Big Tank Suggestions???

[Demonfish]

Okay. About a year ago, my now ex-wife, got me a massive... MASSIVE, used 225 gallon tank. 6'X2'X2.5'. I had to due some repairs on it and don't trust it to hold water. Luckily, it was free. I might put some reptiles in there at some point, but for now it sets empty. However, I am ready to make the upgrade from my standard 55 gallon tank. I'm looking at two tanks right now, both of which are at Petsmart. I am wanting to get either a 6' long 125 (could be 135, can't remember) or the shorter 4' long 120 gallon tank. Both of these would fit nicely into my budget. I want to, first and foremost, create a kickass, natural looking, dark, boggy/marsh style tank. Over the years, I have gathered lots of drift wood and things that I have used in all of my tanks. I have pieces that are waterlogged and pieces that float.And I intend to have some killer plants (plastic, never been good with live). Getting to my dillema...
First, I don't want to get stuck in the situation I am in with the 55 of not having enough tank (front to back) width to create the look I'm going for. I don't think either tank would present a problem in that regard, but the shorter/taller tank would be better. However, the tall tank poses a question mark because it is so much taller than the long tank and I don't want it to look barren on the upper levels. Really cool looking fish seem to gravitate towards the middle and lower realm of the tank. I'd like to have top to bottom activity. The other dillema that I have is not knowing exactly what I want to put in here. I currently have a Red Devil (9") in the 55 and a 29 with some gourami's and neon tetras and a 30 with a flowerhorn (6"). I like cichlids, love them actually, but since I want the tank layout to be the main focus, their destructive behavior would upset what I am going for. So, are there smaller less destructive cichlids out there? I've thought about African's, but this is going to be very different from the typical rock layered African tank. And if I went with smaller community type fish, are there any cool looking species that are surface dwellers that I have over looked? Any advice or recommendations on the tank and also how and with what to stock it with would be greatly appreciated.
Matt

 

[rob0521]

FW barracudas will be good for that size tank and will keep some top water activity and most likely will not mess with your decorations.

 

[id10t]

How about a couple of discus, or for a cheaper option, NA Natives? A few pumpkinseeds would look awesome! Check the native forum down below

 

[Mystix212]

I like the 4x2x2 tanks (120G) as the 2ft depth and 4ft length gives the tank more of a 'cube' look to it. Allowing you to IMO create a better peice of nature in it.

If your up for the money, a Discus Bio-type would be great. But on the other hand, theres not many (If any at all) large cichlids that will tolerate plants. To my knowledge, Firemouths, Cons, Severums, Jack Dempseys?, and other mid sized cichlids dont rip up plants.

 

[ShadowBass]

Don't worry about the height looking barren. You can fix that with proper aquascaping and stocking.

A few suggestions:
Rather than just laying the driftwood on the bottom, tilt lighter pieces diagonally against the back or sides so they reach the top of the tank.

Put either realistic looking plants or java fern (believe me, it's usually really hardy) on your driftwood to add some height and fill in the upper areas a little bit.

Floating plants, either fake or real.

And then stock with fish that are either midlevel or top level swimmers. Midlevel fish will be more likely to venture to the top when there's some cover up there and they feel safe.

If you have floating plants even bottom dwellers will sometimes appear at the top. In my native tank my bullhead lays and swims around the top of my driftwood constantly. In my 90g, which is high, I have floating plastic plants and you can see my ropefish laying in them and interacting in there constantly.

Right fish and right aquascaping and top activity shouldn't be a problem.

As far as fish that mostly stick to the top no matter what, there's several schooling fish that seem to do that and they'd add activity yet you need not risk them getting eaten. Giant danios or rainbows are a good example.
You won't find many fish that are ONLY top dwellers though. Hatchetfish and african butterfly fish come to mind but they may not fit in what the other stocking you want.

I like cichlids, love them actually, but since I want the tank layout to be the main focus, their destructive behavior would upset what I am going for. So, are there smaller less destructive cichlids out there?

There are quite a few africans that aren't destructive and don't necessarily need rockwork. A lot of "hap" species fit the bill because they like a lot of open swimming area.

As far as south american species, there's angelfish and discus, though I'm not sure if these are the type of cichlids you had in mind.


You could probably get more information in the cichlid section of the forum.

 

[Demonfish]

QUOTE: "Put either realistic looking plants or java fern (believe me, it's usually really hardy) on your driftwood to add some height and fill in the upper areas a little bit." END QUOTE

Does Java fern require special lighting to thrive and flourish?

 

[ShadowBass]

QUOTE: "Put either realistic looking plants or java fern (believe me, it's usually really hardy) on your driftwood to add some height and fill in the upper areas a little bit." END QUOTE

Does Java fern require special lighting to thrive and flourish?

You'll want to use a bulb that's 6500k spectrum, but in general they do just fine in low lighting so don't worry too much about wattage. If you can't find a flourescent bulb that specifically says 6500k then just use a bulb that's specifically for plants, either aquarium or not.

Wattage isn't really important with java fern, since like I said they do fine in low light, but you wanna make sure to change your bulbs every 6 months or they become pretty ineffective.