Ok, allow me to start with saying, I am new to fish.. I have a 125 freshwater setup, the only thing missing is the fish. I have no idea what I want. I want a passive/semi-aggressive tank... I do not like ciclids or discus... I like bright and dark colors but not dull... I really like oddly shapped fish.. I had considered a fire eel, but do not want to limit myself to one fish, and I have read that the eel would need the entire 125 to itself... Can I please get some ideas from everyone? Much appreciated.
My new 125 Gallon tank!! Ideas?
- Thread starter Jeka
- Start date
Are you looking for larger size fish (cichlids, etc) or a variety of smaller fish (tetras, danios, etc) ?
The main problem is the tank belongs to me and my boyfriend.. He wants a colorful community and I want dark and agressive.. We compromised and agreed to do a semi-agressive community, but I would imagine that means I would have to go with smaller fish so they can have space.. I do not know what I can put together that will meet my requirements though...
I am sure some others can help shed light on this but to get the best of both worlds you might want to try some barbs such as Tiger Barbs and some Barb species (Tinfoil Barbs) can grow to a pretty good size. Look them up on an online fish care site for actual sizes of the different barb species. You could also have Rainbow fish. When it comes to fish , even "peaceful" species will sometimes go after smaller fish even if they are not predatory. When it comes to cichlids (there are exceptions believe me) you generally are ok if you combine similarly sized types together. But make sure you do your research on cichlid compatibility, aggression, etc because there are species (green terror, etc) that are very aggressive and not well suited to be housed with other fish.
I really like eels and the prehistoric dragon goby... Ropefish, sharks (though I have yet to find a freshwater 'shark' I am fond of...) male bettas, I like the blue Johanni and demasoni Cichlids, but have been told if you have cichlids that is all you can have... I like the clown loach.. The issue is that the only fish I have listed here for you he likes at all is the prehistoric dragon...
I have been told that barbs are very aggressive... with what we both want, a saltwater tank would be best for us, but I know people who have had fish for 30+ years who can't maintain a saltwater tank... As I haven't even really had a freshwater tank to maintain, I don't think a difficult tank would be the best thing for me to start with..
you say you like prehistorics like rope fish and dragon goby, there are tons of polypterus species that you may like, just look at those threads commonly named bichirs, i think they are awesome i have 2 in my 125
A male betta with any of the fish we have discussed is a No. Bettas are far too fragile to be housed with semi aggressive type fish and most larger fish like Cichlids will end up eating him/her. Bettas are best kept either as single individuals, or with small peaceful fish (I keep my male with three white cloud mountain minnows) but you can also keep them with neon tetras, platys, any small peaceful fish (no long flowing fins though, so fancy guppies are not an option).
Have you tried searching Youtube? Many people post videos of their tanks and if you type in "125 gallon fish tank" or something to that extent you can see what others have stocked their 125s with. However because we all know there are many , shall we say, not so knowledgable fish keepers out there, if you find a few combos you like, or a few species from diff vids that catch your eye, make a list and then do some research on those species' behavior/size and once you reach a decision about what kind of combo you'd like, post the proposed stocking list here and see if others agree in your choice of a combination. If an overwhelming number agree its a decent combo, then start stocking. If many advise you to swap out certain ones or change the lineup entirely, best to heed the advice instead of having regrets later on.
Have you tried searching Youtube? Many people post videos of their tanks and if you type in "125 gallon fish tank" or something to that extent you can see what others have stocked their 125s with. However because we all know there are many , shall we say, not so knowledgable fish keepers out there, if you find a few combos you like, or a few species from diff vids that catch your eye, make a list and then do some research on those species' behavior/size and once you reach a decision about what kind of combo you'd like, post the proposed stocking list here and see if others agree in your choice of a combination. If an overwhelming number agree its a decent combo, then start stocking. If many advise you to swap out certain ones or change the lineup entirely, best to heed the advice instead of having regrets later on.