# Cheap supplies in the UK!



## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

Hi everyone,

I live in England and need a store (preferably online) that sells cheap fish supplies (e.g live plants, bog wood etc.) because I would like to re-furnish my betta's 10 gallon home. I'm only 12 so I'm on a budget, so the cheaper the better! I'm thinking of buying either silk plants or live plants, some bogwood and some black gravel. Possibly another type of frozen live food (I already have bloodworms).

Thanks in advance! :-D


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## Matilda (Apr 25, 2012)

*Have you tried Tyne Valley Aquatics? I've heard they're really good.*


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## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

Thanks for the suggestion but unfortunately I live ages away from Tyne Valley Aquatics. Thanks again.


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## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

Any more suggestions people? :-D


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## Matilda (Apr 25, 2012)

Catfish Billy said:


> Thanks for the suggestion but unfortunately I live ages away from Tyne Valley Aquatics. Thanks again.



*Didn't you ask about online retailers?
*

http://www.tynevalleyaquatics.co.uk


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## ollief9 (Mar 16, 2011)

www.seapets.co.uk and www.aquatics-online.co.uk are great for aquarium supplies! Although if you're looking for simple tank furnishings wouldn't it be better to go to an actual shop? There must be a Pets at Home near you.. what area do you live in?


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## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

@Matilda Unfortunately that website doesn't sell the things I require but thanks anyway. 

@ollief9 My nearest pet store is fairly far away and expensive. Also, they don't label their aquatic plants very well! The nearest Pets at Home is even further away. The two websites seem very good (I've actually bought from seapets before!). Thanks for the suggestions.


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## ollief9 (Mar 16, 2011)

Catfish Billy said:


> @ollief9 My nearest pet store is fairly far away and expensive. Also, they don't label their aquatic plants very well! The nearest Pets at Home is even further away. The two websites seem very good (I've actually bought from seapets before!). Thanks for the suggestions.


That sucks  Where I live there are hardly any decent fish stores as well.. one is fairly good but very expensive! Are there any garden centers near you? They tend to have a small aquatic section.
If you are in the Gloucester area I recommend Aquajardin, they have an extensive range of fish and beautiful display tanks! You can also order lots of things from their website.


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## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

The only fairly decent (but expensive!) fish store near me is actually part of a garden center. That website has a great selection; thanks.  I've found a great online shop for supplies: Watermarque, For Specialist Aquatics, Reptiles and Pets Their plants are super cheap and great size/quality (I bought an anubias off them a while ago).


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## horsyqueen (Nov 13, 2012)

I would take a look at the Maiden head aquatic stores, check out their site you may just find they have a store near you. Their stores are everywhere.


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## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

horsyqueen said:


> I would take a look at the Maiden head aquatic stores, check out their site you may just find they have a store near you. Their stores are everywhere.


Thanks for the suggestion. My nearest and best local fish store is a Maiden Head Aquatic Store. I find it quite pricey though. :|


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## horsyqueen (Nov 13, 2012)

True they can be but they are good quality. For supplies Pets At Home but clean everything alot as i got some sludgy stuff from their gravel last time.


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## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

OK, thanks. I remember having to give away our baby guinea pigs to a Pets at Home store.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Hey, it's Catfish Billy back again. Good to see ya. Where you been, Boyo?


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## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

I was trying to stop being so obsessive about fish-keeping (it was the only thing I ever thought about!). I thought leaving the forum might help. So much for that. XD


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## ollief9 (Mar 16, 2011)

My nearest Maidenhead aquatics is mediocre at best.. the staff don't really seem to care that much and you can tell by the way the store is arranged and the lack of care the fish receive. They do have good plants and supplies though, and I especially like the tanks they have on sale - they are very good value.


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## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

ollief9 said:


> My nearest Maidenhead aquatics is mediocre at best.. the staff don't really seem to care that much and you can tell by the way the store is arranged and the lack of care the fish receive. They do have good plants and supplies though, and I especially like the tanks they have on sale - they are very good value.


My nearest Maidenhead Aquatics has a big range of healthy fish, helpful staff and I haven't really looked at their tanks. As I've already said, they don't label their plants which is really annoying. :|


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## ollief9 (Mar 16, 2011)

I recently bought some Rosy Barbs for my 200 liter from Maidenhead and they are quite sick. I guess it just varies from shop to shop because all the other Maidenheads I've been to are much better.
Just out of interest, what fish tanks do you have at the moment?

Oh and also, is it just me or is there a real lack of Bettas in the UK? Most shops I go to have a very small range of them, usually in the standard colours, however over in America they seem to have an abundance of them.


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## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

ollief9 said:


> I recently bought some Rosy Barbs for my 200 liter from Maidenhead and they are quite sick. I guess it just varies from shop to shop because all the other Maidenheads I've been to are much better.
> Just out of interest, what fish tanks do you have at the moment?
> 
> Oh and also, is it just me or is there a real lack of Bettas in the UK? Most shops I go to have a very small range of them, usually in the standard colours, however over in America they seem to have an abundance of them.


