how many do yall think

[billy_69]

well i was just courious on how many african chiclids i could house in a 125 g tank. I know there bio load is heavier then other fish but ill be running 2 ehiem 2217, Im looking at the chiclids no bigger than 5-6".

 

[freddyk]

It depends on what species you decide on, and how diligent your routine is. Deciding how many before deciding what species is backwards. The answer can be anywhere from 20 to 50.

 

[Iron Man]

I would say you can put A LOT in a 125. Mbunas would fill up the tank in swarms, as they're smaller...but the larger type..you'd have to use fewer fish....you'd still be able to put a lot in there.

That being said....it will only work if you have adequate mechanical filtration IMO. I had 1 Eheim 2217 on my 55 gallon tank with 11 mbunas, 7 tiger barbs, 3 clown loaches, and 2 plecos....and this filter was by NO means a mechanical filter for this job. It is however an excellent biological filter and goes great with a heavy bioload and frequent water changes (because of nitrates of course). I used an Emperor 400 with the canister to get excellent all around filtration but the Emperor 400 was WAY too noisey for my taste. I don't like to hear the filter at all.

If you want powerful quiet filtration you may want to look into a rainbow filter system couple with a powerful powerhead. I don't have any experience with it so I can't tell you for sure but it seems like a good idea.

I'm not saying the Eheims won't work in your application....I'm just saying I would give them a little help at least everynow and then employing a good sand stir/gravel vacuum and the use of a mechanical filter to filter out what poop/mess the water change/gravel vacuuming didn't get.

Good luck on whatever you do sounds like a terrific tank.

 

[Paul_MTS]

with 2 filters the answers simple.

pack 1 with all the biological media and in the other pack it full of foams and filter floss.

 

[nc_nutcase]

I have a 125 Gal (stock listed below) that ran wonderfully with one Magnum 350 w/ an inline UV light. It worked very good until the tank recently became overstocked (darn fish kept growing!). Now I've added a second Magnum 350 and the water is again crystal clear. Regardless of filtration anytime an aquarium is overstocked additional water changes will become necessary as the NitrAtes will build up and cause issues.