Surprisingly, fish ownership isn’t as popular in the UK, with only 5% of households owning tanks.1 Nevertheless, having an aquarium offers several health benefits2 that let people get close to nature. You’re in luck if you’re considering getting one for yourself. We did the heavy lifting and research to determine which products stand out as the best fish tanks.
We discussed the things to look for in an aquarium, along with some tips about setting one up in your home. We’ve also included detailed reviews to help you make the best choice for you. Our goal is to make this purchase equally as stress-free as the relaxing properties you’ll enjoy once you set it up and running, stocked with fish.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites (2023)
Image Product Details
Best Overall
Tetra Aquarium Tank
Complete kit
Excellent value
Crystal clear glass
Check Price
Best Value
Diversa Aquarium
Free mat
Excellent value
Crystal clear glass
Check Price
Premium Choice
Aqua One Oak Tank
Sturdy frame
Lovely design
Accessories in the package
Check Price
Aqua Ciano 60 Aquarium
Colour-coordinated piece
Accessories included with the package
Excellent value
Check Price
All Pond Solutions Aquarium
Unobstructed view
Thick glass sides
Low-iron content
Check Price
The 10 Best Fish Tanks in the UK
1. Tetra Aquarium Starter Line Tank – Best Overall
Check Latest Price
Size: 54 L
Material: Glass
Shape: Rectangular
Accessories: Filter, cartridge, LED light and heater
The Tetra Aquarium Starter Line Tank is our pick for the best overall fish tank. The 54-litre size is an ideal way to begin in this hobby. The kit also includes a filter with cartridges, a light and heater. Purchase a water conditioner, gravel and decor to get ready to add your fish. The tank is well-made and built to last. It’s a brilliant value for the price.
The kit looks great, with everything fitting in with the theme. We can see it as a fun gift for a child just starting out and wanting to get up and running fast.
Complete kit
Excellent value
Crystal clear glass
- Complete kit
- Excellent value
- Crystal clear glass
Continental plugs
- Continental plugs
2. Diversa Aquarium – Best Value
Check Latest Price
Size: 12–200 L
Material: Glass
Shape: Rectangular
Accessories: n/a
The Diversa Aquarium earned high marks for the best fish tank for the money. If you just want a tank, this one is worth a look. It comes in a wide variety of sizes to get the right one for your space. The product comes with a mat to protect the bottom of the glass. It’s well-made with relatively thick sides and double silicone joints. Our only gripe is the black colour, which we thought was distracting.
The price is affordable, especially if you want to build your aquarium with your picks for the other essentials. We liked that you have a decent selection of sizes.
Free mat
Excellent value
Crystal clear glass
- Free mat
- Excellent value
- Crystal clear glass
Distracting black silicone
- Distracting black silicone
3. Aqua One Oak Fish Tank – Premium Choice
Check Latest Price
Size: 300 L
Material: Glass, oak cabinet
Shape: Rectangular
Accessories: Cabinet, canister filter, heater and LED light
The Aqua One Oak Fish Tank isn’t for everyone, if just for the price. However, it’s more than an aquarium. It’s a piece of high-quality furniture. The oak cabinet is convenient, with four drawers and four cabinets for storing your supplies. The package also includes a heater, canister filter, and LED light. All have specs that are appropriate for the size of the tank.
The accessories are of decent quality, although the filter is not the best choice because of the availability of replacement cartridges.
Sturdy frame
Lovely design
Accessories in the package
- Sturdy frame
- Lovely design
- Accessories in the package
Difficult to assemble
- Difficult to assemble
4. Aqua Ciano 60 Aquarium With the Stand
Check Latest Price
Size: 58 L
Material: Glass, plastic, engineered wood
Shape: Rectangular
Accessories: Stand, siphon, filter, heater, LED light
Aqua Ciano 60 Aquarium With the Stand takes the concept of a kit one step further by throwing in a stand. There’s also a heater, siphon and LED light to complete the package. Everything is colour-coordinated in this modern style piece. This kit is ideal for beginners who want the essentials in one purchase. The two-part piece is the proverbial double-edged sword if it doesn’t fit with your decor.
