I'm going to be getting a 75 gallon for an Oscar and Pictus Catfish, that being said I want to get the best equipment to ensure longevity and happiness for the fish. Unfortunately this will be my first tank and I have no idea what equipment to use.

For the filter I'm completely confused between canister or biowheel. I know how they work but I read reviews where people swear by each one and they both have nice a nice sales pitch. I was looking at

emperor 400 for bio wheel
and
eheim pro 2 or 3 for canister filter
i love how the bio wheel is only like $40 but it seems too good to be true and alot of times you get what you pay for. any suggestions names and how many would be great

Also a good heater, havent done much research but I was hoping for a good recommendation anyway. And while you're helping me out a chemical filter would be nice too, if it's necessary. Price isnt that big of a deal, I will be dealing with living creatures so I only want the best. If there is anything extra you want to recommend to me then I'm up for any suggestions.

Oh and if it matters at all I'll be using sand substrate.

Thanks!

If I was in your position and had not purchased any of my equipment that I would be looking at putting a large canister filter on the aquarium, something rated for around 130 gallons would be good.

The bio wheel filtration systems are supposed to be very efficient because because what you have is basically a wet dry system so it wouldn't hurt to have one as well, but I certainly wouldn't be relying on one of these alone.. I will try and explain how this works as simply as I can. in order for your filter to remove dangerous toxins bacteria has to grow on your biological media. This type of bacteria requires oxygen to survive. The bio wheel filters turn much like a water wheel so they are basically being dunked in a out of the water, because they are being exposed to the air the beneficial bacteria will in theory be exposed to more oxygen than if they were submerged under water all the time.This in turn will make your beneficial bacteria that much stronger, that is supposed to be how it works anyway.

So if you have a canister filter and a bio wheel you will have some pretty good filtration.

As for heating, you don't need anything special, however, you want to go for something that your oscars will not break, so look for robust teaching. You will probably find that a 200/300 W heater will heat your tank nicely.

The only concern about a bio wheel is they can get sand in it and the wheel doesn't turn all that well. My HOB filter makes a nasty noise sometimes because of sand but my eheim ecco canister is silent. Canister all the way is my opinion. Good luck on what ever you purchase.

with plenty of mechanical and biological filtration and frequent water changes; you shouldn't need chemical filtration

I used "Chemi Pure Elite" for a while and although I think it did a great job of keeping the water clear and removing nitrates, there is a theory that carbon can contribute to HITH (Hole in the Head) disease - a common ailment that plagues cichlids. This is debatable (please, I'm not trying to start a carbon debate again:)

I used that same HOB ("hang on back") filter - the Emperor 400 for about 12 years on a community tank before I started keeping Oscars. For a smaller tank and fish with less bioload; it worked great - very easy to maintain. In the right situation, it is a great filter.

The other benefit of a canister filter is they are virtually silent - especially if they're placed in a cabinet.

Thanks for the input everyone, hear so many great things about both so I'm going to get them both. I dont know if I can place the intake for the bio wheel higher and maybe avoid the sand problem but if it happens then good thing it's only $40.

shibbydbh wrote:


If you soak the sand properly before adding it you should have no issues with the filter. I have 2 emperor filters with the intake about 2 inches above the sand and no problems. You can cut the intake tube to make it shorter if you need to, however.