Should I keep my 125 gallon?

[underwater]

I have a 125 gallon already sitting in my living room, and I am having trouble deciding if I should sell it off and then that money, along with $200-$300 more, can buy me a nice 75 or 90 gal tank that I feel I will be happier with. Would it be a mistake? Some of my reasoning:

I don't like the current stand, it is a homemade bare wood stand and a little bit crooked. If I painted it a nice dark wood stain especially if glossy, which seems like a lot of effort, I might like it more. I would love a stand with cabinet space. (A lot of the used ones I find do not have a stand that I love, however.) Also, my current stand is extra tall and I am accustomed to that, and I dislike tanks being so short!

I don't own a GOOD filter, and if I bought a used tank from someone, I would likely be getting a good filter at a good price as part of the deal. They might also have fish, better lights, etc. In fact, I found one 75 gal that is a bowfront and one thing I love is that it has black sand in it now, and that stuff is not cheap. If I keep my current tank, I would probably be spending $125-175 on a good filter anyway. I already have some white sand but white isn't as good, but still would be okay.

On the other hand it seems so silly to not use this nice BIG tank that is already here. And I am happy with the glass tops, the light is nothing special but I personally like it just fine, and I do have some untreated pool filter sand I can toss in there (might need to just buy 1 more bag for $7).

One of my biggest reasons is that I am trying to get the right balance for me between having multiple tanks vs not having too much to maintain. I am hoping someone can clue me in about how much less work the 75 gal will be versus the 125 gal. Or what if I go with two or three tanks, possibly as small as 45-60 but maybe I should at least have one that is 75+. I just don't want to get the smaller ones and then regret it and have to upgrade.

Personally I don't like the idea of keeping big fish, but I do like the idea of having a huge tank with many, many fish/etc. However then I keep running into problems with compatibility, so it seems like that should be my main reason for having multiple tanks, if I really feel I need to keep another type or two types that aren't compatible.

Or should I just use a divider or two, is that a really bad idea? Aggressive fish on one side, community on the other?

I just feel like I am sick of having the tank without the extra niceties. Like now I am wanting quality more than quantity, to put the money into that side of things instead. Maybe I would be just as happy or happier with the 75 gal? And would have to buy used package deals in order to be able to afford it.

And it's not a good reason, but I just feel like I don't want to have to clean out the bottom of the 125 gal. It's extra dirty. Might only take an hour I suppose.

Oh, also if I buy a different tank, sometimes I can find ones that are already established/cycled and get 1/4 to 1/2 of the water and the filter already has the bacterial colony. With the existing tank I sort of like that I would be 'starting over' and it would be more my creation. Although I would still be making it similar to the previous owner's layout since I have the previous owner's decorations.

 

[mgamer20o0]

almost always a bigger tank is better. i much rather work on my 120 then 2 40s. for me water changing and everything is less work. i just start the python let it drain before filling it back up.

there is no way people can answer whats the best for you. ill say what i would do. if you dont like the stand build a new one. maybe add doors to the one you have. if the stand in extra tall you might be hard pressed to find another one like it.

I don't own a GOOD filter, and if I bought a used tank from someone, I would likely be getting a good filter at a good price as part of the deal.

what filter do you own? if you want to sink 125-175 as extra into a new might as well just get a another filter.

They might also have fish, better lights, etc. In fact, I found one 75 gal that is a bowfront and one thing I love is that it has black sand in it now, and that stuff is not cheap. If I keep my current tank, I would probably be spending $125-175 on a good filter anyway. I already have some white sand but white isn't as good, but still would be okay.

might be stuck with fish you dont want. you never know with the lights. lights really dont matter much unless you want plants. often i dont see full set ups with lights to support plants.

you can get colorquartz for 20-25 bucks for 50 pounds. there is also something called turface which again is 20-25 for 50 pounds but is a lot lighter in weight so it will go farther.

I am hoping someone can clue me in about how much less work the 75 gal will be versus the 125 gal. Or what if I go with two or three tanks, possibly as small as 45-60 but maybe I should at least have one that is 75+.

really depends on what set ups you have but the work for a 75 gallon isnt much more then 120. 2 tanks would always be more work for hte most part then 1 big one.

Personally I don't like the idea of keeping big fish, but I do like the idea of having a huge tank with many, many fish/etc.

i am the same way my 120 is nothing but fish under 2 inch.

However then I keep running into problems with compatibility, so it seems like that should be my main reason for having multiple tanks, if I really feel I need to keep another type or two types that aren't compatible.

what fish are you looking at?

Or should I just use a divider or two, is that a really bad idea? Aggressive fish on one side, community on the other?

not a bad idea but i am not a fan of the way they look.

Maybe I would be just as happy or happier with the 75 gal? And would have to buy used package deals in order to be able to afford it.

maybe you will. when buying used you are limited to what shows up. so you might be waiting month and months until something pops up that meets your expectations.

personally i would keep the 120.

