I got a custom built Optiwhite braced tank to go with it.

I'm going to keep looking.

I considered the Oase 300 highline but I just can't get past the fact it's got a hole drilled in the bottom. I get what they were going for but it seems crazy to me. Plus the price is a bit 😱

The D-D Aquascaper is lovely but it's hoodless and a bit too deep front to back. It might fit. Not sure...

ADA cube garden 120-p with its cabinet. Ideal in principle but even more expensive than the Oase when you factor in a hood etc

 

[Curiosity101]

For anyone that stumbles on this in the future... I opted for a Fluval Siena 330. The Oase Highline 300 was the only system that suited me off the shelf but I couldn't justify £2.3k (£1.2k more than the Fluval) for optiwhite glass. I did get quotes from ND Aquatics and A4L and they came in at just under £1k but the cupboards weren't particularly great and for the final build with all the extras I wanted would've been around £500 more than the Fluval minimum. So again, didn't feel the Optiwhite glass was worth almost 50% more on the overall tank build.

Now I'm racking my brains for what substrate to buy...

 

[steveo]

I like the looks of the Fluval 'all in one' tanks Matt showed on his You Tube channel. He said they arrived in the UK only recently, but not yet in the States.