# 125g Cichlid Setup



## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

I have a 60g planted tank that I'm about to upgrade to a 125g tank I got for 100 bucks. I need help figuring out everything I will need for this tank.
1. Substrate - do I need a special substrate (sand, gravel, special caribsea substrate) I think I like tanks with darker substrate to hide poop
2. Filtration- I am thinking about running either a fx4 and a 303b sunsun I already have. Or maybe a fx6 and the sunsun 303b as extra biomedia 
3. Lights- right now I have a 48" 10k beamworks led from eBay. I figured I'd have to get a larger light since the tank will be a 72" tank. But it won't have to be anything special since I won't be growing plants.
4. Stock- I really know nothing about African cichlids but from what I've seen I really like peacocks and haps,or just a male only peacock tank sounds like a good idea from what I've read.
What is the clean up crew in these tanks though, I'd rather stay away from a 2ft long common pleco.
How do I stock it I'm sure every fish I'll buy will be a juvenile at first so does that mean I try and stock all 30 fish up front so there aren't any aggression issues from adding new fish in periodically?
4. Decor- from what I've seen other than the substrate a pile of bigger rocks across the bottom just to give it a little more than an empty tank seems normal
5.accessories- other than probably two heaters for a big tank like that will I need powerheads, air stones, spongefilters etc??? How much flow can these fish take without causing issue


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## Thalas_shaya (Mar 10, 2014)

Substrate mostly depends on your aesthetic tastes, but you can use it to affect water chemistry if you need buffering in your water (your water has naturally low KH and you don't wanna mess with it) you can use a crushed aragonite substrate (which is light in color) to do that job. I like a light substrate, and I don't like monkeying with water chemistry (I got 4 small kids, that's enough monkeying for me!) so I use a mix of pool filter sand and aragonite and I'm thrilled. So that's a tradeoff between the look you want and the chemistry you're willing to keep up with.

I use a sump and haven't been in the canister filter market for years. Hopefully someone else will chime in. Most agree that 2 canisters is ideal because then you can clean them on an alternating schedule without disturbing your biofiltration too much. I like two canisters because I'm an engineer and a failsafe/redundancy makes engineers happy.

I've seen some reviews on the Beamswork lights and they seem a little bit flaky (sometimes an LED or two will die) but given that you will have a fish only tank, that's probably tolerable. You have a planted 60g, so I assume you know about lighting.

Typically, cleanup is handled by some kind of synodontis shoal or bristlenose plecos, so you can easily avoid the giant common pleco and have some fun little cleaners in your tank. Synodontis multipunctatis, synodontis nigriventris, Ancistrus sp., synodontis lucipinnis, and synodontis eupterus are all common choices. If you haven't already read the library article here on all-male tanks and some of the cookie-cutter stock lists, start there. You can determine what fish will be your centerpiece and then work out from there. When you have a good idea what you want, the locality forums here are a great place to get specific stocking advice.

Decor - Yup.

Accessories - air stones are never a bad idea. These are oxygen-loving fish. Many people keep a sponge filter going in their main tank just so they'll have one cycled and ready to use on a quarantine or hospital tank. Since you'll have canisters, you could always just grab a handful or two of biomedia from one of those and use it in whatever emergency tank you need. Most of these fish like and/or love a good flow to play in, so you can use power heads to blow debris up off the substrate or to create surface riffling with no problem.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Blizowman1 said:


> 1. Substrate - do I need a special substrate (sand, gravel, special caribsea substrate) I think I like tanks with darker substrate to hide poop


 Black sand does not hide feces well and may cause the fish to color down. Not a whole lot of medium color sands around. Pool filter sand is a natural color, cheap and easy to maintain with it's 20 grain size.



Blizowman1 said:


> 4. Stock- I really know nothing about African cichlids but from what I've seen I really like peacocks and haps,or just a male only peacock tank sounds like a good idea from what I've read.


 Read the all-male article in the Cichlid-forum Library to be sure you want the cons along with the pros.



Blizowman1 said:


> What is the clean up crew in these tanks though, I'd rather stay away from a 2ft long common pleco.


 Feed less. Synodontis are a great addition to the tank but the cichlids themselves will clean up just as much food as Synodontis.



Blizowman1 said:


> How do I stock it I'm sure every fish I'll buy will be a juvenile at first so does that mean I try and stock all 30 fish up front so there aren't any aggression issues from adding new fish in periodically?


 Buying juvenile can be a problem for an all-male tank. Females look alike across the peacocks and even among some of the haps so once you mix them, you will not be able to rehome the females...you won't know which species is which. Consider buying adult males. Once you have the 72" tank think in terms of 18 adults that mature <= six inches.



Blizowman1 said:


> 5.accessories- other than probably two heaters for a big tank like that will I need powerheads, air stones, spongefilters etc??? How much flow can these fish take without causing issue


 Don't exceed 10X GPH hourly. I do not use powerheads or air stones but they are not bad, just not necessary if you have enough filtration with your canisters.


