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UK Shops for the Planted Tank Hobbyist

Mowze

Member
Joined
11 Oct 2009
Messages
63
It seems to me that throughout the UK with the exception of The Green Machine there are no real stores that specialise in aquatic plants or aquascaping. In the past few years iv visited a LOT of shops and none of them it seems really specialise in our hobby. Sure enough you get a few that are better than others but most of them really seem to just stock the usual bunched and potted plants mostly in a neglected and poor condition. A few if your lucky stock specialist substrates and fertilisation techniques and maybe mini landscape rock, the odd bit of dragon stone and vine wood but you never seem to see large amounts of these or a good variety of aquascaping products. Whenever you talk to staff they never seem to have a great deal of interest in the plants themselves and knowledge is at best often a little basic. I’m not exactly an expert in this subject myself but it seems when you mention something even slightly more technical you just get blank confused looks. None of the shops out there seem to have particularly specialised systems for the upkeep of their plants or very inspirational display tanks, looks like TGM has the right idea and found a little niche in the market although maybe it isn’t a big enough one for more than one shop to make a great deal of profit from.
I must be wrong surely there are a few places out there worthy of a visit for a half decent chat and some slightly different products worthy of spending my pennies on! Does anybody know of shops worth checking out especially around the south? I always get bored on my days off and at the best of times end up driving miles to visit different shops for a look!
 
Re: Stores in the Uk that REALLY specialise in planted aquar

Have you been to The Aquatic Design Centre in Central London? They have a good selection, can order more specialised things in and Gregory really knows what he is talking about and keeps a number of planted tanks there.

It also has some amazing reef tanks. Not my thing but I can see how people get addicted to them.

R
 
Re: Stores in the Uk that REALLY specialise in planted aquar

Here's a few shops I can think of that stock a decent range of planted aquarium products with decent display tanks.

There's probably some more, so I apologise for missing any.

Maidenhead Aquatics @ Morden.

Maidenhead Aquatics @ Fareham.

Maidenhead Aquatics @ Crowland (stock a wide range of healthy Tropica plants, but their display tanks aren't the best...)

Living Waters in Croydon.

Aquajardin in Gloucester, Newent and Eastleigh.

Hobbyfish in Milton Keynes.

Harrogate Aquatic in Knaresborough.
 
Re: Stores in the Uk that REALLY specialise in planted aquar

Maidenhead Aquatics @ Winnersh usually have a good range of plants (not Tropica) and equipment.

Lately Maidenhead Aquatic @ Bracknell have had a good range of plants in including some of the more unusual ones. Best day to visit for plants seems to be Thursday.
 
Re: Stores in the Uk that REALLY specialise in planted aquar

Anyone been to the Aquajardin in Eastleigh? Do they sell nice rock? Be great if I can pick some bits up from there instead of getting stuff shipped from the other end of the country! I usually end up getting just RO water from my local MA near Basingstoke which tbh is pretty basic/not great so that would be ideal if I can grab proper planted things I want from Eastleigh.
 
Re: Stores in the Uk that REALLY specialise in planted aquar

rufus_blackwell said:
Have you been to The Aquatic Design Centre in Central London? They have a good selection, can order more specialised things in and Gregory really knows what he is talking about and keeps a number of planted tanks there.

It also has some amazing reef tanks. Not my thing but I can see how people get addicted to them.

R

One of my colleagues keeps going on about that place but I was under the impression from her that they dealt solely in marines, not really my thing but if I ever actually go to London in my lifetime it will certainly be one of the places I check out!

Ajm200 said:
Maidenhead Aquatics @ Winnersh usually have a good range of plants (not Tropica) and equipment.

Lately Maidenhead Aquatic @ Bracknell have had a good range of plants in including some of the more unusual ones. Best day to visit for plants seems to be Thursday.

Most MA seem to stock aquafleur, as good quality as tropica most of the time IMO and much cheaper but there is less choice when it comes to the more specialist species and the quality isnt too great at this time of year either.

NeilW said:
Anyone been to the Aquajardin in Eastleigh? Do they sell nice rock? Be great if I can pick some bits up from there instead of getting stuff shipped from the other end of the country! I usually end up getting just RO water from my local MA near Basingstoke which tbh is pretty basic/not great so that would be ideal if I can grab proper planted things I want from Eastleigh.

