got a 125. now what?

[AcTwisted]

recently moved my African cichlid community into a 150 gallon tank I got.

now my 125 gallon tank (72"x18"x20") is empty.

I'm thinking I want something predatory/aggressive. Yet at the same time won't outgrow this tank. (i.e. like gar, arowanas, or snakeheads would).

any suggestions :confused:

& no, I'm not interested in piranha, oscars or managuese (Jaguar Cichlid). had them in the past.

thanks

[slipknottin]

Snakeheads are illegal to purchase.

Gar get too big for your tank.

Many species of arrows get HUGE, but there are a few that you could keep in your tank.

Your probably going to end up with some sort of SA cichlid. There are hundreds of different kinds, so start looking!

[clayt101]

Here's a suggestion, give me the 125:D

[Rare Cichlids]

Snakeheads are only illegal is certain states. And like pirana, its a state law, not federal (like Asian Aros). Meaning its really not that big of a deal to have one even if your in an illegal state. But, you have already said you don't want a snakeheas (there are dwarfs though).

I'd recommend you go with an American community of medium and large, semi-aggressive species. You could fill in all the available niches. I would go with a Wild Oscar (much nicer than those red oscars or tiger oscars), a male Green Severum, and some interesting rare Pacu species (Red Hooks, Luna, and others, usually sold as Silver Dollars). Avoid the true Pacus. I'm sure you know they will reach 18-36". I would probably also add some a Lima and Spotted shovelnose (both reach 12-14" in captivity). That would be a very nice tank, and may be room for more if you have good filtration and do large water changes.

Thats just my oppinion. Good luck on what ever you choose.

[GDominy]

Set yourself up with an aggressive Botia tank :-)

You could easily house a nice mix of the following;

Botia Helodes
Botia Eos
Botia Morleti
Botia Modesta
Botia Lecontei
Botai Dario

The list goes on.....

I'm a loach freak so don't mind me...

[slipknottin]

Originally posted by Rare Cichlids
Snakeheads are only illegal is certain states. And like pirana, its a state law, not federal (like Asian Aros). Meaning its really not that big of a deal to have one even if your in an illegal state. But, you have already said you don't want a snakeheas (there are dwarfs though).



There illegal in NJ. And it is a big deal.

[O-man21]

awww please..not the snakehead thing again..
maybe a midas?

[O-man21]

blackbelts..texas cichlids...firemouths...greenterrors...any of those are good.

[Lazonby]

Choosing SA cichlids is a great place to start. There are so many species that it's very hard to decide! I'm still fairly new to SA cichlids, so I can't give you much of a recommendation.

However, I will recommend an African Tiger Fish. They aren't really aggressive, but they do have a mean-looking demeanor. They are sharp as a razor blade; they have huge teeth (fangs?), a suprisingly huge mouth span, and are quite fluid in motion. That 125 (6' I assume?) would be great. They are fairly expensive, but well worth the money if you can afford it. My LFS has had one in their show tank for quite some time now. They want $300 for it, and that's probably why they still have it. I got to see it eat once. The owner dropped in 3 large feeder goldfish one after another; thank God I didn't blink! That's as long as it would take before the only thing left to see was goldfish "dust!" If you're looking for something a little different, this would be a fish to check out.

[AcTwisted]

THANKS everyone for the suggestions. Not too into SA's anymore. Had them in college (severums, firemouthes, salvini, dempsies, convicts)

Will do some research. my g'friend has weighed in with her 2 cents & would like a tank of angels or discus. neither of which I've kept, but heard they are very sensitive to water chemistry. not sure if that's the way to go either.

half the fun is the planning:cool:

[O-man21]

some hard to find Madagascian cichlids..green chromodes, Etroplus suratensis

[Lazonby]

Originally posted by AcTwisted
THANKS everyone for the suggestions. Not too into SA's anymore. Had them in college (severums, firemouthes, salvini, dempsies, convicts)

Will do some research. my g'friend has weighed in with her 2 cents & would like a tank of angels or discus. neither of which I've kept, but heard they are very sensitive to water chemistry. not sure if that's the way to go either.

half the fun is the planning:cool:

I agree!

Angels and discus are somewhat similar, only discus are much more picky. Discus aren't difficult to keep, but they do take a little more work on their owner's part.

Angels

I've kept these guys for a long time. They are fairly tolerant to most non-aggressive co-habitants. They are also quite tolerant to water parameters. Water conditions should be maintained like and other non-african cichlid tank. They have good personality as any cichlid would. Since you've kept cichlids before, angels won't be a problem for you.

