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If I had a 220 Gallon Aquarium, I would stock....

On my way to getting my dream aquarium...

122K views 1K replies 53 participants last post by  djembekah 
#1 ·
We have a 20, 35, and 2 x 55 gallon tanks. Today we took the plunge and put a 6 foot, 125 gallon tank with stand on layaway. It will be our last tank.



It'll take a couple of months for me to pay off the tank, stand, heaters, filter, etc which gives me plenty of time to figure out what kind of substrate I want, whether or not I am finally going to try live plants, and what kind of fish to keep. Actually, i'm not even sure what kind of filter to get yet.

Our current tanks are very colorful and artificial looking (think Vegas, tacky but entertaining) as you can see in these pictures:





I'm thinking I would like the new tank to look more natural. We're going to use it as a room divider in our basement so it will be visible from both sides of the tank, we won't be using a background. So far I'm leaning toward some Balas, Barbs, and Loaches, if the tank is big enough.

Can't wait to get the sucker home and set up! Going to be a long couple of months. My 3 year wedding anniversary is July 18 and I'm hoping to have it then, as this is my anniversary gift.
 
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#38 ·
Either community fish like rainbows and move my fish in there my pleco is very large I also have queen loaches and I love Bolivian Rams. Plus I would like to have a planted tank also

If I feel I am ready I would really like and African Cichlid tank that was our dream tank my husband is wanting to build his own 3d wall for it so it will have to cycle for a very long time to make sure it doesnt change the ph level and such so we have time to figure what will go in
 
#41 ·
That would be great, if I lived anywhere near you.

Here 125 gallon tanks typically go for $600-800 used on kijiji and craigslist, with stand and usually with a filter. Two of my four tanks were used. One had to be resealed, it was a pain in the butt. Both used stands were beat up around the edges. Then there is the issue of transportation. My car will not fit a 6 foot tank or stand. The store delivers. Also, to buy used I would have to have the $600-800 all at once. With layaway I can pay a couple of hundred at a time. I'll admit, I'm crappy at saving.

My two used tanks and stands were great deals but they are not in nearly as nice condition as the two I bought new. This is going to be a major piece of furniture in our house so we decided to go all out.

(If I had ever seen a used 125 here for $100 I would have bought it in a second, and found someone with a truck to help me get it home). $100 is too good a deal to pass up. Why stop at one for that price?
 
#42 ·
Wow, things must be pricy up in Canada =O

The 125 is ~$360 here new (on sale). For a stand I built my own for ~$250. I have noticed though that people want wayyyy too much for used stuff in my region (New England). Deals can be had, but are rare.

So back on topic. Filters.

Check reviews on the Eheim Pro, I think their newest model of the Pro line is what's been getting a lot of poor reviews for leaking. They may have fixed the issue by now, but you'd have to research it. The Rena XP3 is a good filter, certainly take a look at it. The Eheim Classic line is pretty solid.

GPH is pretty useless really, depending on what you are wanting it for. Good for making currents for fish that need it, but in terms of actual filtering don't focus on it at all. Just get a filter that's advertised to work with your size aquarium. The majority of tropical fish prefer a gental current, or no current at all. A high current will stress them. So this is an area that you will have to decide on your fish to decide what filter flow rate is needed.

One canister is far superier than two HOBs. The canister will give you a nice current from one side to the other, evenly distributing the heat. Some fish will even face upstream like they would in a river. For live plants, a current like that will also make sure nutrients are avalible everywhere. Canisters are also much, much quieter to run.

For your equipment consider looking online. I don't know how Amazon compares in Canada, but here in the States their prices are generally at least equal, but often better than Petsmart/Petco (the two big chain stores here).
 
#43 · (Edited)
Amazon.com won't ship most items to Canada. There is an amazon.ca, but it is totally different than the US site. I just checked. Aquaclear 110 on Amazon.Ca, 89.99. I can buy it locally for that and not pay the shipping (no free shipping on that product on amazon.ca)

Canada is a totally different ballgame than the states. Shipping from the US to Canada usually involves high international shipping fees, plus duty charges, which negate any savings. Americans are always surprised at the prices up here.