I have a 14 Gallon tank with 6 guppies and 5 neon tetras (and loads of baby guppies). I also have a 9 Gallon tank for my betta, Suzuki. My mum also has a 10 Gallon tank and I have a 2.5 Gallon QT.

Yeah, I noticed the lack of bettas, too! I've only ever seen crowntails, veiltails and one spadetail in the UK. I think generally bettas and fish-keeping is more popular in USA. That's one of the reasons I want to move there when I'm older! :-D

EDIT: Are you a secondary school student? If so, what year are you in? (I'm in Year 8)


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## horsyqueen (Nov 13, 2012)

So true there is a lack of Betta fish. The females all are the same type from what I have seen and most the males are ether deep red or dark blue and thats it. I don't see many of the really pretty Plakats ether


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## ollief9 (Mar 16, 2011)

I have a little 24 liter tank with two male guppies and a 200 liter community tank with an assortment of fish. Unfortunately my Betta died a while ago but I still hang around on this forum.

Although there is a lack of Bettas in the UK, I think we are very well off with general fishkeeping, since most aquatics stores have a high standard of care and tanks here are good quality. However, I wish Hang-on-the-back filters were more common here because they seem so much more convenient and space-saving.

And yes, I am in Year 10  I started fishkeeping when I was in Year 8.

@horsyqueen All I've ever seen are blue or red veiltails! The sheer lack of them is so annoying, especially when in most shops they are just thrown in with other fish with which they aren't compatible


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## horsyqueen (Nov 13, 2012)

Yer there is alot of good fish keeping places. The best thing about the British aquatics I find is they have the Aquatics Live, Everything there is sooo cheap and really cool.

I have had my eye on getting a sorta marble colored Plakat, I havn't seen any in British stores.

I am in year 11 and started I think around year 7 maby 6.


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## ollief9 (Mar 16, 2011)

horsyqueen said:


> The best thing about the British aquatics I find is they have the Aquatics Live


What's that?


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## horsyqueen (Nov 13, 2012)

Oh, it's a sorta like convention in London Olympia stadium. That last one was this year around November.


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## ollief9 (Mar 16, 2011)

Sounds awesome! Wish I lived in London now..


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## horsyqueen (Nov 13, 2012)

I went two years ago, I don't live in London so its hard to go in a way. I got a 15L glass aquarium kit, aquascaping tools, plants, loads of food and information leaflets.


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## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

I find that eBay is the best place for buying fish supplies. A lot of other online sites have big postage costs.


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## horsyqueen (Nov 13, 2012)

Ebay sort of scares me as i hear loads of horror stories about other things that can be bought on Ebay.


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## ollief9 (Mar 16, 2011)

Just looking through the pictures of last year's convention on Facebook, looks pretty cool. Seems like there's lots of tanks to look at. I don't think I'll go though, it's too long a journey!


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## ollief9 (Mar 16, 2011)

horsyqueen said:


> Ebay sort of scares me as i hear loads of horror stories about other things that can be bought on Ebay.


Yeah all that nasty stuff from Hong Kong... takes weeks to arrive and pitiful quality.. although there is a good website I found that sell very good value filters and aquarium supplies here.


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## horsyqueen (Nov 13, 2012)

I understand.
Has anyone seen the state of Pets at Homes betta fish? The ones near me are dreadful and always stuck in the corner.


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## ollief9 (Mar 16, 2011)

The Betta situation in my local Pets at Home is dreadful. They're put in rows of tanks so they can see eachother and make eachother flare, which is extremely cruel and stressful for them. They are all in poor condition with ragged fins and dull colours, and tend to just hang there.

I don't really like going into Pets at Home because it's kind of depressing. Loads of families taking the staffs' bogus advice and buying the wrong fish for the wrong tank. Plus there's loads of horrible 'starter kits' which are far too small for the fish they're advertised for and have cheap, nasty filters. Ugh.


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## horsyqueen (Nov 13, 2012)

Same here, thats why I got nephy.

Thanks for the site as well


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## ollief9 (Mar 16, 2011)

That's OK, there's another site I know but I can't remember its name at the moment


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## horsyqueen (Nov 13, 2012)

Thats ok, I found a cool light that i can use for one of my tanks as it needs a new light.


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## Catfish Billy (Jun 27, 2012)

Thanks for the site. I don't really go to Pets at Home and now I'm glad I don't. I remember feeling really bad when we had to give our baby guinea pigs away to them.


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## horsyqueen (Nov 13, 2012)

Yer I understand when I was little my parents gave my pet rabbits to the RSPCA.


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## ollief9 (Mar 16, 2011)

It's horrible to lose pets


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## horsyqueen (Nov 13, 2012)

So true, I got attached once to this ill bird I found in the garden till the RSPCA took him away


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## ollief9 (Mar 16, 2011)

Do you have any fish besides Bettas?


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## horsyqueen (Nov 13, 2012)

If your talking to me, yes I do.

I used to be a big fan of dwarf cichlids a few years ago I had dwarf cockatoo cichlids, other dwarf cichlids and butterfly chichlids. 
Right now I am left with my dads platy's and a white cloud minnow.


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