Filtration help on 75gal. setup

[Fjb6673]

Hey everyone, I'm going to be setting up a new 75gal. Tank in the near future and have a 2 part filtration question......Part 1 - Fluval vs. Eheim canaster filters...is one much better than the other, or is it just personal preference? Part 2 - Size and type of filtration.

First, some info...I haven't decided exactly what fish I will be getting, but most likely 3-4 SA/CA cichlids (not oscars), small school of dither fish, and a pleco. No live plants, a couple of fake plants, plenty of rocks, caves, clay pot or 2, some type of driftwood, and an air stone, a pretty basic setup. And standard aquarium gravel, no sand.

As far as my questions, part 1 is pretty straightforward...Fluvel vs. Eheim canaster filters, pros, cons, and opinions.

Part 2 is size and setup. Biggest tank I've had is 38 gal. with HOB filter. I'm leaning toward canister filter for new 75 for both quality of filtration and ease of use. I have 3 setups in mind....1. just get a fluvel 406(up to 100gal) or Eheim Ecco 2236(up to 80gal)......2. Use a Fluvel 306(up to 70gal) or Eheim Ecco 2234(up to 60gal) along with my whisper 30/60 HOB...3. Use my whisper 30/60 HOB with the Fluvel 406 or Eheim 2236, the larger canisters.

I'm leaning toward option 3, because I like the thought of 2 types of filtration, and why not go with the larger canister. This seems like the answer to me, but I don't want to have overkill filtration if not needed.

Any and all comments, questions, and responses would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot.

 

[meegosh]

I'm running a Fluval 406 on my 75g geo tank. I absolutely love it. It is quiet, easy to do maintenance and is a workhorse.

My only gripe (minor too) is that they used ribbed hosing which makes it impossible to hook up anything inline without swapping the hoses. Not a big deal, only cost a few bucks to swap it all out.

I'd recommend buying more foam inserts (smaller ones) and run those instead of the carbon they give you. Either that or buy a big bag of polyfill and stuff some of that in there. It's cheaper and can be reused a million times before falling apart.