125g stocking ideas-help me pick some critters

[bushmaster06]

So a few months ago I lucked into a 125g tank, stand, and lights for a heck of a deal from someone who was downsizing. I originally was going to put some type of pong fish in it since my wife's grandmother has a pond stocked with bass, blue gill, and some type of catfish. We kicked around the idea of doing a reef tank, but the cost is just too much for us. Right now we have a 55g with a veiled angelfish, a snakeskin gourami, various tetras, some guppies, a few platies and neon swordtails, and a bristle nose pleco, a 44g with a couple of large goldfish, and a 20g with a bunch of minnows from the creek behind our house.

I'd like some ideas beyond something like a of couple of oscars so hit me with some ideas that may be a little off the wall or something that one wouldn't normally think of. Heated? Cold water? Big fish? Little fish? Crabs? Let your imaginations go!

What I currently have on hand for this build:
125g tank
stand
lighting
Eshopps Eclipse L overflow box
Sicce Syncra Silent 951gph pump
Stuff to make my own sump

And go.

 

[Silverleaf209]

A beautiful planted tank with Pictus catfish, rainbowfish, and some Rams and barbs!

 

[Cue]

A weather loach, some type of synodontis catfish, Stickleback, ricefish, various rainbowfish (some smaller and large ones?), zig zag eel?

you could do a massive biotope, or make it a palidarium and get mudskippers.

 

[bushmaster06]

A beautiful planted tank with Pictus catfish, rainbowfish, and some Rams and barbs!

I do love pictus catfish.

 

[Silverleaf209]

I do love pictus catfish.

The are so cute!

 

[ProudPapa]

If I had that tank I'd probably do either eight or so angelfish, or at least 100 of a single species of small to mid-sized shoaling fish. I'd probably do either serpae tetras or black neon tetras, but there are many good options.

. . . and I'd add 15 or so of a single species of Corydoras to either option.

 

[jackywacky]

amazonian tank, all the way. mines a bit over stocked but its a 32 gallon, 2 angels an EBA, pair of apistos, 7 black neons, 2 bnps a whiptail and a bumblebee catfish. its turn out great. you just need to scale it up. or you could grow out a peacock bass. discus are a nice idea, but they are more advanced, and African cichlid tank is great. geophagus with some severums or you could do rainbow fish, (Srry if that was overwhelming)

 

[TClare]

You could have a group of Geophagus (one of the smaller varieties eg "Tapajos") for the bottom and 4-5 Mesonauta for the mid to upper tank, plus some larger tetras eg diamonds, bentosi, bleeding hearts etc. Set up with sand substrate, plenty of driftwood, floating plants, epiphytes etc.

 

[SparkyJones]

I'd do denison barb, probably congo tetra. likely some rainbow fish, Synodontis Eruptus, Synodontis Angelica, probably a Pair to a small group of L260 plecos. And with a tank that size I think I'd just have to do a half dozen of Corydoras Brochis Multiradiatus.... corys you just don't see around much in the hobby that are large,, for cories.

that would be the starting point for color and variety. a couple options for breeding that would net some decent return there also if you choose to do so or it happened on accident.

 

[bushmaster06]

If I had that tank I'd probably do either eight or so angelfish, or at least 100 of a single species of small to mid-sized shoaling fish. I'd probably do either serpae tetras or black neon tetras, but there are many good options.

. . . and I'd add 15 or so of a single species of Corydoras to either option.

I have a large angel, 6 serpae tetras, and 6 black skirt tetras in the 55g.