100 Gallon Filtering

[BlueShinobu]

so i thought i could just put two regular filters on my 100 gallon tank, but the lady at the store said i need this big ol round one that sits off to the side, and costs like 200 dollars. is this really necessary and if it is can i get it online anywhere cheaper?

 

[WILDER]

I would go for the external filter cost more but at least you don't have to see the internal filters in the tank.

 

[shroob]

Depends what you call 'regular filters' (I'm guessing internal by the way you described the external), you should be ok if the stated size of any filter (or combined) is roughly double the volume of you tank (like to overfilter, especially if you have alot of fish or messy fish, you can cut back if your tank will be understocked). The one the LFS tried to sell you would probably be an external canister, these should also do fine.

Generally for bigger tanks people recommend external filters as they are usually more powerful and can handle a greater bioload than internals. Though there are some pretty beefy internals out there.

So what I would say is depending on your stocking levels and type of fish you are going to put into the 100 gallon, it might be best to opt for an external filter as these tend to be suited better for bigger tanks (though like I said if you like internals that can provide adequate filtration they should also do the job).

 

[Colin_T]

it depends on what you want to keep in the tank. If you want lots of fish or big predatory fish then big filters are better. A couple of small fish will be fine with a little filter.

 

[darknirvana217]

I always prefer the external canister filters. You can find some reasonably priced ones on http/www.drsfostersmith.com/product/pet_...cfm?c=3578+3579. They are an aquairum supply website. You will have to pay for shipping, but you will still end up paying for the canister filter than in the store. I've always liked the Eheim products.

 

[waterdrop]

it depends on what you want to keep in the tank. If you want lots of fish or big predatory fish then big filters are better. A couple of small fish will be fine with a little filter.

shroob and colin make good points that it depends a lot on more information from you. A 100G is a big tank, but it could be that its all plants with a little school of neons moving about which might only call for a couple of smaller HOB filters. More likely you're hoping to put pretty many fish in that big tank and in that case one or more external filters could be easier and better for you in the long run.