125 Gallon Stocking Ideas
- Thread starter ArtfulPrune670
- Start date
I like the scissor tail rasboras! They remind me of the roseline sharks but about 1/5th the cost and get slightly larger at 6". Then I wouldn't have to worry as much about the plants getting eaten, as compared to the silver dollars. Still worried about the oscar trying to eat the scissor tails but if I raise them together hopefully the risk will be minimal and if I notice aggression I have other tanks I could move them too. Do you think I could do 3 pictus catfish, 1 sailfin pleco, 1 tiger oscar, and 8 scissortail rasboras in a 125G (72"x18"x21")?
Elongated fish like Scissor tails are pretty likely to be eaten by an oscar at some point. Personally would stick with the SD's.
WIth a 12" pleco, an oscar, a raphael, and silver dollars, your tank will be heavily stocked. I think it is do-able, but expect a pretty hefty maintenance schedule when the fish are all fully grown. If it were my tank I might cut out the raphael. They are cool but I had one for years and saw it like 3 times total.
WIth a 12" pleco, an oscar, a raphael, and silver dollars, your tank will be heavily stocked. I think it is do-able, but expect a pretty hefty maintenance schedule when the fish are all fully grown. If it were my tank I might cut out the raphael. They are cool but I had one for years and saw it like 3 times total.
Rasboras would be better with a chocolate, if you are certain on the oscar it could go bad for the scissor tails,
silver dollars may be skittish in that size tank but would be safer with the oscar.
Also I have read horror stories about oscar pictus encounters so striped Raphael or pim. Blochis is my suggestion
silver dollars may be skittish in that size tank but would be safer with the oscar.
Also I have read horror stories about oscar pictus encounters so striped Raphael or pim. Blochis is my suggestion
Okay, fair. What do you consider a "hefty maintenance schedule"? Anything more than 50% water changes once a week would be pushing it for me. Also what do people think about swapping the silver dollars with red tail tinfoil barbs?
Gotcha. I could totally see the oscar trying to snack on a pictus and killing both fish, so that'll be a no go for me.
I think a 50% once a week may not cut it when they are all full grown. Will be fine for a while when they are small. I also think the tinfoil barbs will increase your bioload quite a lot compared to the silver dollars and would push you into very overstocked territory.
You may be okay with more like a 70% change. If you are doing a 50, a 70 shouldn't be a big difference. If you don't have a python or similar water change system, you should definitely get one for a 125, and it would make the difference between a 50% change and 70% only a few minutes.
I agree with the above, a once per week 50% water change for adult fish like oscars in that size tank is a bit wimpy, and the buildup of nitrate with that lax schedule often leads to maladies like hole in the head scarring.
If that's all you can manage, it would probably be better to keep smaller less waste producing fish.
Anytime you have large fish like oscars, chocolate, or other cichlids the maintenance schedule that is adequate when young, often doubles as the size of the fish doubles in size, then triples etc etc.
Beside Pothos and Monstera, I use Dieffenbachia, and Umbrella palm (Aka Papyrus)
Papayrus below
