Upgrading to a 125 Gallon Tank

[1midniterider]

Okay, I couldn't resist... When I went to lfs to return a deceased Neon Tetra, not only did I get a replacement Neon but five more and two more Dwarf Gourami. So now the live count for Neon Tetras is 17 and Dwarf Gouramis is 4.

After the 50% pwc yesterday, I also dosed the tank with API General Cure as a precaution, since I've added so many new denizens to this environment. This is only the second time I've used it. The first time was a while back after purchasing Mollies from a different lfs which showed signs of a parasite.

 

[1midniterider]

I replaced my TopFin Air-8000 airpump with an Ehiem Air Pump 400. The constant hum was breaking the quiet... The Ehiem is definitely quieter. The new airpump is attached to two 4-wqy air manifolds with air valves which connect to the air stones. I also noted that it was the rising bubbles that kept the inhabitants confined to side areas. With all of air stones off the fish would school in the center of the tank. With all four stones on they seek to congregate at the sides immediately. So I switched the two center ones off. The inhabitants seem to like that setup better. The two remaining air stones keep the water moving around the heaters. So that is one more issue corrected for this upgrade.

 

[1midniterider]

A little over a year ago, I started this project and learned quite a bit in the process. Today I have thriving aquatic community, still with it's fair share of issues.

Once the tank was fully cycled, the biggest issue was keeping nitrates in check. It would regularly run 40-80ppm. Went through various food choices, feeding schedules and pwc frequency. What finally broke the cycle was performing 50% pwc three days in a row and continuing with weekly 50% pwc.

Another observation, is that plants appear to thrive better in the sand substrate vs gravel. I'm still having issues with the Water Wisteria plants. The bottom portion of the plants do not have leaves or stems... The Java Ferns have really grown.



A before and after pic of my aquatic world. As you can see a huge plant difference. It has been an enjoyable experience and everyday I sit back and observe.

Current live count:

3 Galatic Purple Glofish Tetras
2 Sunburst Orange Glofish Tetras
1 Cosmic Blue Glofish Tetras
3 Moonrise Pink Glofish Tetras
1 Electric Green Glofish Tetras
3 Starfire Red Glofish Tetras
1 Silver Lyretail Mollies
4 Dalmatian Mollies
3 Otocinclus Catfish
3 Albino Corydoras Catfish
2 Trilineatus Corydoras Catfish aka Fake Julii
10 Neon Tetras
3 Nerite Snails
3 Dwarf Sunset Gouramis
1 Blue Dwarf Gourami
2 Amano Shrimp
20+ Trumpet Snails

 

[TMaier]

Great observations! The tank is filling in nicely. Are you considering removing the gravel and going 100% sand?

 

[1midniterider]

Thank you. Actually, I have not considered an all sand substrate. The difference between the substrates have grown on me. I have considered swapping the gravel to a different color scheme, maybe darker.