 

[beglely]

I would keep the 120. Im cycling my 55 but I know in a month or two or three Ill be aching to get a 75-125gallon tank if I see a good deal on craigslist. What filter do you currently have? As for lights I agree with mgamer that lights arent a priority unless you want plants so I wouldnt worry about it. Also big tanks are actually easier to maintain in terms of water quality staying more consistent. I dont think you will find a better deal with all the stuff you want used unless you wait for several months. I know I searched online for at least 4 months looking for a good deal on a 55gallon, and even then it still required lots of cleaning and extra parts for purchase. Keep the 120 imo

 

[underwater]

Thanks for sharing those thoughts. I know that it's an individualized thing, but input can/does help.

I wish I could just buy a used inexpensive stand that I like but rarely will people sell those separately. And then yeah, I may be disappointed with the lower height. I am not very handy so I can't build one or change this one much -- I think just painting it would be hard, remember, lol.

Cool about your fish being under 2 inches.

Well. Part of why I am considering this is that I already emptied out my 125 gal tank because I decided to switch to sand from gravel. Now that it's empty AND because I know someone who would buy the tank, it makes me wonder. I also came across the 75 gal bowfront and a 90 gal wavefront for sale and those are extra special looking.

Also I don't like bigger fish much, and I have this fear of seeing a dead big fish, lol. But I currently do own an 8" tinfoil barb. I keep deciding that I need to rehome him, but I have gotten kind of attached to him too. I do NOT want to keep him if it means I can't have the tiny fish I want -- so, I can only keep him if I have a separate tank that doesn't have the tiny fish. I guess I am willing to let him go though, not base tank decisions just on the one fish.

Someday I know I will want a saltwater or reef tank. (Had a little one in the past and it was too little.) But I'm trying to hold off on that for a while longer due to cost and time. I am possibly wanting a brackish tank?

One type of fish I definitely want is loaches. That is part of why I decided to switch to sand. Black just seems unique to me and makes the colors stand out more. Can I buy some black sand type of material for not that much? Then again, maybe I will get bored of the black.

 

[mgamer20o0]

what loaches do you want?

personally not a fan of the whole bowfront type set ups again thats just me. how small if fish are you thinking about? might have to find a home for the tinfoil barb depending on what you want.

what filter and what lights do you have now?

 

[underwater]

Yeah, I generally agree but that's the thing about the 75 gal tank I have found. It seems to be very well maintained. It probably would be a mistake though, you are right, at least for most people it would be a mistake. That's why everyone wants to buy this 125 gal I have, they want to upgrade. Nobody tends to want the used 55 gal and lower. I am wondering if with my personality I would prefer the other route, but probably I should stick to as few tanks as I can. So... Hmm. Will I be happy enough if the one 125 gal is the only tank I have? (And someday get a reef tank probably.) It would be nice if I would be, but I am not sure if I would. (Besides maybe one small one for hospital/food/whatever.)

 

[beglely]

Well for a stand then I would look for a reeeally cheap cabinet or desk or entertainment center that would hold the tank. It would have to be really strong but its always an alternative as people are always getting rid of those. How much does this person want to offer u for ur current tank? If you want to do a saltwater or reef tank down the road then I would definately keep the 120g then because that is a good sized tank for a reef. Also if you want clown loaches also keep the 120g otherwise you will have to stick with smaller loaches which is nbd but a 120 allows u more of them.

 

[underwater]

I don't know what the lights are, but they are 3 foot long bulbs that say 15W on them. I like them well enough I guess.

Filters - I don't have aqeduate filtration for the 125 gal, and would buy another filter or two if I keep the big tank. I want an Eheim 2028 but I don't know if I will spring for one. So far I just have a BioWheel 400 and AquaClear 70 and some other hang on the back basic filters. The tank did not have many fish yet. Well, I also do have an Eheim 2026 here but it's missing some hoses and end caps, etc and I don't know if I want to get that set up, I was wanting a 2028.

Loaches - The ones that are under 4 inches and are more colorful.

I can keep the tinfoil barb for now I know. Also he didn't eat the 1.5" fish I put in there last time.

 

[underwater]

Yeah I guess I should keep it. It was looking quite nice already with the few fish.

I am wishing I could have a number of different inverts. Live plants would be nice too but I think that they might be too hard for me to deal with / too expensive / start to look not so good if they aren't trimmed a lot / etc.

Do I have to take the tank off in order to paint the stand... could I possibly do it where it is, despite the carpet, if I use some metal/plastic thing so I don't paint my carpet?

I like obtaining the complete and already-running tanks for a fraction of the retail cost though. Then I don't have to wait for it to cycle. (If I get a saltwater, I could get one with the skimmer, lights, sump, etc for so much less if I wait and get a used one. I don't see the point in trying to convert this one.)