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

So I found a site <vendor name removed> and they say that they've been in it so long that they can pretty much pick out male juvies for you when you order. And I've been told many times to keep like 30 in my 72" long tank


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

OK go with that advice then. I doubt if you are going to get consensus...you pretty much choose your advisor and go with what they say.


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

Back in 2011 I had a 125g all male peacock / hap tank.




















I'll answer some of your questions based on my experience in red below.....



Blizowman1 said:


> I have a 60g planted tank that I'm about to upgrade to a 125g tank I got for 100 bucks. I need help figuring out everything I will need for this tank.
> 1. Substrate - do I need a special substrate (sand, gravel, special caribsea substrate) I think I like tanks with darker substrate to hide poop
> *- Believe it or not light colored will show less poop. On my 125g I used pool filter sand. I used a FX5 and made a spraybar out of 3/4" PVC and the sand stayed spotless between weekly water changes.*
> 2. Filtration- I am thinking about running either a fx4 and a 303b sunsun I already have. Or maybe a fx6 and the sunsun 303b as extra biomedia
> ...





Blizowman1 said:


> So I found a site <vendor name removed> and they say that they've been in it so long that they can pretty much pick out male juvies for you when you order. And I've been told many times to keep like 30 in my 72" long tank


I purchased a lot of my colored males in my videos above from them (The German Red and Taiwan Reef were purchased form my LFS and the pink albino was purchased form a member here.). When I did deal with them they had very nice and healthy fish but I would never trust someone to pick out a juvenile as a male unless it's showing some type of color. The last thing you want is a female or two in a tank full of males.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.

The vendors I use are right 99 44/100s percent of the time but the males are not juveniles.


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

So here's another question if I'm using pool filter sand in this 125 then how much arganite needs to mixed into the filter sand to produce a sufficient buffering affect, and what benefits would drilling the back of the tank and using a overflow box and sump


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Do you know if you need to buffer your tap water? If you haven't already, buy a GH (hardness) and KH (alkalinity) test kit, I use the API brand.

Do you currently have an aquarium test kit and if so, which brand and type?

I'll let others respond regarding using a sump.


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

If you haven't done some already test your tap water.

Depending on how low your waters pH is I personally wouldn't buffer as long as the pH is stable.

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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

Idk the gh or kh but the ph stays around 7.2-7.6, I could get a kit for gh and kh


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

Blizowman1 said:


> Idk the gh or kh but the ph stays around 7.2-7.6, I could get a kit for gh and kh


What test are you using to test? Strips or a liquid solution?

7.2 is low but 7.6 is ok.

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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

I have a api master kit for freshwater, it's just so hard to tell the colors apart sometimes. That's kind of why I just thought I'd use some Aragonite so I wouldn't really have to worry about it that mich


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I have had aragonite in my tanks for 10 years and the pH has not changed one point.

The KH test is not shades of color, and the other members are right, you need to know if the KH is high enough to make your pH stable, or if it is not.

It would not hurt anything if you use crushed coral in one of your filter trays, but if you don't know if your KH is bad to start with, how will you know if it improves when you add the crushed coral?


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

Blizowman1 said:


> I have a api master kit for freshwater, it's just so hard to tell the colors apart sometimes. That's kind of why I just thought I'd use some Aragonite so I wouldn't really have to worry about it that mich


I hear you on the colors...sometimes it's hard to tell.

You're checking your water 24hrs later too right? If not let it sit for 24hrs and then check your pH.

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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

Ok so I'm gonna order a gh and kh kit today so I'll come back with my results, what are the proper levels for a cichlid tank


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would not worry about GH. If KH is 7 or higher then your pH should be stable.


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

If my kh is 7 or higher my ph will be stable, so that means adding crushed coral to the substrate would keep the tank ph at around 8? Sorry to keep asking but it's starting to get confusing


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

A stable pH of 7.6 is good for African Rift Lake cichlids. To see if it will be stable at 7.6 without additives, you will check KH.

You would not add crushed coral to the substrate. You would add it to your filter to replace some of the media in one of the trays. You can try to do this if your KH is less than 7 but if it is already 7 then not necessary.


