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UK Shops for the Planted Tank Hobbyist

Just looked on tropica website they have a find a dealer button tells you where there sold . Go on there and find shops and go see. maybe list better ones on here when you find them
If everyone visited 1 new shop and reported good ones back you could have a complete list of trusted shops very quickly
 
In Edinburgh Eden Aquatics usually have some nice plants.
There is also a branch of Maidenhead here but the last time I was in the plants looked to be in a poor condition.
 
Lists are done in where to buy forum. i dont know how you would compact them but here is something to try, it worked for me.
Look on tropica website dealer locator and see wheres close to you
pick a few check em out speak with staff, look at plants, fish, prices, quality etc and if your not happy check some more another day
I use a shop 45 mins away because i dont rate local ones. im on mailling list with them so i know what stock is coming soom and i dont go when theres no stock in they will also ordrer in if i want something different
 
The one problem I found with tropica's find a stockist feature was that many near me are pets at home.... Now if you are lucky you could get some nice species a couple of days after they come in but leave it any longer and they are ridden with algae and dying
 
Thats why i drive 45 mins to better shop (nearest pets at home to me is a half hours drive)or buy 1 2 grow, or other in vitro plants online.
Take the 'luck' out of it, speak to manager find out when plants arrive. Ring first and find out when next delivery is. get cuttings off people on ukaps. Finding quality plants is hard. Fish and general equipment are easy to find.
Im very impatient when it comes to doing things. When i want to do something i dont like waiting for things , i want to go buy and do job all in same day. Even i am starting to realise patients is key to this hobby.good aquatic plant shops are few and far between. My lfs used to have hi tech displays but got rid because he only had 2 customers for that kind of thing. Our hobby is not that big but it is growing steadily.
Spread the word introduce as many folk to planted tanks as you can. When theres customers there are shops
 
Ripples Waterlife. Stock tropica plants and 1-2 grow pots. They also stock seachem range of products and good selection of aquascaping rocks and substrates.

Can't comment on their other branches but the flagship store at Bridgemere gardenworld is really good. Got some really helpful advice from the staff and best plants I have seen.

Thumbs down for fish stock at telford branch with counts of 20+ dead on two visits whilst staff sat around chatting and drinking coffee. disgraceful. Plant selection there was ok if you was after some large swords but that was about it. Would I give them my business ? NO.
 
I went to the Charterhouse Aquatics showroom launch and felt very poor looking at their stunning display tanks, the ADA tank look reasonably priced by comparison. You could swim in one of the tanks it was that big. Worth a look if anyones in east London town.
 
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Emperor tropicals in plymouth is a great shop. What they lack in size they more than make up for in quality they have just won the best retailer of the year in practical fishkeeping magazine and they sell everything all the ada products and all aquascaping equipment its brilliant.
 
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!

The stores around UK , especially in London do not have decent selection of plants. I would suggest to try http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk. We use them a lot as the plants seem to adapt with London water.
 
Do not go to pets at home, plants are usualy melted, and prices are like in Harrods :)


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Hi looking for a good shop in north west area if any ,looked at maidenhead aquatics in chorley but not much offerings.
 
Hi
Try www.aquaessentials.co.uk
They have some decent plants (however it is an online shop)

So far all our planted tanks are thriving and they supplied the plants. It seems their plants adapt very well with UK waters.
 
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