120 gal filtration

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stu027

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Jan 24, 2009
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Welland, Ontario, Canada
Looking at purchasing a new 120gal in the next few weeks. I've been scratching my head on the best system to use, to date all of my set-ups have been under 75 gal so I only have experience with HOB units and little or no knowledge using canister filters. I was contemplating just using 2 HOB units but am open to other suggestions.
 

Rbishop

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Dec 30, 2005
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On a tank that big I would go with two canisters or one and a large HOB, or even a sump.
 

dudley

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Feb 9, 2005
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Power filters or HOB's can be used satisfactorily on larger tanks, usually needing at least 2 units. Canister filters are also very popular due to their larger capacity.

What are the dimensions of the 120G tank and what species of fish are you considering stocking in this tank?
 

stu027

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Jan 24, 2009
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Welland, Ontario, Canada
I'm looking at purchasing a 120gal XH 60"x18"x26". I am looking at transferring my current stock from my 56gal once the 120gal has fully cycled. my current stock is as follows. 1 - Spilonotus Tanzania. 3 - Hap 44, 2 Hap Venustus, 2 - Copadichromas Quadrimacula, 1 - Yellow lab, 1 - Pleco and a Zamora catfish. all the Africans are juvies.

I will be looking at increasing my stock once everything is running well and the water chemistry is balanced.
 

FreshyFresh

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Jan 11, 2013
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Two AC110's would be my choice for HOBs. Those and maybe a sponge bubbler filter or two. For canisters, twin Marineland C360s would be great for a 6ft, 120g. C360s can often be had on sale for under $100. I've also had nothing but good experiences with Sunsun canisters (eBay).
 

biondoa

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Feb 6, 2015
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I just started a 75g tank about 3 weeks ago. I bought a Fluval 406 canister and I thought that would be enough, but I was advised to add a little extra filtration , so I added an AquaClear 70. I was like you, with experience only with HOB filters, and when I got the Fluval canister I was a little overwhelmed, however, over that past couple of weeks, as I have been working with it to get it right, I am becoming fairly comfortable with it, and I think it is a really good filter. As I said, I am also new to canisters, and this one is a bit heavy to move when full of water, but really does work very well. One thing that I found a little annoying, is that there is no troubleshooting guide in the owners manual. There are tons of "how to" videos on youtube. They are not perfect, but you just keep trying things and it is not so scary after a little while.
 

FreshyFresh

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Canister filters IMO, are your most effective way to move water across a huge volume of bio media. Sponge bubbler filters are probably second, with HOBs being third.
 
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