Upgrading to a 125 Gallon Tank

[1midniterider]

I am nearing the end of this journey. I'm still working on plants and lighting, but one major hurdle has been jumped. The tank is cycled and appears to be handling the current fish load very well. So now, it's time to take a deep breath.

Here is an end to end shot...

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Nice, glad everything went smooth with the transfer

 

[1midniterider]

Nice, glad everything went smooth with the transfer

Thank you... Me too... I'll keep checking the chems daily for a few more days and then go to weekly checks...

 

[1midniterider]

Almost a week has transpired since the migration. The inhabitants are still settling in. Although, they seem to prefer one end the other. The Glofish Tetras will traverse from end to end, but seldom stop in the middle. The Mollies continue to chase each other all over the aquatic landscape. Or would that be seascape? The Blue Mystery Snails are more active of late. Also dropped in three more plants.

The fish are still a bit skittish, after being chased around the old tank. So, I guess it will take awhile for them to "trust" their caregiver again.

 

[1midniterider]

What's next? A bigger tank, maybe 500 gallon monstrosity tank!!! Just kidding! However, I plan on adding:

3 Dalmatian Lyretail Mollies,
3 Albino Cories
5 Trilineatus Cories
6 Neon Tetras
5 fancy guppies

2 Java Ferns
Hornwort plant
Amazon Sword

The goal with the plants is replace all of my artificial ones with real. I don't want to go overboard.

 

[SaraB]

Your oto school could be bumped up. 6 instead of 2. Also I'm sure that there is plenty of room but keep an eye on the mollies and guppies. Mollies may nip and guppies aren't very fast. Platys might be a better choice but it could be find since you have a lot of room.

 

[1midniterider]

Your oto school could be bumped up. 6 instead of 2. Also I'm sure that there is plenty of room but keep an eye on the mollies and guppies. Mollies may nip and guppies aren't very fast. Platys might be a better choice but it could be find since you have a lot of room.

Will do... Actually I have 4 Otos... I added two more in the last fish buy.

 

[1midniterider]

RIP little fellow...

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Oh no, what happened, any idea?

 

[1midniterider]

Oh no, what happened, any idea?

No clue, I have checking the chems all week long and all was good... Just found him on the bottom. He had been busy exploring the new environment. So I have no clue... He was one of the new inhabitants.

 

[1midniterider]

Added a few more aquatic denizens...

2 Dwarf Gouramis
3 Dalmatian Lyretail Mollies
3 Albino Cories
3 Corydoras trilineatus although the lfs labels them as Julii

Also picked up 5 more plants..

2 Water Wisteria
2 Amazon Swords
1 Anibia Congensis

 

[Barliman]

This is coming along nicely, the one death aside. If you're still planning to get neons, I'd suggest a school of 11-13 for a tank the size of yours. Their bio-load is tiny, and a decent size shoal would be very pretty.

 

[1midniterider]

This is coming along nicely, the one death aside. If you're still planning to get neons, I'd suggest a school of 11-13 for a tank the size of yours. Their bio-load is tiny, and a decent size shoal would be very pretty.

Thanks... That is the plan... I would like to add a Redtail Shark, but fear it would be disruptive to the community..

 

[1midniterider]

Unfortunately another new inductee has gone on to the great pond in the sky.

RIP

 

[Barliman]

Unfortunately another new inductee has gone on to the great pond in the sky.

RIPView attachment 313631

That' a shame. Otos can be delicate, though.

 

[1midniterider]

The very first pair I bought are still going strong... I am attempting to increase their numbers...

On a different note, I came across this article on Julii Cories. It explains the the real and "fake" Juliis.

 

[1midniterider]

Added two Water Wisteria plants to the mix and relocated one of the Amazon Sword plants. Also increased the aquatic population with two Gold Mystery Snails, six Neon Tetras and a replacement for the Oto Cat. Now to let things stabilize.

During the night mode the Cories hang out beneath the Anubis. As does the Gouramis. The Mollies tend to hang out everywhere.

The chems are stabilized with zero ammo and nitrites, 20ppm nitrates and 7.6 pH. The temp is at 76.3°F. The lfs recommended raising the temp to 78°F.

 

[1midniterider]

This project is nearing its completion, the ecosystem appears to be stable and the denizens, new and old alike, are going about their quiet, peaceful day. The plants are also adjusting, before long there should be a nice rain forest-like canopy.

Just a few more tweaks and it will be done.

 

[1midniterider]

This has been a fantastic adventure, after agonizing over which size aquarium to purchase, when to purchase it and where to place an aquarium that when filled would weigh in a tad over 1000 lbs...

Lessons learned...

Be very patient during the fishless cycle and be sure not to overdose the initial ammonia. Also, seeding the new tank with gravel, plants and/or filter media from a cycled tank definitely shortens the cycle process.

Remember not to panic after first pwc and shortly after the water looks like a London fog has settled in. Just let it run its course, for it is all part of the initial cycling process.

Despite setting expectations with the other Family members, as soon as the tank has been filled with water, all of want to see fish straight away.

Despite all of the best laid plans, fish will do what fish will do. I thought by simply having a much longer tank with better flow (currents) that they would swim in schools from end to end. The Glofish Tetras still tend to congregate in one area with occasional wanderings to the other side. The Mollies and Cories tend be the more active swimmers.

I'm still working on my green thumb when it comes to a planted tank. Some days it looks like all is well, then the next wilting.

When it comes to filtration, get as much as you can reasonably afford. In the end it is whole new ecosystem onto itself and is the heart of the watery environment.

Remember to enjoy the scenery along the way. Ask questions, find answers. This is supposed to be fun and relaxing.



Current live count:

4 Galatic Purple Glofish Tetras
2 Sunburst Orange Glofish Tetras
3 Cosmic Blue Glofish Tetras
3 Moonrise Pink Glofish Tetras
4 Electric Green Glofish Tetras
3 Starfire Red Glofish Tetras
2 Silver Lyretail Mollies
1 Silver Mollie
3 Gold Panda Mollies (new)
3 Dalmatian Mollies (new)
4 Otocinclus Catfish (2 new)
6 Albino Corydoras Catfish (new)
3 Trilineatus Corydoras Catfish (new) aka Fake Julii
11 Neon Tetras (5 new)
2 Brown (striped) Mystery Snails
2 Blue Mystery Snails (new)
3 Gold Mystery Snails (new)
3 Nerite Snails.
2 Dwarf Sunset Gouramis (new)
2 Amano Shrimp


And a host of assorted plants

 

[Ulrichsd]

Thanks for sharing and nice follow-up I transferred from a 60g to my 125g so I used the same filters, sand, etc so didn't have to worry about the cycling. It did make me nervous having 125 gallons of water when I first filed it up though!