I could get a new 125 gallon tank for less than $360 CAD at Big Al's, but it wouldn't include the lid or light fixture. The 72" light fixtures cost as much as the tank.

Anyway, I'm not complaining about the price. Around here you get what you pay for.

The Eheim Classic sounds like the best option for me. They stock it locally, which is handy, and probably also means I can buy parts locally. They also sell this on amazon.ca, for the same price as locally, but again with the added shipping costs. Shipping Costs make anything bulky too expensive to order off of E-Bay as well.
 
#44 ·
Well, the tank, stand and lights are about 75% paid for. My income tax return came in, that helped. ;)

I've decided to go with the Eheim Classic 2217 to start. Eventually I'm going to add a Aquaclear 110 as a backup. I've decided on black gravel substrate, and I am going to try the Java Ferns and Anubias. They sell some at my LFS. I like the look of Java moss too, I'll have to look into if they ever carry it.

Because of all the hoses and wires I think we're going to put the tank along a wall instead of as a divider. We like to use the backgrounds to hide all that stuff.

Can't wait to get it home and start setting it up.
 
#45 ·
Don't forget the weight of it all! Make sure it's on an outside wall crossing as many joists as possible and not running the length of 2. Just a thought.
I found Big Al's in Newmarket to be THE BEST Big Al's of 4. Whitby, Scar, Barrie and Newmarket. I am their's for life! :-D
120 gallon at Big Al's... 60" x 18" x 26" tall is $249. (plus HST of 13% for you Americans) But then there's the lid, lights, etc, etc, etc. ( I have a window in the way for a 72")

As for Craig's and Kijiji.... why do they want us to take away all their fish that are too big for the tank too? Just cause they don't want to deal with them any more.!! :dunno:
 
#46 ·
I'm putting it in the basement, which is a concrete foundation. I wouldn't risk putting it upstairs.

The 125 gallon at Big Al's here (72"x18"x22") with stand (actually made of wood, not MDF) plus glass lid and 72" double light fixture is 1099.99 + 13%

I owe just under $350 on it now.
 
#47 ·
I too have decided on the eheim 2217 classic, I am thinking Natural Blends Gravel Walnut, and I would like a uv sterilizer for the new tank too I have one in my current tank because I had green water and really like he fact that it kills bacterial infections on my fish so for me its a must in my new tank also. Although the Big Als in Whitby is the one I go too I would like to visit the Newmarket one its the same distance from my house as Whitby so I am going to check it out very soon.

Have you ever ordered from this site ? http://www.petsandponds.com I buy my supplies there its so muvh Cheaper then anywhere else the 2 Litre Cycle is 25 dollars cheaper, they are in Orillia and I recieved my order 2 days after I ordered, media food everything is cheaper
 
#48 · (Edited)
Have you ever ordered from this site ? http://www.petsandponds.com I buy my supplies there its so muvh Cheaper then anywhere else the 2 Litre Cycle is 25 dollars cheaper, they are in Orillia and I recieved my order 2 days after I ordered, media food everything is cheaper

I use them for almost all my equipment / supplies and have never had a problem with them, there prices in Canada cannot be beaten and they do ship very quickly. Last order I did last week, got a nice surprise off them in a freebie live rock cleaner / spot feeder for my saltwater tank valued at $18.99!

Only thing I wish they would add is aquariums :)
 
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#53 ·
AWESOME! This tank will be awesome and i agree bala sharks would go great in a 6 foot tank with a school. any ideas of what fish you know for SURE that you wan't to put in?
 
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#54 ·
We're really leaning towards building the community around the balas. We saw 2 at our LFS that had grown to 8 or 9 inches and they were really cool. Someone had brought them in. They also had a bunch that were around 3" and that is what we'd like to start with. I'd like a school of 5, if I have room. I'm not sure what type of barbs and loaches I want to keep with them.

I already have a school of zebra loaches in a 55, and I plan on putting some yoyos in my other 55, so I want a different type in the 125. I don't have any barbs in any of my tanks, so I'm up for any type that will grow large enough that they won't become food for the balas as they get bigger.
 
