New to the forum, New tank to fill!

[fishin family]

Hello to everyone! We're new to these message boards, and quite impressed with the number of postings and members here
We've had a 20 gallon for about a year now, and are just starting to set up a 125. We're trying to plan everything out, to make as few mistakes as possible. Would like to use live sand as substrate, as it sounds to really help with the cycling and cleaning of the tank, and wondering if it's really worth the extra money? Also trying to plan out what kinds of fish we would be able to add over time. We currently have a panther grouper and Koran Angelfish which we will transfer to the 125 when ready. We were thinking of possibly having an eel, wondering if that will severely limit the other types of fish we can add? We are wanting to add as many different types of fish as possible, but realise there are compatibility problems with some. Is a 125 large enough to have some "possibly" incompatible fish together? We would really like to add a lion (or two, if we can), and really interested in Percula Clownfish and anemones (sp?). Can we put these together? Sorry for all the questions, we just want to plan and do things right! Any input at all is appreciated, thanks!

 

[fishin family]

Thanks a lot for the fast info! I think we're going to the sand/LS combo, and the same with rock/LR, to keep the expense down. Any suggestions as far as ratio? We want to make sure we have enough live stuff to inhabit the non-living. We've also read that with the LR/LS you don't need as much help from a normal filter. What size filter should we get? Also, we wanted to add a Trigger to the Eel, Grouper, and lion combination. (I imagine that would be it as far as number of fish in the 125) Oh, and one more question.. Is there a certain order we should introduce the fish into the tank? We have the Grouper and Angel already. (Don't know if the Angel will last with the others, though he's rather large.) Lion(s) next? Eel last, or Trigger?
Sorry, don't mean to ask so many questions, but we're newbies! Thanks again for your help!!

 

[grouperhead]

add the trigger last, they can be nasty to all newcomers. for the eel make sure you have lots of rockwork. they love to swim in and out of rocks. mine (snowflake) also loves his pvc pipe and he will protect it from my trigger (picasso). i think you should get some pipe for your eel, it helps them to stay on the bottom of the tank. i think that having alot of rocks and hiding spots on the bottom helps keep the eel in the tank. also try to feed your eel at the bottom, this will also help them to stay down there. they are escape artists, and will get out of the smallest of cracks. panthers are one of the better groupers imo, except for their huge adult size. a grouper, lion, eel, and trigger should do good in there. the only problem i can see is that when triggers get large, their skin becomes very hard and leathery. they will then bite at lionfishes fins and the lion cannot defend themselves because their spines cant hurt the trigger because of their tough, hard skin. hth, and good luck, bo

 

[fishin family]

Thanks, JWT, for your warm welcome and info! We've been reading posts here for the past two days, and have learned sooo much already! I'm glad you brought up the filtration aspect, we're still unclear about what we really need to get. (And yes, we have the 125 already. It was actually given to us sometime ago, and we just need to replace the top trim, as it was cracked, and something had melted it. But we've gotten the old trim off, and will just be waiting for the new one to come in, as it's not usually a stocked item. Hee Hee) Ahem. Anyway, back to the filter. As I've said previously, we'll seed both the LR and LS. That'll help, but still unsure of what size/type filter we'll need. I realize my questions should probably have been posted in different areas, but we're all excited, and blurted it all out at once! We really appreciate the help, and love reading about everyone else's experiences! Thanks again!