For this 120-gallon I did not have to decide much about the equipment, substrate and decor, because I'm determined to use what I already have to keep my costs down. Having so many different setups over so many years I have quite a collection of equipment and supplies.
A word on filtration: This tank came with two Rena Filstar XP3 filters, and this is one aspect that made me choose to answer this particular ad on Craig's List. I have several other Filstar filters, including an XP4 on the 150, an XP1 on the 45, and an XP3 on the 45-gallon goldfish tank at work. One great thing about these filters is that the hose connection is identical on all different sizes, so I can take the body of the filter away and put another size on the tank and the connector will fit - plug and play, so to speak. I had been using the XP1 on the goldfish tank at work (it came with the tank) but that is inadequate for a filthy goldfish tank of that size, so I simply left the hose connector assembly on the tank when I removed the body of the XP1, since when you lift the handle to remove the hoses from the body of the filter it closes a valve, so you don't lose your siphon in the hoses. I brought an XP3 in and connected it under the tank, and away we went. I put the XP1 as extra filtration on the 45 at home, and it snapped right on. This is a very handy feature of these filters.
Also, since the two XP3 filters on the 120 are both brand new with all clean media, I can take the well cycled, gunky XP3 filter off the 45 at work and bring it home and it will fit right onto the hose assembly of one of the filters on the 120, and take the clean filter body to work and snap it into place like it was there all along, thus seeding my 120 (when fish are added). Another great benefit of having multiple tanks with similar equipment!
Back to planning: The main thing I need to decide is what to stock in this tank. As previously mentioned, I had plans for a native tank, which I have always wanted to do, and I feel that a large tank is required for most native species. However, after researching the natives I decided they were not really what I want right now.
Next, I'll put some of the Geophagus "Tapajos" in the 120 as well, maybe just 3 or 4. When you look at the bottom of this tank it is not really all that much room, not like a 5 or 6' tank would have (which is really more appropriate - most species want lateral space rather than height), so I don't want to load up the bottom. However, I DO admire the Geophagus altifrons, which is a larger species but very impressive, and I could have a pair in this tank. I'll start out with some red-head Tapajos since I have them on hand but I will plan on the G. altifrons at some point in the future.
Now, we need some sort of dither fish, don't we? I was inclined to stick with what I have and put black neons and rosy tetras (H. bentosi, H. rosacea) but I wanted something different, and I found it. I'm going to add some Puntius denisonii. These are NOT true to the biotope by any means, coming from India, and are expensive and large schooling fish, but this is a species that I have wanted to keep for a very long time. I just love their markings and they truly do school very well. They get about 6" long, so you need some space for them, and I think they will round out the stocking of the 120 very nicely.
The angels are the only wild cards here, since it is impossible to determine in advance whether a group will get along, since pairing is inevitable and a pair of angels can be a problem, even in a large tank. We'll have to wait and see. Fortunately, I have the two other tanks where I can shuffle the angels around, or sell some off if I have issues.
Denison's barbs, aka torpedo barb, redline shark, roseline shark, etc. are peaceful for barbs, and are apparently endangered in the wild. They are not cheap, either! I saw some on Drs. Foster and Smith for $38 per fish. My local PetSmart has them for $9.99 and I think that is a bargain. I've seen some that did not look so hot there, but they were very small and may still have retained some juvenile markings that I did not recognize, but they could have been hybrids. I'll save my money and bide my time.
Once I decide to stock the tank I'll be able to move the filter over from the 45 at work and hook it to the hose assembly for one of the XP3's on the 120, and take the uncycled filter off the 120 and put it on the tank at work. That tank is mature enough to handle having a new filter, and the seeded filter will jump-start the cycle on the 120. I'll probably start with some of the Denison barbs to get thing started with the seeded filter and once I'm confident we've got a cycle completed (a silent one, I hope) then I'll add some of the angels.
This is fun!
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