#58 ·
Well, I still don't have the aquarium home. I've paid $1000 on it, basically just the tax left to pay. It's camping season now though, and our winters suck so we have to take advantage when the weather is nice. Our money is going to be going towards that for the next month or so. We went camping last week and we're going again later this week.

While we were away, our second 55 gallon tank FINALLY finished cycling. As did our goldfish tank, which I thought was never going to happen. We've added some decorations to the 55, and a bubble blower. Looks much better now. Also added some serpae tetras in with the mollies in the 55, and added some golden apple snails in my 35 with the ryukin goldfish.

Here is a photo and short vid of the 55, and of my original 20, which we added some tiny harlequin rasboras to, not long ago.

My Rainbow tank is unchanged so I did not include it.



If you check out my other vids, you can see my other tanks. There are also some of our recent camping trip, and other shenanigans.



I should have the 125 gallon tank by the end of next month, but the weather is so nice here, it's not a priority right now.
 
#64 ·
I ended up buying a 120 gallon tank I have it at home have ordered heaters for it, it came with single lights but I have found some cool ones on ebay. We have decided to do a 3d background rock wall and build it our selves. hope to start it soon since we can't set the aquarium up untill its done,

I did find some 3d rockwalls that can be shipped to me but they are very pricy
 
#66 ·
Choosing Fish (Compatabilty)

Well, hadn't paid on the tank since June. All our money goes to camping the summer months. But now that's over and we're ready to bring it home. My Big Al's has a tent sale on Sept 21. If the tank, lights or stand are on sale we're going to pay it off that day. If not, the following Wednesday is double point day, so it'll be then.

Time to put some serious thought into fish.

I'm not going with cichlids. I find determining compatibility too difficult.

These are the fish I am considering. I would like opinions on which are compatible, and how many of each I can keep.

Bala Sharks
Tiger Barbs
Redline Barbs
Flying Fox (1)
Banded (Giant) Gourami (1)
Weather Loaches

I know weather loaches are cooler water species, but the profiles I have read say up to 25 degrees C. From what I have read, if I keep the temperature around 24 degrees, it should be ok for all of these.

I am open to suggestions of different fish, just not cichilds.

Thanks! Now that summer is over and we're back inside, I'm really looking forward to getting the tank home. I will post photos as soon as it is here.
 
#67 ·
How did you hear about double point day and tent sale day??? And at all locations? I want that 5 footer, the 110, hope it might be on sale rather than $249. Any info would be great. Nice to have some TFK people near close by. Makes trading and helping easier.
Have you heard of the mail order company that works out of Orillia? Supposed to have really good prices.
Jakie
 
#68 ·
The flyer last week (not the current one) mentioned the tent sale, and when we were in the store this week, they had tent sale stickers on everything. It goes from Sept 21 to 23. I don't know if it is all locations, but I know the last one was throughout Ontario, so it might be.

Wednesday is always double point day, so we'll get 2200 points if we buy it that day.

If the mail order place in Orillia is the one I checked out yesterday, they didn't have the Aquaclear 110 or the Eheim filters I wanted.

Couldn't find any used locally either. When I get the tank home I'm gonna need substrate, heaters and filters before I can add fish, so I'm starting to look for deals.
 
#72 ·
Pets and Ponds is $15 cheaper but shipping is $10. It's worth $5 to me to be able to return it locally if I have a problem, and Big Als gives a one year warranty.

If I bought both filters, heaters and python from Pets and Ponds, shipping would be free and I would save $40.00

However, rewards programs work. I have around 1500 points, after the tank I'll be at 3700 points. If I buy all that stuff at Big Als I'll have over 4500 points. At 5000 points I get $200 store credit. So it's just as good for me to buy local.

Plus I get great service at my Big Als and I reward that service with loyalty. I had a filter leak once but I lost the receipt. They swapped it out no questions asked. We're in there every couple of weeks plus I call them regularly with questions. They do the little extras like give my 3 year old stickers, etc.