 

[beglely]

I would say get replacement parts for the Eheim 2026 and use it in conjunction with one of your HOB filters. I run my 55 now on both a Filstar XP3 and a AquaClear 50 (also have a marineland 400 and aquaclear 20 being unused too). Use what you have as a 2028 is going to be another 180 dollars to your pricetag where replacement hoses and end caps wont run nearly as much.

 

[mgamer20o0]

if you are worried about lighting as in bring out the fish more you can always get some shop lights. they are cheap and will make it look great.

as for the filter eheims are great but you do pay for them. personally i use other filters because they are cheaper. online a 2028 is about $200ish. two filters i would look into is the rena xp3 $140 or the marineland c360 $150.

there are also knock offs of the ehims for $70. know someone who order one so far so good.
Catalina Aquarium CA918 CANISTER FILTER

as far as loaches might want to head to the lfs see what they have and write down any ones you find and like. come back and research them.
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][/FONT]

 

[mgamer20o0]

I am wishing I could have a number of different inverts. Live plants would be nice too but I think that they might be too hard for me to deal with / too expensive / start to look not so good if they aren't trimmed a lot / etc.

what kind of inverts do you want? live plants really not that hard. if you added some shop lights and went with low light plants. with that they grow slow and really dont need to be trimmed often. you dont have to go with super high light co2 type set up.

Do I have to take the tank off in order to paint the stand... could I possibly do it where it is, despite the carpet, if I use some metal/plastic thing so I don't paint my carpet?

i would you wouldnt want to get any of the fumes or anything in the tank also.

I like obtaining the complete and already-running tanks for a fraction of the retail cost though. Then I don't have to wait for it to cycle.

not always true. i bought plenty of empty tanks that was sitting around dry for months before they sold it.

 

[underwater]

Okay... some additional questions/concerns:

I know they are expensive, but I have sometimes wondered if I might be happiest if I had one of those multi-tank interconnected systems? I know of a store going out of business and it might be an okay price. So I can have different types of fish that don't have to interact with each other, yet it is a bit easier than having multiple tanks since the water is shared and stable. But I do think that could look strange in a house, it is not really a nice big stunning display lol.

Is my 125 gallon actually a 120 gallon? Is there enough of a difference that a stand for one won't be compatible with the stand for the other, or would that not matter?

I should do that for the 2026 but I felt like the 2026 wasn't enough filtration because I want extra good overfiltration. So I was going to try to sell that off in parts or possibly the whole thing. Also it's silly but the 2026 upsets me because I got ripped off a bunch when I bought it. And just feel like it sucks to pay so much for replacement parts, it's like 8 parts = more than half the value of the whole item. I don't need 8 parts I don't think, but it's still high. But yes, I probably SHOULD use it, and I might.

 

[mgamer20o0]

everything has its pros and cons. it would make water changing easy but the cons is all the fish would have to have the same type set up. also if one fish got sick you would have to treat the whole set up. you would have to qt everything coming in for that case. it really depends on what you want to do.

measure the tank if you are looking for a stand and do it that way. there are several different tank size out there.

 

[underwater]

Yeah... So I should just clean it out, get better filtration, pick sand, improve the stand or get a different one if I can, be patient while it cycles, pick some cool fish, maybe add inverts and/or plants, and be happy with it. Maybe I can do that And try not to want any of the fish that aren't compatible hehe. Later on maybe change lights, background, etc.

Inverts... well I want anything that I am not going to end up killing, so it can't need anything too special. Anything compatible. I like most inverts but don't want them to kill my fish. It seems like they all have that risk especially when they are around the small fish.

 

[beglely]

Well I would compare the costs of buying replacement parts to that of buying a new canister. To find out the actual gallons of your tank you should get the exact dimensions of it measured. And there are lots of low-light plants you can use for your tank that are easy to maintain too

 

[mgamer20o0]

well when you are painting the stand maybe paint the background too? black is a very nice solid color.

shrimp or snails?

 

[underwater]

If they were compatible I would love to have any/all of these: shrimp (multiple types), snails (possibly more than one type), lobsters or mini lobsters or crayfish or similar, crabs of various types, clams (I know that is NOT possible by far)... pretty much whatever... I tend to like those... I think some of them I like even more than a lot of fish. But I definitely do want some fish. Although, I would probably be scared of holding any inverts in my hand, so I would want them to be net-able types, lol.

For the stand, I think I would ideally find a used one at a good price, and buy it soon. If I did buy one (a typical wood one with cabinets is what I am wanting), can I put something underneath the stand to raise it up, or is that more risky or anything? Of course there is not that good of a chance I will find one that is worth the effort and expense, but I am wondering if I should at least try. Before going the painting route.

This stand doesn't have cabinets and it's holding the tank crooked slightly It might be the floor partly, but I bet it is mostly the stand. I know I should just stick something underneath the back edges to level it out. What do I stick under there?

 

[mgamer20o0]

check craisglist and post wanted....

most loaches will eat snails. most larger fish will eat shrimp. those types of things do best in 10-20 gallon invert only tanks.