Which 100+ gal tank should I buy?

For tank, the larger one, and for filters, 3 of these at a total of $90 + free shipping

3 marineland penguin 350 bio-wheels @ total of 210 Gallons of filtration(1050GPH!)

OR

2 emperor 400 Power Filters @ total of 160 Gallons(800GPH!)

I would do the penguins as i trust them more
 
They're both made by Marineland and are practically the same filter, though the Emperor is a bit more advanced and slightly more powerful.
 
They're both made by Marineland and are practically the same filter, though the Emperor is a bit more advanced and slightly more powerful.

yeah, i know;)

thats why i recommended them, 2 emperors as they are stronger, or 3 penguins.

aquaclears are great too
 
well, what i just bought was this and this. my budget is maxed, and i can't afford afford much else right now (without the gf getting on me ;)) hoping that they would do the job. but now i think i may need more.

The original plan was to put these 2 in a sump, with the intake at one end, and the output at the other. i'll throw the heater in there, and maybe the CO2 crap if i decide to go planted... but for 6 feet... planted seems like a LOT of work! i'll stick with the easy gravel method.

my stocking plans have changed since we found a place to live together, but the landlord only agreed to a 6 foot tank if we have angels or cichlids... (i may try to talk her into small schools. though they'll work with angels anyways) but i REALLY love botias/loaches, so i guess we're going with angels... angels are ok, but i think they're overrated by the general community. no offense to thefishboss or anyone else that likes them... they just hold the same position as paranhas or oscars with me. overrated. but i can deal with a few of them... then weed them down to 2 once they pair off. all i have my heart set on is a school of angelicus botias and a school of clown loaches, and i can work that into the angelfish situation. correct me if i'm wrong ;)


thanks for all of the advice, i think i'll end up picking it up later tomorrow (or today.) keep in mind, the stocking i have in mind can't come into effect until later on, so it's all subject to change based on your replies.
 
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let me know if those 2 filters aren't enough, and i'll try to tack another one on. i'd rather have a bunch of little filters than one big filter.

edit: reread thefishboss's recommendations, and figured my filtration would be enough, but what if i don't get a sump? should i just stick a powerhead at one side and a filter at each side?

i don't plan on stocking it heavily right away. i want to buy little loaches so i can have them as long as possible, maybe 8-10 clowns, 8-10 angelicus/zebra botias, and mabe 8 angels until i get a good looking pair. I'll throw a school of somehing in there to look good... maybe my tiger barbs since this school i have seems pretty mellow... plus some greens and albinos. will new additions to the school of tigers pick on the angels since they can't be alphas in the tiger barb school? i'd assume they'd just be good little omegas and follow the big tigers without causing any trouble. the tigers i have now don't pick on anything... the worst they do is outcompete things for food or follow things out of curiosity. i can't keep any type of catfish without them just following it around 3-4 strong. it doesn't hurt the catfish... it just stresses them to the point of exhaustion.
 
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I would go for the longer tank every time. I can make a sump (wet/dry) for less than $100. The extra length allows for greater flexibility.
 
let me know if those 2 filters aren't enough, and i'll try to tack another one on. i'd rather have a bunch of little filters than one big filter.

edit: reread thefishboss's recommendations, and figured my filtration would be enough, but what if i don't get a sump? should i just stick a powerhead at one side and a filter at each side?

i don't plan on stocking it heavily right away. i want to buy little loaches so i can have them as long as possible, maybe 8-10 clowns, 8-10 angelicus/zebra botias, and mabe 8 angels until i get a good looking pair. I'll throw a school of somehing in there to look good... maybe my tiger barbs since this school i have seems pretty mellow... plus some greens and albinos. will new additions to the school of tigers pick on the angels since they can't be alphas in the tiger barb school? i'd assume they'd just be good little omegas and follow the big tigers without causing any trouble. the tigers i have now don't pick on anything... the worst they do is outcompete things for food or follow things out of curiosity. i can't keep any type of catfish without them just following it around 3-4 strong. it doesn't hurt the catfish... it just stresses them to the point of exhaustion.
I'm loving my AC 70, and to be honest, I think the penguin I had years ago worked very well, too, so it's not a bad combination, pending accuracy on how much water they filter. The Penguin will definitely help keep the ammonia levels down. I don't think tigers do well with angels, because there is a tendency for fin nipping. Maybe a slightly bigger schooler? Something like a Denison Barb? They're apparently best in schools of 8 or more, and are interestingly marked, in my opinion, somewhat reminiscent of a rummy nose tetra.

Just out of curiosity, why would the landlord care what kind of fish you have in the tank?
 
yeah, i should just leave the tigers in my bedroom. about the landlord, i misunderstood that whole situation. The lady i was referring to isn't the landlord, it's the current tenant, my girlfriend's friend, who we're moving in with( this house is sick, btw, and we get the master bed and bath. score!) and she was being sarcastic, but i didn't catch the sarcasm when my gf relayed the message over text. also, for a stand, i may go with the cinder block method since i hate the idea of 1000+ lbs sitting on an old wooden stand of which i don't know the history.
 
no offense taken for the angels:) I personally love loaches too, especially dwarf chains and zebras;)

for the filters, it looks like enough, if u want to spend a bit more, return the 400 and get 2 350s;) or keep the 400 and return the aquaclear and get 2 penguins so u save $10, either way works, i would try best of both worlds just like you have done;)

for schools

do like 20 green neon tetras, other micro schooling fish too;)
 
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