I've never bought a water test kit. I bring water from my 4 tanks in every 2 weeks, (sometimes weekly) the girl knows which container is which of my tanks, and she writes the results down for me.

They're awesome.

They also have layaway. Without it we never would have been able to afford the tank/stand/light fixture we're getting.
 
#74 ·
Honestly, they're the reason we have so many tanks, they make it fun.

Once, when they knew I wanted some fish but was leery about spending the money, they put them on hold for me, and put them in the flyer at the end of the week.

I can't wait for the darn tent sale now. We finally have the cash to pay off the tank, but not enough to buy everything we need for it, so I have to hold out until the sale in case some of it is reduced. If not, then I have to wait until the following Wednesday.

I'm so close now, the wait is killing me.
 
#75 ·
Canadian Fish, which Big Al's treats you like that? I get exactly that service from the Newmarket store. I went in there one day, cash in hand $300 to buy a brand new canister filter and he refused to sell me one until I went home and did a check list on it... came up with exactly the problem. 3 times they have resolved my issues, NO Receipt, no charge. A 10 gallon's tank hood and light, New bulbs and repair to my 4 foot lighting system. I am SO loyal to that store. My experience with the Barrie store was... " no refund... exchange only." And their prices were $8 more on their fish food than the Pet Smart behind them in the next plaza.
Thinking I might look into the Layaway to get my big tank... is there a time limit?
 
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#76 ·
We go to the one in Ottawa west.

If there is a time limit on the layaway, they didn't mention it. We put ours on layaway around May 9th. We had it 80% off by the middle of June. (Half of that was our income tax return came in :))The manager said he thought it was going to take us longer to pay it off, we told him we wouldn't be making any more payments until after the summer, he said no problem. We went two months before making another payment. We were still in the store every couple of weeks and they never asked when we were going to start paying again.
 
#78 ·
Oh, and the thing about the layaway is, if it goes on sale when it's on layaway, and you finish paying it when the sale is on, you get the sale price, of course.

Also, you can make your payments any days you want, but as long as you make the last payment on a Wednesday, you get double points for the entire price.
 
#79 ·
I do collect the points but I never knew that there was a Double Point Day. Thanks for that and also the Layaway info!!
 
#86 ·
Jackie, they are having some amazing deals on their display tanks. I was talking to the manager at my store, and my tank is not going to be on sale, but they are selling a 220 gallon setup, with stand, cover and lights, for $100 LESS than my 125 gallon setup was going to be. We're going to be there at 10am sharp to try and get it. We would only owe $13 on that one.

Of course it means more gravel, filters, etc. But it's a great deal.

We can pay the $125 we owe on the 125 gallon, or 13 on the 220.
 
#80 ·
Online flyer finally came out. My store has balas on for 2.88 I'm tempted to get some and throw 'em in my 55 (they're very small) and move 'em into the 125 in a couple of weeks.

I'm also waiting on a Leopard Bush fish that I am VERY excited about, it's super cool. They're under quarantine right now.

Wow, your Newmarket store has stingrays for 99.99 Our store had one recently and wanted $150 for it.

Too rich for my blood, but a friend of mine keeps one in a 150 gallon tank.
 
#81 ·
I have bought two sets of smaller fish to grow in my other tank before I stuck them in my 120 gallon as I a
moving the second set over this weekend I'm going to buy some more to put in maybe this weekend waiting for clown Loaches, bosemi rainbows and red line torpedo barbs to go on sale Whitney doesn't have them on maybe Newmarket does
Posted via Mobile Device
 
#82 ·
When I bought my Bosemani's they had practically no color but now they are a vibrant blue and yellow. Beautiful fish.

I love the Red Lined Torpedo Barbs, but they sure are pricey.

Where did you get the background for your 120 gallon tank? Looks good!


I have bought two sets of smaller fish to grow in my other tank before I stuck them in my 120 gallon as I a
moving the second set over this weekend I'm going to buy some more to put in maybe this weekend waiting for clown Loaches, bosemi rainbows and red line torpedo barbs to go on sale Whitney doesn't have them on maybe Newmarket does
Posted via Mobile Device
 
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