Colour-coordinated piece
Accessories included with the package
Excellent value
- Colour-coordinated piece
- Accessories included with the package
- Excellent value
So-so filter
- So-so filter
5. All Pond Solutions Clear Glass Aquarium
Check Latest Price
Size: 28–280 L
Material: Glass
Shape: Rectangular
Accessories: n/a
The All Pond Solutions Clear Glass Aquarium is another barebones option if you only want a tank and not all the other goodies. The standout feature is its thicker walls of all sizes. It’s more than we typically see in these products. As you may expect, it’s heavier as a result. That can make larger sizes more challenging to move. The edges are braceless and rimless, giving an unobstructed view.
The construction left some silicone residue, which you’ll have to clean up if you’re the fussy type. While the view is clear, the excess is distracting.
Unobstructed view
Thick glass sides
Low-iron content
Easy to clean
- Unobstructed view
- Thick glass sides
- Low-iron content
- Easy to clean
Spendy
Heavy
- Spendy
- Heavy
6. biOrb Tube Aquarium
Check Latest Price
Size: 35 L
Material: Acrylic
Shape: Cylindrical
Accessories: LED light, air pump, heater, filter, cartridge, air stone
The biOrb Tube Aquarium is probably a fitting name for this fish tank. That describes its unusual shape. While it’s not the best choice for the fish, it is a space saver that gives viewers a 360-degree view. It’s the only acrylic product on our list. The shape is one of the advantages of this material since you can get a fish tank in any form you’d like because of its workability.
The tank includes the accessories you typically see with kit products, including the light heater and filter. As a decorative piece, it scores full marks. The low surface area makes it a choice for a few fish that use multiple layers in an aquarium.
360-degree viewing
Space saver
- 360-degree viewing
- Space saver
Expensive
Low surface area ratio
- Expensive
- Low surface area ratio
7. Marineland Aquarium Kit
Check Latest Price
Size: 19 L (5 gallons)
Material: Glass
Shape: Column
Accessories: LED lighting system, filter
The Marineland Aquarium Kit has many features that you’d expect in a decorative product, starting with the lighting. It has both day and night LEDs to match the mood with the time of the day. The product is well designed with a beautiful display that hides the business end of the tank. You just get to enjoy the fish and plants. The filter is more than we’d expect with this type of tank. That’s a good thing for your fish.
This aquarium is a decent choice if you just want to keep a couple of goldfish or a betta. The setup is more than adequate to support the conditions healthy for your pets.
Three-stage filtration
Attractive design
Space-saver size
- Three-stage filtration
- Attractive design
- Space-saver size
Small size
US plug
So-so accessories
- Small size
- US plug
- So-so accessories
8. allpondsolutions Nano Tropical Fish Tank
Check Latest Price
Size: 7–72 L
Material: Glass
Shape: Rectangular
Accessories: LED lighting, air pump, tray filter
The allpondsolutions Nano Tropical Fish Tank is a brilliant choice if you want a complete setup at an affordable price. The design is attractive, with the curved sides adding a nice touch. It has both a mechanical and biological filter for optimal water quality. There’s also an LED light that has a pleasing glow. The hood includes a small feeding hatch to minimise evaporation loss and keep the fish inside the tank.
The product comes in several colours to match the tank with the room. It’s an excellent feature when you combine it with its shape.
Curved glass
Colour choices
Easy access
- Curved glass
- Colour choices
- Easy access
No heater
- No heater
9. Superfish Start 30 Aquarium Tropical
Check Latest Price
Size: 25 L
Material: Glass
Shape: Rectangular
Accessories: Light, heater, net, water conditioner, filter and thermometer
The Superfish Start 30 Aquarium Tropical takes the start package one step further with more accessories than you usually see in these products. You have the usual add-ons, such as filter and heater. This one adds a thermometer, water conditioner, and a net. Granted, that the latter is rubbish, but it will suffice. The other gripe is that the construction of the hood is proprietary, making a replacement hard to find.
On a positive note, we liked that the product includes 50% recycled materials, making it an eco-friendly purchase. Its primary purpose is for a starter setup for someone new to the hobby.
