i am about to get a 125 for pipsqueak and was wondering the best set up. i was thinking undergravle with 2 powerheads and 2 hang on back like the aquaclear 500. they are rated for 60 to 110 gallon tanks so two would do? im not overly worried about lighting the room they are in gets anuff light with out lights on the tank.

i also like the sandy bottom look but i am unsure about it. what do you all think?

and with a 125 could i have two oscars? and as far as tank mates go i have a gold severum but could i have 2 oscars and my gold severum and like 1 chocolate cichlid so far out of all the tank mates for oscars those two are the only two i like. thanks for hte info you all rock..



thanks all
memphis

I myself have a 125 Gallon Tank.

My setup is as follows:

-Undergravel Filter w/ 2 Powerheads
-Aquaclear 110 Hang-On
-Emperor 400 Hang-On

I have a fine gravel bottom, brown in color, very natural looking. I perform 25 - 30% water changes every other week.

As far as stocking the tank.

I personally have 3 Oscars (2 over 10 inches, 1 about 6 inches now), a Nicaraguan, a Honduran Red Point, and 3 Plecoes.

Some would consider that overstocked, however, I have not had any water issues, happiness issues, nor diseases in my tank other than a VERY brief case of Ich once.

The undergravel filter creates a VERY solid system of beneficial bacteria, in conjunction with the hang on filtration. This will allow you to perform greater water changes, without losing bacteria.

All of my stock in my 125 get along VERY well. There is the occasional scuffle, but nothing serious. As long as you have some cichlids that aren't small enough to fit in the Oscar's mouth, and is fast enough to swim away, they will co-exsist just fine.

Few questions for you...

What kind of tank setup/look are you going for? Natural river look? etc?

What kind of Oscars do you have/plan on getting? I have 2 reds, and a tiger Oscar.

Let me know if you have any questions, and post some pictures when you get the tank setup!

Also, adding to above, I would reccomend getting an airstone for the tank. I have an 18 inch airstone. In conjunction with that, I have a few live plants in the tank as well. The two together create a solid system of oxygen inside the tank. Just another plus to have some healthy, happy Oscars.

I am sure your fish will love the 125 gallon. I have a 140 gallon and my fish love it. I use 2 canisters, 1 HOB, and 1 powerhead sponge filter... it does great for me.

sounds like some beautiful tanks. i cant wate to have mine all set up. i know pipsqueak once he is a little bigger will love it. i wish that made tanks that are bigger then 125 but i havent found any placetha sales tanks in hte U.S.A that does. i want a huge tank. i watched a vid on youtube of a guy that made a 800 gallon tank for his fish and he has the plans and instuctions on how to do it on a link so this fall once is cools down i am thinkng about starting one. i think the 800 gallon is my dream tank. have 2 of them in your house that would be so beautiful..

Zending wrote:

i immediately imagined a round airstone like i used to weigh down my zuchinni:



18 inches in diameter, that'll be quite a showstopper!

Creech, before you get into the big league, that is imo over 400Gl, you better be prepared real well.
My ultimate dreamtank is a 600 Gallon tank, but after reading up on a project like that and studying the pro's and con's, i gave up on the idea.
But i'm sure you did your homework, for a project like that is gonna take a lot of time, money and even more dedication.
I mean i'm dedicated to my fish, but keeping a 600Gl + tank is a bit too much for me at the moment.
Plus i live in a cold country, so the electricity bill alone wouldt be enough to scare me away from the project....for now.
Maybe when the kids are bigger.

I'm sure you are familiar with monsterfishkeepers.com, for that's the place with all the crazy over the top ideas of fishkeeping.
The 600Gl tank thread by a member named WetWhiskers made me finally realize what i'd be looking at, and that i'd be biting off more than i can chew!

Ha ha, it's not 18 inches in diamater. It's an airstone in the form of a bubble wall. 18 inches long. 18 inches in diameter would be ridiculous!

but i'd surely give you enough airation, if the thing were the size of a basketball!

this is the tank i want to make.


i have the tools and the know how to do it. i have been a carpenter for 13 years and i have the space in my home to make it. i am turning my garage into a master bed room and i think it would be nice to have on the back wall. i have a pump and filter set up like most use for koi ponds. i can place the pump and fliter set up in my work shop about 10 feet from my house and run the pvc into the house as to keep the room quite. i do lots of research over the last 2 years about building a tank of this size. and i know i can i just need to get all my ducks in order so to say.. lol.. ill let you know when i start on it all and post pics and things as i make it. i am hopeing to start the tank in november, my brother wants me to make him a 200 gallon in the same way so i might make that first and see how it goes.

wow, wish i had the space, time and money to get and keep that running!
Are you into catfish too ,like me?
Or what's the stocking plans, for you must have those before you start a project like that!
people don't just randomly buildt a tank like that, and decide what to put in there afterwards, imo...
I wonder what will it be?
RTC?TSN?Pangasius?Arowana's, pacu, rays?
800Gl? the sky is the limit, or the top of your tank actually.
i got some ideas allready!

stocking it this is what i am thinking. 3 to 5 oscars, chocolate cichlids like 2 or 3, i would like arowana and sevrums things liek that.. i love red tail cats but the thought of it eating one of my other fish is to scary. i would like th have a set of oscars breed.

thecreech77 wrote:

very true, o's and big cats don't mix.
But i'm sure with a tank that size, you'll be able to get some breeding oscars.
man, 800Gl is oscarparadise!