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## Thalas_shaya (Mar 10, 2014)

As for your sump question, it comes down to aesthetics and maintenance hassles. A sump enables you to put more of your "stuff" in the cabinet below so you only have the overflow and return in the tank, and any powerheads. You don't need airstones or bubblers because the overflow oxygenates the water as it moves into the sump, and heaters are in the sump. Also, you don't have to clean canisters, which for some is a major plus. You do have to swap out filter socks or floss or whatever you're using for mechanical filtration, but I find that easier to do in my sump where I just reach in and switch socks instead of having to shut off a canister and haul it out into the back yard/bath tub. Some like the quietness of canisters over sump overflows, which can be noisy depending on the kind and how much you fiddle with them. Mine is a herbie and not very fiddly. I also take advantage of the sump to run a continuous automatic water changer (a drip of tap water in the return chamber and a siphon drain from the biomedia chamber) with a dosing pump delivering dechlorinator to the return. The drain goes out from the back of the sump and stand cabinet through a hole in my external wall and drips into my yard. If you have designs on any of that sort of thing, a sump is good for that. Lots of folks love their canisters, though, and find them simpler to manage, even though the cleaning is a bit of work.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Agree canisters are quieter. But aesthetics you can get the same advantage with a canister. Use in line heaters and hide the filter intakes behind a 3D in tank background. Which is a plus if you are concerned about aesthetics as well.


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

Yea I'd like a 3D back ground but man I looked them up and 400 bucks is pretty steep for a tank I paid 100 bucks for. And a sump might be ok but I have a fear of drilling my tank lol and a hang on back over flow and sump or wet dry filter is the same price as a fx4 or fx6. And I got my gh kh test kit just haven't had time to test my tap, i will test this week though


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Then black paint on the back of the tank and the only visible equipment will be the filter intakes.


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

I've seen on a couple posts about the use of salt and baking soda what are these used for and are they needed


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

Blizowman1 said:


> I've seen on a couple posts about the use of salt and baking soda what are these used for and are they needed


Baking soda raises your pH. If it's stable but low I personally wouldn't mess with it.

Using salt is up to you. I don't see a need for it but some do.

Cichlids are easy to take care of, don't over think / complicate things.

Just my .02¢.

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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Did we ever get the OP's test results for KH?


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

Ok so I'm going to test my kh and the instructions say when the water turns from blue to yellow it's done. The problem is the kh bottle has orange solution in it not blue


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

Is it possible that my kh and gh are so low that when I put the first drop In they were already changed in color cause kh says when it turns from blue to yellow, but the liquid was orange looking when I put it in, and the gh say when it turns geeen from orange but the drops are green


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

Well after watching a YouTube video on the kh test I tested again, and my kh is 2 straight out of the tap


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Which brand test kit for GH and KH are you using?


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

Sorry for all the double posts idk what's up, but I ordered a api liquid test kit


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would see what happens when you add crushed coral to the filter. If that does not boost your KH up high enough to give you a stable pH then I would add baking soda to your tank.


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

Well I haven't set up the 125g yet I'm just trying to make sure I know what to do. I did happen upon a fx6 today at petsmart for 250


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

Could I use the fx6 as intended and just pack the sunsun 303b I have full of bio media and crushed coral, will that buffer my kh and ph enough for a cichlid tank, plus maybe mix some aragonite or crushed coral into my pool filter sand??? I also have about 80lbs of eco complete and my dad has black marine sand stuff that I could use just to make a mess of substrat, the last is just a thought but maybe not a good one


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Stone in the tank and substrate made no difference whatsoever for me even after 10 years. You don't want different textures in your substrate, remember these fish want to filter sand through their gills.

I am not suggesting the coral in the filter (dissolves faster with the water flowing through it) just to bump up your KH. Your pH is OK...but a higher KH will keep it stable. You can fill one tray in either filter with crushed coral and try it and see if it raises your KH. If not then you know you have to use baking soda.

The substrate is a different topic than boosting KH and that is more about finding a material that looks good and the fish can sift through their gills. The eco complete is kind of chunky isn't it? People do use it but I have avoided for this reason, along with cost.

Can't give an opionion on black marine sand stuff without knowing more about exactly what it is.


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

So is there a set amount of baking soda that raises the levels to a certain spot or is it a trial and error type thing once I have the tank up


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Trial and error. Do your testing in a bucket with a measured amount of water and then if you have the right amount for 1 gallon, multiply it to get the right amount for 125 gallons.


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

Is there too much baking soda, and how high can ph go in total


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

So my dad said he uses soda ash in his salt water tank, but I believe he has crushed coral sand as his substrate too though, and he runs his sodas ash off an auto doser


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

If your pH is 7.6 but your kH is low use baking soda.

If your pH is 7.2 and your kH is low use a little soda ash.

You need to grab a 5g bucket and do some testing. Ask your Dad to help you. Since he has a SW tank he knows how to adjust water parameters.

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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

So if baking soda can't buffer above 8.2 then why can't I just buy a rolling 55g trash can use it for my water change and dose it with baking soda every water change


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You can but that is not necessary. Not everyone has room for a 55G drum.

You are using the bucket only to get the amounts right. You don't need the bucket for every water change.


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

But in a 125g overstocked cichlid tank you have to do big water changes right?? So won't I be adding baking soda every water change because of the big changes


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Change 50% weekly. Mix the right amount of baking soda in a small container and add it with the Python water.


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## Blizowman1 (Feb 12, 2019)

So add it like prime during the python fill up


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes.


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