Discus

Very similar to angels, only that great care must be taken to maintain excellent water quality and very stable conditions. I currently keep discus. There is a myth about discus that says you must keep them in soft water and a super-low pH. This would be true only if you are trying to breed them. Water temps should be at least 80F. I keep my temps at about 82F because of my tankmates and for the survival of some of my live plants. If you are just wanting to keep a few and not breed them, then frequent water changes and a good diet are what you need to focus on. If you happen to have soft water, consider it a bonus! If not, it's not that big of a deal. Just keep things stable.

Discus should be "kings" of the tank. Other fish that may pick on them are a no-no. They are sensitive in personality, although amonst themselves they can and will quarrel readily.

I prefer to keep all fish in planted tanks, and Discus are no exception. Live plants filter water at a level that aftermarket filters will never reach. Plants keep nitrates and phosphate levels in check, along with heavy metals. Live plants also provide hiding places for fish; live plants can help discus to feel more secure. In short, i'm only suggesting another option you might wish to pursue.

Reardless of what you choose, good luck to you!

-Lazonby

[AcTwisted]

thanks for the info on Angels & Discus.

i think i'm going with angelfish while it isn't a tall tank, i still should be able to house 6-8 angels in a 125 comfortably i think. plenty of Amazon Swords & other live plants. outside of a pl*co or 2, i don't think i want to introduce any other tankmates. (at least not right away)

AcT:D wisted

[Rare Cichlids]

Edited- Not allowed on the forum, thank you.

[rjl420]

a 125 should be good for a large puffer (other than the mbu, those guys are monsters). but a T. Fahaka (or T. lineatus) would be great in a 125. if you've never kept puffers before, you'll really enjoy their personality. of course these guys are best for species tank, so your tank may look quite empty until the puffer reached a good size.

[Rare Cichlids]

Real mature editing my post. I didn't say anything aside from that the laws were made by ignorant politians, I don' plan to release my fish into the wild, and I will continue to keep them.

[ChilDawg]

RC, I think that you are grandfathered in on owning Snakeheads, since you had them before the federal ban. Now hopefully we can take all these intelligent, snakehead-owning/desiring voices and use them for good...I think that we should seriously talk with our politicians about the ban, explain to them the wonders of Channidae and the fact that those ones in MD were among the very few that would survive overwintering, and hopefully get our rights as fishkeepers back.

On the other hand, I do not advocate flaunting the law, so I won't order a Channa any time soon, but I think that you, by having them currently are okay with that regard.

Please advocate working to change laws rather than blatantly breaking them, and you will be okay.

~Matthew

P.S. To the first person who gets a petition started about Snakeheads on AC Forums--do it real life, and collect real signatures instead! Thanks.

<Steps down off soapbox...they don't make them like they used to...I crushed that sucker with ease!>

[125gJoe]

Originally posted by GDominy
Set yourself up with ......
I'm a loach freak so don't mind me... They are an interesting group!

[Blue goldfish]

How about something from the unordinary department???? Please no one take offense but i don't see how everyone always goes for the same old fishes like angels, oscars, neon tetras, and so forth. Of course it could be that your LFS just doesn't sell anything other than the ordinary or your obsessed with those fish. How about red-tailed black sharks, some loaches of various degrees or some catfish, goldfish(look at me name), flag cichlids, channel cats, peacock gobys, local minnows, knight gobys, crayfish, bettas(female), and lots o plants??? I would go with something unique with a 125gal since i could keep bigger fish. I'd also have a rocky landscape with caves and such and groves of lush plants. I know that stuff costs money....I have to improvise on a lot of things when it comes to my fish. I'm just trying to say go out there and look at some of the stuff you didn't look at before. Just go to some good fish sites and browse around in all the sections instead of the cichlid ones. Bumble-bee gobys, rainbow fish, freshwater eels, lungfish, there's over a hundred intresting species out there. That's my 2 cents worth. Have fun with whatever you choose :D :D :D .

[karfixer]

Well, I'm working on setting up a S.E. Asian "biotope" in a "125 tall" actual size 105 gal+sump. Gold Gouramis, Clown Loaches, Various Dainos and Rasboras. Lot's of color with a mix of the graceful fiesty Gouramis, playful Clowns, the zippy Danios. Plenty of plants and driftwood. I'm not looking for anything too preditory or too large and fairly easy to maintain. HTH, Steve

[spyderman]

how about getting a fahaka puffer? one mean *** fish. only thing is that it has to be kept solitary.

[BluEyes]

Bichir(s). The biggest of these guys gets to ~18" or so. They look just like a hollywood sea monster!
also very neat since they have been around for a LONG time - like since before the dinosaurs long...

Too bad you can't keep snakeheads anymore - not all species grow huge like the reds - there are plenty in the 12-18" range... :( :mad:

Or, how about 100 neons...