Complete with many extra pieces
50% recycled materials
Excellent value
- Complete with many extra pieces
- 50% recycled materials
- Excellent value
Less surface area for the size
Ugly black silicone
Proprietary size
- Less surface area for the size
- Ugly black silicone
- Proprietary size
10. Fluval Flex Curved Glass Fish Tank
Check Latest Price
Size: 57 L
Material: Glass
Shape: Rectangular
Accessories: Cover with light, heater, air pump, filter
The Fluval Flex Curved Glass Fish Tank is more of a novelty than anything else. Its shape tells you that much. It’s rectangular but higher than it is wide. That compromises the surface area available for gas exchange. The appearance is interesting, with a bowed-out front that brings the aquarium experience closer to you. It includes a biological filter to keep the water within healthy parameters, although the water flow is swift.
It’s a decent value for the money. The light is adjustable with different brightness levels and colours to fit the theme of your decor. The setup does an excellent job of keeping the mechanical stuff hidden.
Decorative appearance
Fish colour enhancement lighting
- Decorative appearance
- Fish colour enhancement lighting
Not ideal for gas exchange
Pricey
- Not ideal for gas exchange
- Pricey
Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Fish Tank
Buying an aquarium takes some thought not only because of the money but also its role in other aspects of the hobby. It can determine what fish you can get, where you’ll be able to put it, and how much maintenance you’ll need to do. It’s also a purchase that you only want to make once. Swapping out a new one is a daunting task, to say the least. Therefore, it’s best to think about your choice carefully. Things you should consider include:
- Tank size and shape
- Material
- Weight
- Placement
Tank Size and Shape
What size tank you should get is the most important decision you’ll make. We suggest avoiding getting one less than 34 L unless you’re just going to get just a few fish. It’ll limit the number you can get and increase your maintenance. However, consider the space where you want to put it. You’ll need access to the aquarium, both front and back. Of course, you want to put it someplace where you can enjoy it, too.
Size comes into play with the shape. A rectangular tank is ideal because it maximizes the amount of surface area for oxygen exchange. Square or odd-shaped aquariums are often lacking in this regard. Again, it falls back onto the health of your fish and the maintenance. However, keep in mind that a bigger tank means everything else is going to cost more.
Material
The two primary materials that you’ll see are glass and acrylic. The advantages of the former are that it’s resistant to scratching and are generally more affordable. The latter is lighter and comes in various shapes. However, these tanks can scratch easily and will cost you more. That makes glass the better choice since it’ll keep its clarity for its lifetime.
On the downside, glass is heavy, which will play a role in our next topic. It can also chip or crack if you’re not careful. That’s a problem because the damage becomes a weak point. If it happens, you’ll have to replace the tank. Otherwise, it will eventually leak or break.
Weight
Weight comes to the forefront when considering where to place your tank. There’s its weight plus that of the substrate, heater, filter, and most importantly, the water. That 34-litre aquarium will hold about 34 kg. It can easily tip the scales at 50 kg when you’ve filled it up with the other stuff. That’s a critical consideration when it comes to the location.
There isn’t a definitive formula for the number of fish per litre or imperial gallon. Too many variables can affect a healthy or unhealthy living environment, such as the fishes’ metabolism, adult size, and water quality requirements.
However, it still boils down to the size of the space where you want to put it. Questions about what species to get can come later. For now, have an idea whether you want a tropical community tank, cichlid setup, or saltwater reef aquarium.
Placement
Another critical aspect of the tank’s placement is access to electricity. You should also put it someplace out of drafts and away from heating/cooling registers. Remember that most fish prefer at least 12 hours of light every day. That can affect whether you’ll place your tank in a home office or bedroom.
Final Thoughts
After going through our reviews, the Tetra Aquarium Starter Line Tank came out as the overall best fish tank. It’s a kit that includes the basics in a decent-looking package. That makes it an excellent choice for the beginner. The Diversa Aquarium offers an incredible value if you only need a tank and nothing else. There is a decent selection of sizes to fit almost anyone’s needs.
Fortunately, you’ll find many options if you’re looking for just the tank or the works to get started. The latter makes up some of the most popular choices.
See also:
- 7 Best Protein Skimmers for Reef Tanks
- 8 Best Sumps & Refugiums for Aquariums
