First Tank Setup - 125 Gallon

EriCCirE · 08-20-2009, 04:33 PM

Hey guys. This is my first tank setup and would appreciate any comments and suggestions. The tank has had water for about 4 days now. I filled it with hose water. No chemicals, has only been bubbling and filtering. My goal is to have some freshwater sharks in this puppy.

The tank is the biggest I’ve seen in a while. I was told it is a 125 Gallon.
Its dimensions at 72x18x22 (width x depth x height).

-The filter I have is Marineland Penguin 300. It takes two #3 filter cartridges.
-The pump I have is a Second Nature Whisper 1000.
-The light I have is a 19W 20 inch All Glass Aquarium light (thinking I need 2 more?)

The pump is hooked up to a five-way gang valve. I only have 3 outputs connected going down to the tubes to the bottom white plates. I also capped off the second output on the pump to decrease noise.

The only bubbles that I see are coming up the tubes. Is this right?

Just wanted input on:
Filter
Pump - bubbler
Chemicals needed
Background
First fish
Plants
Light.

louistheloach · 08-20-2009, 09:06 PM

hey there,

welcome to the forum. I have a 125 planted freshwater tank also. I run three rena canisters totalling 190 gallons. Seemed like for the size of the tank it was just needed to maintain good circulation and water surface movement. I have 11 rainbows, a synodontis, 4 cory's, 4 SAE's, 2 yo yo loaches, 2 bristlnose plecos, 8 ottos, 5 guppies and a handful of Olive Nerite snails. I wanted to give the smaller fish a bigger world to live in, but when my father had the tank set up, he had sharks and other such things.

You will want to check out the article on fishless cycling here on the website, it can be a little confusing to a first time user so don't be afraid to ask questions. While you are waiting for the tank to cycle you can be researching the type of fish you want and what would make good companions. You can also ask people here.

Have you ever thought about stingrays......google it and you should find some videos on them....not sure if they require a certain substrate, but any videos I have watched of them they are on a sand substrate. They are pretty cool looking and would make a visually nice creature companion with a shark or two......however I don't know if they are compatable.......

I have found the stealth heaters to be the most accurate and they are made of plastic. I put two in my tank that were rated for 50 gallons each....seems to do the trick. You will need to get liquid test kits for GH, KH, pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If you are using city tap water you will need chemicals to remove the chlorine etc.

When you say plants are you talking about real ones? Some larger fish are not good with real plants, they will just tear them up. You will want some rocks or other things for caves and hiding places.

If you are not having real plants, the lights you have will be fine....the lights are for you to see the fish, they dont need them. In my opinion, you will want to improve your filtering capacity.....the bigger the fish, the more waste is produced.....

I'm sure others will be along with other helpful suggestions.....

ltl

mark razmandi · 08-20-2009, 09:47 PM

welcome to the site and GREAT TANK!!!!!! i just picked up my 90 gallon today so i feel the same way you do! i would DEFIANTLY recommend better filtration especially if youre going to have bigger fish....you will want to get some type of tap water conditioner to remove chlorine and any metals...after you do that get a test kit and test your water...use natural ways if possible to adjust your water to the correct specifications however sometimes it is necessary to use chemicals....i think a freshwater stingray would be EXCELLENT for that tank however you might want to consider a sand substrate since they like to bury themselves in it....i would also recommend some drift wood or texas holy rock depending on how your ph looks....keep us posted about your tank...and youre VERY adventurous for getting a 125 gallon as your first tank HAHAHA...just remember, the key to aquarium success is proper maintenance...DO NOT SLACK OFF on water changes or else your fish will suffer

EriCCirE · 08-22-2009, 06:51 PM

Bought some water conditioner today from petco. added enough for 120 gallons.

Ordered a freshwater master test kit on ebay.

I have my eye on a mechanical/chemical filter and heater
setup on ebay, ends in a couple days.

Will keep you all posted!

mark razmandi · 08-23-2009, 02:24 AM

sounds good...post links of filters you are looking at...

EriCCirE · 08-24-2009, 12:07 AM

didnt win the heater/ filter combo on ebay. Open to suggestions, Will buy used. Looking for the cheapest solution.

mark razmandi · 08-24-2009, 12:24 AM

craigslist my friend...i got my 90g, stand, rena xp3, rena 400, gravel plants etc etc for 300$

EriCCirE · 08-24-2009, 12:28 AM

Found a Rena Filstar XP3 aquarium canister filter on my local Craigslist.

They want 80, do you think that is reasonable and what else would I need?

louistheloach · 08-24-2009, 10:25 AM

I looked on two websites....new they are 184.99 plus shipping and maybe taxes

How old is the filter, how long used.......

If the filter is older than say 3-4 years, ask to see it run to make sure there are no leaks.....you can buy new gaskets if it does, but the price would have to come down. I talked to a distributor who said the machine is designed to run a minimum of 5 years before you should even have to think about replacing gaskets, but most last longer than that.

you may be able to talk them down a little......

for my 125, which is heavily planted and currently holding around 110 inches of fish, I have three renas, 2-xp2 and 1 xp1. If my tank were not so heavily planted (impedes circulation) 2 would do the job (with a power head). If you go with 1 filter, I would consider getting a decent size power head just to help move the water around better and better surface agitation to keep oxygen levels higher in the water.

ltl

EriCCirE · 08-25-2009, 01:41 PM

Missed out on the Rena.

Still need to buy:

-filter
-heater

Test kit is in the mail. Trying to go for the cheapest setup. I would be fine going used