questions about stocking 125 US gallon (600 liter)

[camshaft]

i am looking at a 72" longx18x20 tank. i found a good deal on one so i may go ahead and buy it, but not set it up for a few months (i just started my 55 gallon last month and i want to get more experience)

my question is this: in my 55g i currently have some small balas (3")

if i set the big tank up and put some 10" balas in it, would they be ok with the smaller balas? also, is it considered a bad idea to buy fully grown fish? what i would like to do with the 125g is have 6 balas and a huge pleco. my local LFS has a 18" pleco for $25. i just wasnt really sure about buying fish that big and that old. how do you even transport a fish that big?

like i said all this is several months off, but money and space isnt a concern so i may go ahead and buy the 125g.

 

[Sky042]

Some claim that a bala gets too big for a 125.
I haven't decided if I'm going to try it or not yet in my 125.

FYI 125 should be
72"x18"x22"

Mixing bala's of various siszes isn't a problem they're not agressive fish at all.

 

[Snailguy101]

Balas minimun tank is 124 so ur ok

 

[Sky042]

and then there are those who say nothing smaller than a 250.

I'm SOOO tempted to stick them in my 125 and just see how it works out.

 

[freddyk]

Go for it. Bala's may outgrow these tanks by the end of their 20ish year lifespans, but they as they get bigger their growth rate slows considerably and it would be a long time before you have to worry about it, especially if you don't overfeed them.