!?!?!?!? STOCKING a 125 !?!?!?!?

[CrohnieBoy]

I have just purchased a 125 gallon tank. I am thinking about what fish I should keep in it. Here is what I am thinking:

4-6 Bala Sharks
4-6 Clown Loaches
3-5 Boesemani Rainbows



Some possible others include:
Hi Fin Lyretail Swordtail???
Mickey Mouse Platys???
Freshwater Clam???
Hammers Cobalt Blue Lobster???
Blue Gularis Killifish???
Pink Cherry Bitterling???
Blue Cherry Bitterling???
Golden Lyretail Panchax Killifish???
Indian Dwarf Puffer???


COMMENTS? COOL FISH I MISSED?

I thought about a stingray tank or a discus tank but don't want to make daily/highly frequent water changes.

[ChilDawg]

Blue Lobsters eat fish...

Clams are hard to read (it's tough to tell if they're alive or not) and their larvae (glochidna) are fish parasites.

[ChilDawg]

Bitterlings are coldwater fish, I believe...

Dwarf puffers are known as fin-nippers...

I'm not trying to dissuade you, but instead to help.

[CrohnieBoy]

ChilDawg:

Thanks.

All the entries with the question marks were suggestions from others. And I am looking for honest answers, so no dissuasion infered. :)

The main fish are the first 3 entries (Bala, Clown, Boesemani).

The clams and lobsters and such are just an attempt to have something 'different' or 'interesting' for visitors to view. :cool:

Again, thanks for the input.

PS: You wouldn't know a good place to get a Filstar XP3 cheap would you?

[ChilDawg]

I think people have had luck with www.bigalsonline.com but I don't know of any online sites.

After rereading the initial part of the thread, I think that you want to concentrate on surface and midwater swimmers as the bottom is pretty well divided up. Glad that I can help! :)

[CHINABOY1021]

IMO for a nice new 125g. skip the community with hundreds of fry swimming around.

this is just my opinion, but i would go with a nicely aquascaped tank. natural looking. if you dont want high maintenance, a big school of tetras. or rainbow fish like you wanted in the first place. bottom feeders, clown loaches are best choice for a big tank like that.

the reason why i lean away from live bearers and those fish that swim with no formation is because it always seems like their rushing all over the place. they will look as if they are trying to get out and rub against the glass when you come near the tank. personally i hate this. GL

[Bristlenose Chuck]

If you dont mind a lot of silver color, some silver dollars would be a nice addition. Mine like to school with my bala sharks in my 125.

[demon_surfer]

dump the crappy comunity fish and go jaguar cichlid! all the way man...hey you could even put the other fish in there.....for a while *evilgrin*


look at these pictures to see what I am talking about! (http://www.predatoryfish.net/ibforums/index.php?act=ST&f=18&t=40847)

/drool

[CrohnieBoy]

Thanks all for your responses.

How about some angelfish?

[demon_surfer]

angel fish are awesome. see if you can get some picks of some altum angels they are my favorite!.

[superjohnny]

I think a large number of small schooling fish look great in big tanks. It makes the tank look HUGE. Nice driftwood, cool plants, 3wpg of light, CO2 injection, 50 cardinal tetras or like 10 angel's would look really cool.

Hmmmm, me wants a ~150g tank :rolleyes:

[CrohnieBoy]

superjohnny:

I have several nice pieces of driftwood; I am working on the 3wpg (want MH pendants); not sure on the CO2;

I like tetras and angels, too bad I can't have them together... ;)

Thanks!

[ryan]

i'd do the blue crayfish. In my, however limited, expirience their aggression is over rated. As long as they are well fed on other food (i feed mine shrimp pellets) they wont bother fish, even when my white clouds lay on the bottom at night he doesnt touch them. He will however eat anything that is already dead if i throw it in the tank before i turn off the lights.

ryan

[demon_surfer]

google these names and look in the picture section

Veija fenestratus

archocentrus Sajica

Silver Arrowana

Jaguar cichlid

festae

green terror

jack dempsey

discus (can look here for 80gjoes pics, his tank rocks)

Pike cichlid

Hopolosternum (sp?)

mbuna

tropheus

[CrohnieBoy]

thanks again all for responses

The final decision is still a while off. I am currently finishing the basement and need to build a stand for the tank so I can build it into the wall. So it may be a while before I get fish.

So keep the suggestions coming. ;)

AND: Does anyone have a good set of plans for a tank stand? (It isn't going to be seen - behind the wall in laundry room.)

Thanks again.

PS: demon_surfer - you seem to really like aggressive fish, you have some pent up aggression in you or something? lol - just kidding ; thanks for the responses :p

[demon_surfer]

nothing pent up about my aggressioN!! =D


and arrowana arnt aggressive they are gorgeous!

google red arrowana and look at the pictures.

Its just that ive wanted a big cichlid for so long and havent been able to get a tank!

they are soooo cool :D

[CrohnieBoy]

demon_surfer:

They are very pretty, but I can't see that big of a tank with just one fish.

I like schools of fish of different variety. (thus not the cichlids)

thanks

[demon_surfer]

with a 120 you could easily put in 4 of some types of cichlids.

the sajica stay about 7-8 inchs tops and so you could have alot in a 120 gallon tank and get them breeding.

have you considered creating a fontosa colony?

read this article on fronts if you are instrested (http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/cyphomaniacs.php)

I have a thing for specimin tanks :)

have you thought about stingrays? they are really nice.

[Captain Hook]

If I had that tank I would go with discus as my number 1 fish. I think they are absolutely gorgeous and would look amazing in tank that size with some live plants. Also, I don't know if they go together well or not but I also really like angels, which I know you mentioned earlier.

With a 125 gallon tank you have a lot of decisions. Not many fish will get too big or anything.

[CrohnieBoy]

I think I am going to go with the Bala Sharks, Clown Loaches, and Angelfish as the main fish.

Might put a few 'miscellaneous others' in there.

Thanks all.

And feel free to keep naming other choices, nothing is written in stone...

Still have time. I am in the process of building the stand for the aquarium right now. (Built into the wall.)

[demon_surfer]

bala sharks may be unsuitable for life for that tank, they can get over a foot long and are very active.


go to www.cichlidscene.com and look at the videos of his big cichlids and you will see what im talking about :D