Setting up a 120g freshwater tank

[Gman85]

I have experience in much smaller tanks (like 55g+). But I just purchased a 120g and stand. Has gravel, lava rocks, some decor, an air pump and a heater. The previous owner said that the old filter he was running it with was too messed to salvage. Idk I never saw it. Anyways I am looking into canister filters now but is that the way to go for this size? Also what else should I have for a tank of this size? And the I am planning on putting into this tank are maybe an Oscar, jack dempseys, blood parrots, and maybe some other cichlids. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[librarygirl]

Wow that's a huge tank! I think a canister is probably the way to go although I'm not familiar with them (planning on getting one myself but haven't yet). Hopefully someone else can chime in.

[Gman85]

Originally Posted by librarygirl

Wow that's a huge tank! I think a canister is probably the way to go although I'm not familiar with them (planning on getting one myself but haven't yet). Hopefully someone else can chime in.

Thanks I got it from a neighbor that was moving out of state. Hopefully someone who knows better can help more. Thanks for your insight tho.

[Terrance]

Hello. Nice 120g. What kind of heater do you have? You will definitely need at least 2 filters for that sized tank. Aquaclear 110 HOB is good, but 2 of those will not be enough for your tank. Canisters are do-able, but very expensive. Get a fluval fx5. 1 of them will not be enough, so you might want to add another filter with it.

You got lights with the purchase?

[Gman85]

Originally Posted by Terrance

Hello. Nice 120g. What kind of heater do you have? You will definitely need at least 2 filters for that sized tank. Aquaclear 110 HOB is good, but 2 of those will not be enough for your tank. Canisters are do-able, but very expensive. Get a fluval fx5. 1 of them will not be enough, so you might want to add another filter with it.

You got lights with the purchase?

Hey thanks! The heater is a EBO-JÄGER 150 watt which I'm pretty sure that it's not big enough to heat the whole effectively. And yeah I also got lights with the purchase but they look like just regular fluorescent lights. I'm willing to upgrade if need to for the tank. I'm just trying to do this tank right the first time. As far as the filtration do you know of a good to great combo for this size? Also should I get power heads?

[jetajockey]

I put 3 150w jagers into my 125 to get it heated and it still only got up to around 80 max.
One of the biggest concerns would be stocking. Are you definitely going tropical? Not coldwater or native?

If you are stuck on sa/ca cichlids, figure out what you will work together before you go shopping, the last thing you want to do is get stuck with a bunch of incompatible fish. I know a 120 sounds like a lot of tank, and it is, but for the larger sa/ca cichlids (i.e. oscar, jaguar) it isn't.

[Terrance]

Filtration depends on what you want and how much you can afford.

You could do 2 HOB filter and a powerhead or circulation pump if you want.

Is your tank indoor? What is the average temp of your home?

[Gman85]

Originally Posted by jetajockey

I put 3 150w jagers into my 125 to get it heated and it still only got up to around 80 max.
One of the biggest concerns would be stocking. Are you definitely going tropical? Not coldwater or native?

If you are stuck on sa/ca cichlids, figure out what you will work together before you go shopping, the last thing you want to do is get stuck with a bunch of incompatible fish. I know a 120 sounds like a lot of tank, and it is, but for the larger sa/ca cichlids (i.e. oscar, jaguar) it isn't.

Yeah I'm probably going to get at least two bigger heaters. Any ideas? But yeah I'm definitely going tropical. On that note I was going to start a new thread on some good compatible fish. Cause I've heard about how random fish can get pretty crazy.

[Gman85]

Originally Posted by Terrance

Filtration depends on what you want and how much you can afford.

You could do 2 HOB filter and a powerhead or circulation pump if you want.

Is your tank indoor? What is the average temp of your home?

I got a decent amount of money to spend on the tank so I wanna get at least an idea or ballpark for how much I'm going to spend on it. And anything else I need I.e. powerheads or circulation pumps. Also yes it's going to be indoors. An my house stays around 70-75 f roughly. what HOB filters would you recommend?

[Terrance]

2 aquaclear 110 are good IME. That should be enough for tropical fish.

Test out your current heater to see if it can maintain the desired temp in your warm house. People who keeps constant warm temp are able to use smaller heaters. Heaters don't burn out due to being "on" all the time. They don't last long from turning on and off all the time.

[Gman85]

Originally Posted by Terrance

2 aquaclear 110 are good IME. That should be enough for tropical fish.

Test out your current heater to see if it can maintain the desired temp in your warm house. People who keeps constant warm temp are able to use smaller heaters. Heaters don't burn out due to being "on" all the time. They don't last long from turning on and off all the time.

Ok Terrence I looked into it and it sounds really good on running dual aquaclear 110s. thanks. Any ideas for powerheads or circulation pumps I should get or if even at all?

[Terrance]

See how it goes with the 2 filters before adding a powerhead or circulation pump.

[boadams87]

[QUOTE="Gman85"]

I got a decent amount of money to spend on the tank so I wanna get at least an idea or ballpark for how much I'm going to spend on it. And anything else I need I.e. powerheads or circulation pumps. Also yes it's going to be indoors. An my house stays around 70-75 f roughly. what HOB filters would you recommend?[/QUOT


Whichever HOB u get try to get some with the bio wheel, they'll help support the BB in the wheel as well as the other media.