Newbie to saltwater - filter question

[catmel]

I'm a bit confused on the best filters, so I thought I'd get advice from several people. Sump would be ideal but unfortunatly it's a bit pricey for me. I am more than likely going with a 55 gal FOWLR set up. I was noticing some canister filters are about the same price as two ( recommended by someone to have at least 2) good power filters. My question being, should I just invest a few more $s and get a ~$100 canister filter or would I get just about as good filtration / flow with two 50+ gal power filters? I want to save money and may upgrade later, but if they're about equal, or if ones far superior to the other for the same price i'd love to know. I want to save a few $'s but also provide the best I can for my fish with what I have. Any particular brand recommendations would be great.

 

[ccCapt]

If you have the room under the stand and you are a little handy, you can build yourself a sump. All you need is a 10g tank (20 would be even better) and a few pieces of plexiglas. Get a hang on back overflow and return pump and your all set. All said and done it wouldn't cost much more than $100 and will be way better than either a canister or power filter.

 

[roka64]

I love the fluvial 304 I have on my 55G. It works great and is pretty easy maint.

 

[gimincorp]

I use Penguine 125 with a bag that can be filled with media. What media will you suggest? - I currently have Ammo-chips that I suspect don't do that much of a good job.

 

[roka64]

Personally I like purigen. You can recharge it every couple of months by soaking in bleach and then in prime (to remove the bleach).