Help With External Filter Decision.

[FingersofFish]

Just picked up a 125L (33g) tank which will be my next aquarium. It's a long term project but first Ideas are that it's going to be an indonesian themed community which will be low tech quite heavily planted and stocked to maximum (over time).
 
I'm definatley going for external filtration as i plan on trying a proper aquascape with this tank, but i'm new to external filtration and don't know what's best.
 
I have found a Fluval 204 and Superfish Aqua Pro 200 nearby, but I don't feel that the fluval provides great enough filtration. and the aqua pro 200 has some fairly dodgey reviews despite the higher flow rate (please let me know if these would be suitable)
 
Would it be best to go for upwards of 10x volume per hour? e.g 1250 l/pH?
 
Here are the filters i've considered:
 
- Tetratec Ex800 OR Ex1200
- Eheim 2213 OR 2217
- Fluval 203 OR 204
- Hydor Prime 40
- Eheim Ecco Pro 300
 
Cheers for any help.

 

[b3cca]

I have the Ecco pro 300 on my 125 litre which has been perfect for my needs, my fish and plants have thrived and never once had any ammonia or nitrites but then my bioload is not really huge in there.
 
Think it is only rated about 700 Lph though so certainly wouldn't give you 10 x turnover. More like 5-6 x 
don't know anything about the other filters 

 

[Fishmanic]

I have an aquaclear 50 HOB filter on my 35 gallon tank and it does fine.  And has enough room for a fair amount of varied media.   It runs very quiet.

 

[vespabloke27]

hey.. i have a 120l tank ..and i have an ehiem professionel 3 350.. and its awesome!!.. 1050 L/ph so you will get decent turnover rate. 3 year warranty and they are really quiet.... easy to set up and maintain too

 

[Ciddire]

I replaced my 2 HOB filters (AquaClear 50 & Penguin 200) with a Sunsun HW402B canister filter. I've been really happy with the Sunsun.
 
Sunsun are super cheap (around $70 for a 264gph) however, they don't include any filter media. Figure in about $15 for media and you'll be good to go.

 

[FingersofFish]

Hey, thanks for all the advice everyone.
 
Ended up going for a Fluval 306 - kind of was decided for me when i managed to pick a almost brand new one up for real cheap through a facebook group!
 
Firstly, it's HUGE, didn't quite fathom the size and am going to have to do some DIY inside the aquarium cabinet to make it fit whilst keeping a shelf!
 
I have no media and no tubes to connect to the tank and as such need some advice.
 
For a freshwater setup what would be a good set-up? there are 3 canisters (one has sponges and one ceramic media) the third is empty? what would it be worth filling them with and what order should the canisters go in?