Hey whats up everyone? Im new to the fish world and i just bought a 120 gallon tank and i need to get a filter for it and i was wondering if its better to get two medium sized canisters or one big ass one and whats brands? Any ideas on what kind of fish i could do?
New aquarium
- Thread starter sleepyox
- Start date
welcome and congrats on your new tank!
i bought my new 175 a month ago and got a fluval fx5 for it.it also has a fluval 405 which i was running on another tank and cycled. very happy with the fx5 its quiet,catches a serious amount of big fish "debris" .i have the 405 filled with bio media.and the fx5 media compartments are filled with bio balls.
i think the fx5 alone would be perfect for your tank as long as it is not overstocked, and is a good price also
i bought my new 175 a month ago and got a fluval fx5 for it.it also has a fluval 405 which i was running on another tank and cycled. very happy with the fx5 its quiet,catches a serious amount of big fish "debris" .i have the 405 filled with bio media.and the fx5 media compartments are filled with bio balls.
i think the fx5 alone would be perfect for your tank as long as it is not overstocked, and is a good price also
Ideally you want to make sure your filtration turns your water over 8-10 times an hour. A little extra certainly wont hurt, especially with cichlids. A single Fx5 would certainly achieve that and then some.
As for fish, I'm fond of Convicts, Cutteri, Salvini's, Jack Dempsey's as well as several others. It really gets down to the ones you like personally. Research what the fish you do decide to get for what tank mates typically work and their diets. Also make sure that whatever you do choose, that you stock lightly in the beginning and keep up on a couple water changes a week until your tank is cycled.
As for fish, I'm fond of Convicts, Cutteri, Salvini's, Jack Dempsey's as well as several others. It really gets down to the ones you like personally. Research what the fish you do decide to get for what tank mates typically work and their diets. Also make sure that whatever you do choose, that you stock lightly in the beginning and keep up on a couple water changes a week until your tank is cycled.
I would highly suggest going with a wet/dry filter instead of a canister. Far more effective for filtering and never break down, canisters always seem to crap out after a while and there is no good H20/Air interaction for better filtration. I bit more expensive up front but worth it in the long run.
As far as flow rates, that should depend on the kind of fish you keep. I would suggest picking your fish, THEN your flow rate. A lot of s. american cichilds prefer slow flow rates... ie. discus and geos.
As far as fish take a look at the smaller Geophagus, very colorful, peaceful, gentle, and fun to watch schooling. Plus not hard to keep.
Hope that helps. Congrats on the new tank!
As far as flow rates, that should depend on the kind of fish you keep. I would suggest picking your fish, THEN your flow rate. A lot of s. american cichilds prefer slow flow rates... ie. discus and geos.
As far as fish take a look at the smaller Geophagus, very colorful, peaceful, gentle, and fun to watch schooling. Plus not hard to keep.
Hope that helps. Congrats on the new tank!
an Fx5 would def be good but i have a 5ft 120 and i have a rena XP3 on it and it works great and is a bit cheaper than the Fx5, i have had the XP3 since i got the tank like 8-10 years ago and haven't had to replace a single piece, i just have it set up a little differently than they suggest, i have taken out the carbon and have the entire middle filled with bio media and then have sponges in the bottom and have sponge in the top part of the top container and bio-media in the bottom part of the top container and it works like a charm.
as for stock that really depends on what type of fish you like more, do you want a more peaceful tank or a more aggressive tank, do you want many smaller fish or just a few larger fish. for more peaceful tank i would do severums and angels with a small school of some type of geo. for more aggressive fish an example would be what i have in my tank right now, carpintis vontehillo, creamsicle midas, vieja argentea, and festae (but these are all juveniles 7in and under, i will most likely have to move around at least one of them once they all mature) i also have a few pictus cats and some senegal bichirs for the bottom but am thinking about getting rid of the sens and getting one delhezi or ornate
as for stock that really depends on what type of fish you like more, do you want a more peaceful tank or a more aggressive tank, do you want many smaller fish or just a few larger fish. for more peaceful tank i would do severums and angels with a small school of some type of geo. for more aggressive fish an example would be what i have in my tank right now, carpintis vontehillo, creamsicle midas, vieja argentea, and festae (but these are all juveniles 7in and under, i will most likely have to move around at least one of them once they all mature) i also have a few pictus cats and some senegal bichirs for the bottom but am thinking about getting rid of the sens and getting one delhezi or ornate
besides the really big boys you pretty much have a ton of options on stocking, peaceful, aggressive, wet pet or breeding pair of something mid sized with a school of silver dollars for dithers and activity. just look at pics and ask questions on here- dont take the word of lfs employee, not saying they all lie but better safe than sorry. good luck
thanks everyone for the ideas. i went and bought a fluval fx5 and as far as fish im still looking and reading up on them. thanks again.
Electric Blue Jack Dempseys all the way. sure, theyre expensive, but you wont find a more beautiful fish.