Iv been there a few times, not bad compared to a lot of the shops around here (I mostly check out shops in Dorset, Hampshire and sometimes Somerset when I get the chance.) They stocked a few things you don’t get in the usual places but I didn’t really think they had anything to get excited about certainly not anything that was overly inspirational although they had a few cool things of the fishy side of our hobby especially oddballs and L numbers!

I'm really going to have to get myself up to The Green Machine for some inspiration next time I'm up north in Birmingham visiting familly although with the prices they are charging it will probably end up being a 500 miles round trip to come back empty handed!
 
Re: Stores in the Uk that REALLY specialise in planted aquar

Aquajardin in Eastleigh used to be quite good with lots of display tanks, lots of nanos planted and marine. It's rather overpriced for corals even though they are nice. Lately though they don't have anywhere near as many display tanks so I don't tend to go there.

MA in Fareham is quite a small shop but they do have a good range of plants, quite a few times I've gone.
 
Re: Stores in the Uk that REALLY specialise in planted aquar

Perhaps this list just shows how far ahead of the rest TGM really is. Most of the above shops are really being listed for stocking appropriate stuff, but in terms of inspirational planted tanks, TGM just blows everyone else away, surely?
For me, if there'd not been a shop like TGM to inspire me (and persuade the missus!), I'd simply not have a tank today.

How big the niche is that TGM occupies is an interesting question - I see they're seeking franchisees, so we might find out over the coming months...

I wonder if there are any inspirational planted tanks out there that aren't in shops, but accessible to the public, perhaps.
 
Re: Stores in the Uk that REALLY specialise in planted aquar

Mowze said:
One of my colleagues keeps going on about that place but I was under the impression from her that they dealt solely in marines, not really my thing but if I ever actually go to London in my lifetime it will certainly be one of the places I check out!
They have a very large section on marines and also one for chiclids and lots of display tanks in the basement.
On the ground floor they have the usual tropical and goldfish holding tanks, they also usually have a nice selection of Tropica plants. And occasionally have a nice selection of inverts.
 
Re: Stores in the Uk that REALLY specialise in planted aquar

Hi all
paul.in.kendal said:
Perhaps this list just shows how far ahead of the rest TGM really is. Most of the above shops are really being listed for stocking appropriate stuff, but in terms of inspirational planted tanks, TGM just blows everyone else away, surely?
Couldn't agree more.
My visit there was what got me started down the hi tech route.
Truly inspirational.
 
Re: Stores in the Uk that REALLY specialise in planted aquar

Theres also the relaunch of Tachbrook Tropicals. I went to visit them a few months back when they had moved from Victoria and from what they said to me. It seems they will have a large planted area.

I will go and visit them this saturday. Then will update on this thread.
 
Re: Stores in the Uk that REALLY specialise in planted aquar

Where have Tachbrook Tropicals moved to?

R
 
There's one in Stoke-on-trent that's very good, he's one of the Dennerle crowd so some of his info is out of date but his plants and tanks are without rival in the area.
I do wish he'd join ukaps, I suggested it but I've not noticed if he joined, guessing by his info page I guess not.
 
There's one in Stoke-on-trent that's very good, he's one of the Dennerle crowd so some of his info is out of date but his plants and tanks are without rival in the area.
I do wish he'd join ukaps, I suggested it but I've not noticed if he joined, guessing by his info page I guess not. Forgot to add the name, It's kidsgrove aquatics.
 
Just been to MA @ Fareham, unfortunately they are not stocking any tropica plants. Due to the current poor exchange rate and customers complaints about price they now only stock Aquafleur :(
 
Lisa_Perry75 said:
Just been to MA @ Fareham, unfortunately they are not stocking any tropica plants. Due to the current poor exchange rate and customers complaints about price they now only stock Aquafleur :(
Why the sad face Lisa? Aquafleur have proved time and time again they can compete with Tropica on quality, and their price is certainly much better.
 
The only issue I have with AF is that they lack 3 plants I use a lot and their E T appears to be a different cultivar. If AF introduced Rotalla green I'd be more than happy!
 
Garuf said:
E T appears to be a different cultivar

compared to what?IME with tenellus from AF, it's the same as tropicas....i've grown both BTW and in my LFS gumi, after several trimming sessions it ended up like the short red stuff you see in amanos tank.

No doubt tropica are at the top of there game, but seriously, Aquafleur are up there with them....the only difference is price!
 
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