# 125 Gallon Setup



## Jgodam (Sep 29, 2015)

Hi guys n gals ... Purchased a 125 gallon tank n stand this past weekend.. Looking to stock it with african cichlids.. Am a complete novice  in this area. Have a lot of quesitons. I'll just start with the basics...
:fish: 
What type of filtration should i be looking at? The aquarium will be a Tropheus only setup..

Whats the proper water flow? 
Whats the proper heating arrangement?
Is lighting important for a fish only setup?

Looking forward to your feedback...Thank you to everyone who responds


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

Should I ??? Lol.

See...I just went through this too. Completed last step about two hours ago, added fish to my newly cycled 125 gallon 72" x 18" tank.

Here is my equipment and supplies list:
Tank and stand
Perfecto glass aquarium tops
Fluval FX6
Fluval 406
Hydor Evo Power Head 1500 gph (not necessary)
(2) Penn Plax 300W Submersible heaters
(2) Current 24" Satellite + LED lighting fixtures w/Dual Ramp Timer
130 lbs Lace Rock
120 lbs African Cichlid Mix - Ivory Coast Sand


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

Other items:
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
KH & GH Test Kit (doesn't come with master kit)
Aqeon or Python Water Change Hose Kit
Prime dechlorinator
Power strip with built in timer
Digital thermometer

The only other thing you could possibly need.......
Hours of research right here in the forum library, read and reread many posts of other forum members on many different topics (tons of information in these posts), and don't be shy....post your questions!

I started my first aquarium ever just a few months ago, a 29 gallon community tank. Now after two months gathering equipment, rock, substrate and setting it all up I have a 125 gallon 72" x 18" Cichlid haven.

Stock list:
1 m, 7 f Labeotropheus Fuelleborni OB
1 m, 7 f Pseudotropheus Maingano
1 m, 4 f Labidochromis Caeruleus ( Yellow Lab )
1 m, 4 f Cynotilapia sp Hara ( White Top Hara )
1 m, 4 f Iodotropheus Sprengerae ( Rusty )
5 Synodontis Multipunctatus

Here's some photos of my setup...I'll post some with fish tomorrow (they are on lights out tonight)

Rocks set up on egg crate to prevent shifting and pressure points on the glass


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## fltekdiver (Sep 27, 2015)

Beautiful tank, nice job ! You make the background ?


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## Jgodam (Sep 29, 2015)

Thanks everybody... Im doing just that tonight.. Reading and researching as much as I can  ... Just one more question.. How much rock should I put in? 1LB/Gallon? ...and about filtration is it species dependent? or are 2 fluval 406 a minimum for a 125gallon setup?

Thanks once again

Great looking set up btw rogerthat :thumb:


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## Samadhikash (Jun 16, 2015)

Congrats on the new tank. Once you get the basic equipment down, there are two steps that can make your experience joyful or dreadful.

1) Understand the nitrogen cycle of your aquarium and what it means to cycle a tank.
2) Don't put a fish in your tank if you don't know what it is and know that it's appropriate for your tank.

Lots of people here to give you awesome advice on both accounts. Doing it right the first time may seem like a P.I.T.A, but the effort pays off in the long run.


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## fltekdiver (Sep 27, 2015)

I think the pound per gallon is salt water. That's what I use as a guide line in my SW tanks

I believe freshwater it depends on what fish your going to have, and lots of hiding spaces because their territory

I'm just setting up my first Cichlid tank but had been in SW tanks for years, so I'm not 100% sure

Good luck !


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

Tropheus may not be the easiest road for just starting out, but I have that same bug...You'll want to start out with 25-40 fish most likely. I'd recommend starting with something else, honestly. There are a lot of other cichlids which are far more forgiving to mistakes than Tropheus are. That and combined with needing a large colony off the bat can lead to expensive losses. Starting out with Tropheus, I lost a colony, it really sucks to lose $400 in fish.

You may also want to look at trophs.com and the Tanganyikan section here for specific information about tropheus. How much rock is both an aesthetic question (what looks good to you) and a practical question - more rock can make cleaning and circulation more difficult as well as make netting fish tough (ex holding females). I've never weighed the rock in my tropheus tank, but there is a fairly large amount of it.

Tropheus can go either way with rock - lots or minimal. There are proponents of less is more in that it does not allow fish to establish firm territories and therefore fewer squabbles.

I like a bit of redundancy in filtration, if going with canisters, get a pair of the same ones. This way it is easier to store spare parts as you only need them for one type of filter. Your thought of a pair of 406 would be adequate. That said, I prefer sumps on larger tanks, but if the tank is not drilled, you'd need hang on back overflows. Some folks don't like/trust them, but I used them for 10 years without issue.


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

fltekdiver said:


> Beautiful tank, nice job ! You make the background ?


The background is just a rock wall picture that you can pick up at any LFS. The rock is 130 pounds of Lace rock carefully stacked and arranged.


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

Jgodam said:


> Thanks everybody... Im doing just that tonight.. Reading and researching as much as I can  ... Just one more question.. How much rock should I put in? 1LB/Gallon? ...and about filtration is it species dependent? or are 2 fluval 406 a minimum for a 125gallon setup?
> 
> Thanks once again
> 
> Great looking set up btw rogerthat :thumb:


Two Fluval 406's would work but you may need a power head down low to help push the water around. 6' of water is a lot to push around! You want to shoot for 8x to 10x flow of the volume of your tank. So if you have 120 lbs of substrate and 130 lbs of rock then you have somewhere around 100 gallons of water. 8x to 10x the flow rate of 100 gallons is 800 to 1,000 gph flow rate. The flow rates displayed by the manufacturers of the filters are without media so actual flow rates can be significantly less. A simple power head will give you the needed boost in flow.

Rock....depends on what you want to stock. Mbuna would typically use more (pound per gallon is a start) but many just put a minimal amount of rock in. I like the interaction of the fish in a more natural habitat than just aimlessly swimming around in a mostly empty tank.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I have three Tropheus colonies in 120g tanks. In each tank I use two Eheim 2217's, two (double stacked) # 5 sponges powered by maxi jet 1200 power heads and one Koralia 1500 for extra water movement. I use one 250w Jagr heater in each tank and Coralife double 48" T5 fixtures. Each tank contains between 30-36 Trophs. I use playsand as a substrate and limestone rocks to allow males to establish territories.


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## Roger That (Aug 12, 2015)

As promised.....


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