Canister Filter Flow Should Be.......

[ScubaMolley]

I am tired of beating this dead horse but there is so many different conflicting ideas of what a Canister Filter really should be. I have read that the flow rate needs to be between 3x to10x the size of the tank. I really don't know what really to believe.
 
I know right now I have a 55 gallon aquarium with two Marineland Penquin 350's. That's about 700 gph or it's cycling my tank every 5 minutes or just under 13 times a hour. I know that's a little over kill but my water stays really clear. If I did the same math with my 125 it would consist of me having filters that would pump 1600 gph. I don't really have the money to popping out money for Fluval Fx6's which would be around 700 bucks for two canisters because they are rated for 950 gph.
 
That being said. This is my real questions. What should my GPH for a 125 tank? And why should my flow rate be that?
 
I will have a 125 long aquarium. I will have a rock substrate with a xxl piece of driftwood. Which kind of driftwood? I do not know. Two 1 1/2 year old oscars, 2 plecos and probably a few silver dollars will be in this tank. I do not know anyone in this hobby (besides myself) so I need advice. I will be installing this tank inside of my house as of August 3.

 

[RRaquariums]

Ok so sorry to push yet another idea your way but to me it's never been about gallons per hour because how fast the water flows over the media has very little to do with how much waist it's breaking down so with that being said a deciding factor for me is rarely gph it's how much media I can fit in the filter and how well that media is used that's why generally people with canister filters can get the same thing out of a 950 gph as they can get out of two or three hob filters rated for way more gph because a canister filter holds more media and usually uses better media.
Anyways that's my take on filters and gph

 

[elmo666]

As above, don't get to concerned with the maths, its efficiency that counts, and the quality of the media you use. Not being nostalgic, but before all our high end technology we kept fish, and bred them with nothing more than air pumps and box filters. A healthy bacterial colony is far more important than the flow rate. I utilise small circulations pumps in my discus tank, one high level and one low, to ensure good movement throughout the tank as its heavily planted, so this way I minimise "dead spots".
Spending money on high quality media is just as, if not more, important that a high turnover.
So, I would say just make the best if what you have, as there is more than enough turnover.

 

[Freedom]

The flow rate you 'want' / 'need' is going to differ depending on your stock.  Some fish need slow calm waters, other fish need flowing water.  So as above posters said, flow rate is not a fixed thing, media for good bacteria is key.

 

[ScubaMolley]

Thanks so much. I think I am finally getting a break through of what I really need. I am totally new to keeping tanks and basically everything I have done has been trial and error. I don't really post a lot on this forum for the whole fact I usually google to find my answers. Usually I go with the best of a few answers and go with that but this Canister filter has really got the best of me.
 
 
If you were putting a Canister filter in a 125 which one would you all choose? You can look at my original post and see what will be in the tank.

 

[RRaquariums]

I'd go with a Fluval hands for me they are hands down the best filters I have ever used.