new 125 gal. what should i get?

[imcgary]

I am the happiest guy on the planet. got a new 125gal.
I just went to the store to get some fish for the 46bow and stumbled on a 125gal and a perfecto stand for $588. after some begging and pleating with the girlfriend i was able to get it.

I definitely want to heavily plant it. I am planning on doing CO2 and eco-complete. is there a cheaper alternative I.e. mixing or another brand.

also what canister filter should i get i have been looking at the xp3 or 4

I have also been looking at the 72" coralife light. is this a good choice or is there something better.

any help would be helpful

 

[mr funktastic]

u can mix the eco with black sand. taheti(sp?) moon sand might be cheaper than the eco and would blend very well with the eco. u could also use plain black gravel but the problem with that is it will eventually surface. meaning all the sand of the eco will go to the bottom leaving the gravel on top. that would make it hard to plant forground plants. u would probably want about 300 watts of CF lighting to get to high light. maybe a little more if u are feeling adventorus lol put a link to the fixture u were thinking of so we can make a judgement. u may be better off going with 2 36" fixtures but i cant say untill i see what u are looking at. u will have to work out a full dosing schedule. i suggest www.gregwatson.com for the cheapest best way to go. as for plants... take a look at THIS link for a little inspiration. u have alot of room to aquascape in that tank. have u thought about livestock? maybe angels or a unch of different schooling fish like tetras? apistos or rams? maybe even tackle the same as travis with the mbuna?

 

[imcgary]

this is the link to the light i am thinking of getting. while we are on the topic are the bulbs that come with this light ok for a planted tank or should i switch the out for something else.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produ...ll&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2004&Nty=1

I was also planing on getting one of the plant packages from liveaquaria.com probably the ultimate pack.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=2145&ref=3392&subref=AK

for livestock i am planning on moving the fish in the 46bow over to the new tank i currently have
5 angels
3 unkown fish (girlfriend baught them but they are nice and friendly)
1 rosey barb
1 tiger barb
1 dwarf gruami

im not sure what else i am going to put in i know for sure i will do a school of cory cats just for house keeping purposes.

 

[mr funktastic]

THIS is the light u were refering to i believe. it is cheaper on this site alos if u are interested. this would be a very good choice but u will need to swich out the 2 acitinic light for freshwaer bulbs. this will give u alot of light to grow anything u want so i would skip on the "ultimate" package since there arnt alot of species that are woth getting. i suggest u tank some time figuring out the species u like then order those specific species. scroll through THIS link ajnd see what interest u and then go to www.aquariumplants.com and order those specific species. u will get a much better selection and can customize your tank. have u ever done the high light co2 and fertalizing before? if not this may be alot to handle your first time around. u will need a good clean up crew in that tank so cories will be good. 3 schools of 6 would be nice. u can get a variety of different ones. i suggest getting some SAE's aswell in the chance of hair algea. the angels will love that tank. but u need more cherry and tiger barbs. they prefer to be in schools. check out the links i gave u and decide what u would like and we can go from there. i hope that helps

 

[imcgary]

i had the barbs in schools but most of them died a while ago. im not sure why. My 46 bow has a diy co2 and a little more than 2 wpg. i know this is alot more to handle but i love a good challenge.

also is the xp3 a good filter, i have also been looking at the fluval 405 but it has a max claim of 100g aquarium. mine is 125.

 

[JustOneMore20]

If you plan on keeping the barbs in the 125g, I'd definitely build up the schools. You could have 10-12 of each IMO in a tank that big. It would keep the angels safe from the barbs nipping. I'd get atleast 8 to keep their nippy behavior to themselves. Any plans for bottom feeders or any more additions?

The angels will definitely appreciate the space. When full grown I think they'd be a bit cramped in the 46g.

Congrats on getting a huge tank!

 

[mr funktastic]

the XP3 is awesome and very good filter but 1 may not be enough. it claims to be good for up to 175 but i doubt it. 2 would be better or maybe 2 XP2's. i have an XP3 on my 55 gal

 

[RogerMcAllen]

I currently enjoy a pair of XP3's on a 125 with ETH 300 inline heaters.