I'm picking up an 85 gal tomorrow and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for the type of equipment I should buy. I need a filter (I was thinking Hagen AquaClear 110) and a hood. I was think that I should maybe get some glass cut or buy a glass canopy and get some lights instead of buying a hood. Any suggestions on which brands to buy? I have a student budget, so nothing too pricey.

I think it's best to get a canister filter as you need to pump 850 GPH for an 85 gallon tank. One of my friend's filter which hangs on the side was leaking from the motors overheating causing it to loosen and create a gap. (Although the motor was still running all suction was lost after the water level went down not to mention the mess that was made)

An airpump is the most essential piece of equipment for a tank so do not shy in getting one which may cost a bit more but won't burn out. (I've used a rena for a few years now and it's still running)

A hood is essential in lowering the amount of water that evaporates, I also suggest you get ceramic airstone/sticks/wands as the green airstones tend to disintegrate after a while. It's also ideal to get some stuff to boost up your biomatrix' ammonia and nitrite consuming bacteria if this is your first tank, if it isn't you can get 50% of the biomedia from your old tank and it into your new filter.

That's mainly all you need for a basic tank. Pray to Haruhi if you get a bad airpump and a hanging filter as if they both fail at the same time you can guarantee that your fishes will begin to suffocate especially if it's warm. As of now I'm gonna strongly oppose this combination (cheap airpump and hanging filters) in tanks which are above 30 gallons since hanging filters can overheat at 350GPH.

As for the student budget, you should try aquabids or ebay. I've tried using fluval and aquarium pharmaceutical brand and haven't had any problems with them, so it's two choices to choose from so far, so try to find what's better on your wallet.

the equipment that i have on my 72g bowfront which was also purchased (at the time) on a student budget is:

~ all-glass tank lids
~ 48" coralife lunar aqualights
~ bio-balls galore
~ emperor biowheel 400
~ penguin biowheel 350
(for the filters, because each of those has two sides to it for one of those marineland filters, i use one side with a filter, and the other i put in bioballs till they were full.)

my current set up is bare bottom cuz i didn't really have much money to buy additional decorations and such... but i'm working on getting caribsea eco complete plant substrate and then probably an UV sterilizer among other things.

because i'm usually a thrifty shopper anyway, i usually check websites such as craigslist, bigalsonline, drsfosterandsmith, aquabid, ebay... you name it i've searched it. hehe sometimes i'll even just use google and type in what it is i want. it's a good idea to check around before purchasing anyway, cuz often times different sites have sales at different times and the prices can get pretty cheap. =)

g'luck finding all the equipment you need!

On my 100 gal I run TWO AQ110s & a Fluval 104. I am a big fan of the AQ110s they are real strong filters & you can fit the media for your tanks. I recently cut the sponge in half to allow more room for ceramic thingees! I got the Fluval from a dear friend when I put the second Aq110 on and was shocked to find that I was STILL under filtrated! The 3 filters keep my tank very clean......them & my weekly vacuuming & water changes! (Under my avatar reads: I am a slave to goldfish & water........that is NO joke!)