# 125gal stocking ideas...



## aaxxeell (Jul 28, 2007)

hey guys, im getting bored with my africans in my 6ft and was wondering what possibilities were available when stocking it with ca's???
i have kept oscars and convicts etc in the past, and i think i've been bitten by the bug again...

i love jaguars, green terrors, cons & jack depseys..
however im planning for the Long term, i want a stable tank, any ideas on a good combination that would work in a 125gal tank????

cheers :thumb:


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## Nathan43 (Jul 9, 2007)

I would stay clear of the jag unless you want just one or two fish. Though I like the idea of a couple jacks, couple convicts and a sal.


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## trimac (Mar 27, 2003)

Since you like Green Terrors- I believe a Green Terror, Jack Dempsey, and a Texas Cichlid would look tight!! You might even be able to add a Salvini or even a Cuban Cichlid.


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## cage623 (Feb 2, 2008)

I agree with Nathan on the jags. I would not go with them for that tank unless you just want the one fish in the tank down the road. I would go with a GT, a Jack, and maybe a pair of something a little smaller (cons, sals, or firemouths). Or you could scrap the pair for a couple of other cichlids. These are great fish and easy to find. If it was my tank I might think about trying out a pair of something larger such as a pair of Midas, or Tri-mac. I would say as long as you don't over stock this tank, everything gets along, and you are happy with all of your fish that is all that matters. Good luck and let us know what you go with.


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## cichlidboy17 (Jan 23, 2005)

I would say go with the cons like a smale trio maybe..and the jaguar..or the dempsey..taht way the larger fish could eat some babies lol...


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## cage623 (Feb 2, 2008)

I hate to say it cichlidboy, but IMO that wouldn't work long term.


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## ThefishSupplier (Aug 19, 2005)

You could do a central american community tank with Firemouths, leporinus, sailfin mollies, convicts, and maybe swordtails. It would be pretty nice mainly due to that each are different in colors (depending on which ones you get).


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## lil mama (Nov 24, 2007)

trimac said:


> Since you like Green Terrors- I believe a Green Terror, Jack Dempsey, and a Texas Cichlid would look tight!! You might even be able to add a Salvini or even a Cuban Cichlid.


I agree 100% with this idea. This would be a lot of great, different colors and big personality fish as well. I bet they would all line up at the front of the tank and "beg" for your attention every time you walk in the room!


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## trimac (Mar 27, 2003)

lil mama-I know it would make an Awesome tank-I mean the color alone would be a sight for sore eyes-but the size and personality would be awesome-and though they are large fish they do not get overly large or aggressive (well maybe the Texas) :lol: 
Here's another idea and I will probably get criticized for this but it works (atleast it did for me)
Why not try-GT Jack and either a Cuban or Salvini (maybe a mid-sized Pike Cichlid) and then get a school of like 5 tin foil barbs-the reason for the barbs is they make the tank look more active-when the cichlid are small the tank will look empty but with the barbs it will look nicer-barbs are tough grow large and are not hard to care for-they do though reach 14 inches!
If not the barbs maybe a catfish-like an Eclipse Catfish or an African Brown Knifefish-that may work to! You have quite a few options in a 125 gallon-I would stay away from-Jag, Dovii, Umbee, Trimac, Red Devil or Midas, and Buttikefori-if you plan to have a GT or JD reason being most are too large for your tank and way too aggressive for the fish you want.


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## aaxxeell (Jul 28, 2007)

whoa thanks for all your input guys! :thumb:

yeah the GT is a must, after that id like a jd and couple of cons or a cuban/salvini.

im just not sure 3 big fish (gt/jd/texas) would really get along when they get to a decent size...
wouldnt they get cranky from being cramped up?


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## lil mama (Nov 24, 2007)

I know what you mean when it comes to owning a GT. I knew I had to have one the first time I saw one. My little guy (just got him about a month ago) is coloring up nice. Once he got used to the tank and started eating good his colors started coming in beautifully. I have a 125g, it's stocked with a 8" to 9" male Midas, 3 1/2" female Salvini, 3 1/2" Firemouth (sex?), 3 female Convicts (1 pink, 1 barred, 1 marbled), Raphael cat, and a pleco.


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## Feverdream (Mar 28, 2005)

Whenever you start thinking about doing a large community of American cichlids, you have to decide whether you want anything to breed, and whether or not you want to actually keep all of the fish that you are putting into the tank. If you swap fish often, or if you have multiple tanks, it gets a lot easier...

Here's what I presently have in one of my 125s. A male Jag, a pair of Blackbelts, 4 Red Devil/Midas, 2 Salvini, a Green Terror, 2 Uros, a Jack, and a Gibby.

Too many fish... right?

Well... maybe not. They are not all staying. Heck... I pit the RDs and Jacks (there used to be more) into the tank as dither fish. As they've grown, I've pulled them out-- given them to friends, sold them to the LFS... whatever.

The Blackbelts bred successfully... and the fry were turkey-basterized (like that word?) into a 5G fry tank.

Pairs make this a LOT harder. Just be prepared to move fish when things go badly, and keep them a bit crowded... it works just as well with American cichlids as it does with Africans... it's just a different kind of crowded! Heh!

Good luck...


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## chrispyweld (Dec 20, 2005)

I have a pair of cutteri, pair of Fire Mouths, a female salvini, and a "Pineapple" Severum. Swordtail's and silver dollars as dithers. Rubberlip plecs and a Raphael cat as clean up. Love my tank very active and colorful. May have to move somthing later but for now with everything on the small side it's going fine.

The pairs have the ends the Salvini has the middle and the Severum hangs out in the top of the plants and higher up in the tank although it is not seen as a threat and is able to go where it likes other than when a pair is breeding.

This type of set up with a GT as the loner could work out for you that is what I had before my GT died. He was the center piece so I started all over with smaller fish.


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## MetalHead06351 (Oct 3, 2007)

you could go with a more active looking tank. Currently I have 3 cichlids in my 125g, but it leaves me open for lots of other fish that fill up space and make the whole tank more active. The stocklist is 1 jd, 1 crenicichla lepidota, and 1 texas for cichlids and for bottom feeders I have 1 synodontis ocellifer, 1 s. eupterus, 2 polypterus senegalus, 1 yoyo loach, and 1 bn pleco. They all keep the bottom and midground moving around all day. I have 12 giant danios, 10 tiger barbs, 10 swordtails(bad idea by the way), and 2 red tailed sharks keeping the upper level of the tank looking good. Its a great setup, and if you want to go with less cichlids in a big tank a similar setup could work, just use different fish. The amount going on makes sure that something interesting is always going on in there.


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## trimac (Mar 27, 2003)

I don't know about comparing Americans and Africans-for one Africans are a lot smaller and secondly don't display the same type of aggression-Your GT Jack and Texas will only reach tops 12 inches that is more than enough room it is not like you are getting a Jag or Dovii. Why not try the school of Tin Foils?


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