Just in the midst of setting up a big 200gal. Ive been considering different filtration setups. With having a big tank is it beter to run two filters?? I figured its less stress on the fish while doing changes?? Any input??

a 30-50 gal sump would be the best filtration on a tank that size........and necros the resident sumpman on here..

a sump is a good option but i personally prefer canisters. less noise and less mess inside the cabinet. you can take a canister out to clean. With any size tank 2 filters would be a good idea, if you have the cash and room. having 2 of everything,filters,heaters means if 1 goes wrong without you noticing all is not lost

i think im going to go with 2 cans. Seems like easier setup to take care of. And i like my one tank with the can. And with two cans ill have some back up if one goes.

Koffy wrote:
two of any gadgets for the tank is always the best option.
if one bugged down, you are 50% covered until fixed the problem.

the others are correct in having a backup is a good idea in case one item goes down. the only point i differ on is the choice of filtration. after using a sump filter on a large tank i wont consider using anything else. the cleaning is no more difficult than a canister(maybe easier) and the amount of bio that can be placed in one is second to none. dont get me wrong. i use an fx5 on my 180 and it works great. i have nothing but good things to say about it.

i am not trying ot influence you decision on filtration just trying to make sure you have all the info to make an informed decision.

i totally concur with necro on this. in some cases, a DIY
sump filter can be installed outside or somewhere more convenient
to the user.

necromancer4 wrote:



as i say in the first post here

thank you all. i think im going to try both and see which i prefer. Just gotta wait to get money together to get everything all at once. It will be a very long setup. But worth every minute

good luck with it!!!!!!!