# New tank owner



## Fast351

Hello all,

Just wanted to do a quick introduction. I have had the itching to get a tank for quite some time. I have a couple of very close friends that are pretty "into" aquariums, and when I was visiting one of them recently, I decided I had to get it done.

My living room also has my home theater setup in it with a front projection setup. When I built it, the aquarium was already in the back of my mind, so I hung the motorized screen 20" forward from the wall to give myself some room. 

So when I was visiting my friend and enquired about tank size, he said "go as big as you think you want, then double it".

So I wound up with a 125 gallon setup.

I custom built a stand for it that would also hold the center channel for the home theater setup:










Here's what it looks like with the screen down:










Because of the limited space, there is no room behind the aquarium for the filter setup, so I decided a canister filter was the way to go. My local fish store recommended a Rena XP filter, so that's what I got.

Here is the setup:

125 gal All-Glass aquarium
Rena XP3 filter
Hydor ETH 301 300W inline heater (under aquarium).

I filled the tank last night, and upon the recommendation of our fish store, put Nitro-Sorb and Ammo chips in the center tray of the filter. The bottom has the standard 30/30/20/20 foam filter and the top has the microfiber filter in it. 

We don't have city water, so I filled it from the well. The well water is filtered (20 and 5 micron whole house filter) but no softening.

My question: Is it normal for the water to be cloudy when you first fill the tank? I bleach washed the inside of the tank (and rinsed it) and also rinsed all the gravel in the tank. 

Should this cloudiness go away, or is there something else I should do? Right now it's only been filled about 12 hours, so I guess I'll check it tonite when I get home. 

Thanks for the great forum!

-Mike


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## willow

hi and welcome aboard.
looks like it will be a fantastic aquarium.
regarding the cloudiness,yup it will clear,usually after 24hrs,
have you any idea what you wold like to keep in there ?


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## Fast351

Going to start with some Rosy Barbs. They came recommended because of their hardiness and general friendliness.

I want to set this tank up with many small fish that will school. I've always loved the look of Cardinal Tetras, I'll probably do a Clown Pleko to do janitorial duties, maybe some Silver Dollars, Harlequins, still pretty much open so far


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## willow

sounds great,
don't forget to post plenty of pics,we all love to see
photo diarys of how tanks progress.


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## Lupin

Welcome to Fishforum.com.:wave:


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## tangy

Welcome to the forum. Nice tank stand, u did a great job


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## Fast351

Just wanted you guys to know that my first fish are in the tank!










10 Rosy barbs went into the tank Saturday, and all are doing very well. They're active, and fun to watch. The ammonia level is starting to rise and the cycle is beginning. I hope these guys do good through the cycle because I already like them. 

Here's the rest of the pics (and a couple movies of the barbs):

http://www.fast351.com/aquarium/thefirstdays/

And the shiny new aquarium blog:

http://www.fast351.com/aquarium/


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## Lupin

Clown plecos (_Panaque maccus_) do not generally thrive on algae alone. Feed them veggies and provide them driftwoods to rasp on. These are wood eaters and will require wood in their diet.
http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=734

For that size of tank, I'd do some loaches, barbs, danios and rasboras instead. If you intend to make your tank planted, then avoid silver dollars. Before you buy loaches, research further on them. Several species are available but not all are suitable community fish.


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## Fast351

That's good to know! I was planning on feeding it algae flakes, what else do you recommend? The tank has a couple pieces of root in it.

-Mike


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## Lupin

Fast351 said:


> That's good to know! I was planning on feeding it algae flakes, what else do you recommend? The tank has a couple pieces of root in it.
> 
> -Mike


We actually have a fish database here on that pleco. Just click the scientific name in my previous post or click Fish Profiles on menubar. I'd supplement it with veggies including peas to help aid its digestion. If money is not an issue, _Sera Vipagran_, I believe, will be your answer to providing good food diet for this catfish. It contains wood supplements to aid your fish's digestion and is recommended for all wood-eating plecos.


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## willow

:thumbsup: 
looking great, thanks for sharing the pics,
i bet those fish are having a wonderful time.


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## Amphitrite

Welcome to the forum Mike, it's good to have you here. You've made an awesome job of the stand, and the tank is looking great.


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## herefishy

Welcome to the forum. Great setup. Are you watching "Jaws" this weekend? lol


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