I just recently purchased a new 125G tank. I am in the process of building a stand so it isn't put together yet, which gives me more time to ponder filtration.

The tank will be moderately to heavily planted, and house 7-8 fancy goldfish. My wife and I would rather not have any HOB filters as this tank will be up against a railing between two rooms and viewable from both sides. We would like to have as little hanging off the back as possible. I would have got a bottom drilled tank if they weren't so ridiculously priced.

My initial thought was a Rena Filstar XP3 as it says it is good for up to 175G, however from what I have been reading the general thought is that turnover rate should be somewhere between 5 and 10 times an hour. With the filstar only pumping 350 an hour, that isn't even up to 3 times. Could I toss in a powerhead/sponge filter (or two) for some added biological filtration and mainly have the filstar providing more of the mechanical/chemical filtration?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. And oh, please remember, the less things hanging out the back of the tank, the better.

I have also posted this on FishGeeks but figured I'd benefit more here because of the goldie experience in this forum.

So far, I have received feedback stating that since it will be moderately planted that I may be fine, and for aesthetics purposes I may want to look into clear PVC.

Thanks

I have no clue on the larger tanks, but I'm sure someone will have good suggestions. The most I know is that they'll probably recommend having multiple filters like you were thinking.

I do have a 125 gl tank, but with 3 hang-on filters. Sorry, cant help you there! Maybe one of those filters that go UNDER the tank and in the stand? I heard good things about FLuval filter, but never had one myself...

Canister filters are the way to go on a tank that size, unless you want a drip filter (or whatever they're called) that's like tanks underneath that filters the water. These are really expensive though.

Eheim is a great brand - a little expensive but definately worth it from what Ive heard. I havent seen a bad thing written about them.
Some people have had problems with Fluvals but they are still a great brand also.
Another brand thats excellent is Via Aqua. Less expensive and just as effective. Jsrtist just got a new one so she could tell you more.
HTH.

So far I've had great responses, and greatly appreciate them, but...I have done some more reading and wanted to throw another question past everyone.

How would a Marineland Tidepool II wet/dry work for this new tank? I would make sure to get a pump that will output as close to 600gph for the return pump. I would have it pump back to a spray tube, so I can make sure to direct the water all over the place, to ensure no dead spots.

I mention the Marineland Tidepool II by name only because they seem pretty inexpensive compared to some other wet/dry setups. Plus, they seem the most geared towards freshwater use. With three filter trays before even hitting the bio-wheel, the mechanical & chemical filtration takes place early; whereas most of the traditional wet/dry filters look to have one big pore sponge type filter before hitting the bio-balls. It doesn't look like they would do much in regards to mechnical filtration.

Thanks

B) I just got a 125 and it has only one single divider. So it leaves 36" inches on each side,with that I am going to put 2 Emperor 400's on one side and on the other side I will have one Emperor 400 and a Aquaclear 500. That will give me 1700 gph in a 125!!!!!. I know you said you didn't want a hang on filter, but it's hard to beat that set up with a canister or Tidepool II. Something to think about!!!

I use a sump type wet/dry filter on my 90ga tank. It sure does cleanup the clutter of tubes in a normally filtered tank.

If I had my 100 posts I'd attach some pictures of my tank and filter system.

The tidepool should work fine, but 600GPH is not enough for a pump. You're going to loose 25/30% of the rated pump output due to head height.

Here's an article you should read before getting into a tank with a sump.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-01/gt/

Good luck

Rick

I find that a hagen powerhead with a quickfilter provides very good mechanical filtration. and okay biological if you stick a sponge inside the quickfilter. I would go for 2 emperor 400s and a canister filter, or to lower costs you could replace the canister filter with a powerhead and sponge.

I'd suggest a Fluval 404 or a Eheim 2028 for your primary. Then i'd add a couple of triple flow corner filters with powerhead (adjustable) or a very powerful air pump. This will give you three filters on your tank. While those triple flow corner filters won't make up for one really good power filter ie Emperor 400 (now that's a monster), it will provide additional filtration. load them up with your favorite media and your off to the fish store.

someone mentioned a sponge filter. this would provide an excellent source of bio filtering. for that sized tank, you could get rather large one and have excellent bio filtering split between four filters. think about it. much less chance of a crash. also. consider getting a UV to run inline with the canister.

enjoy........have fun.....keep us posted....and thanks for sharing