# 150 gallon tank filter?



## newbie11 (Aug 25, 2011)

I am getting a 150 gallon aquarium tomorrow or this weekend. I found a really good deal on craigslist but it doesnt come with a filter. I was wondering what would be a good filter to buy for it that is a reasonable price? Advise will be greatly appreciated!

Dont know if it matters but its 
6 feet long 
23 inches deep 
and 18 inches tall

I will be keeping some mbuna cichlids and a few semi aggressive fish in it if that makes a difference


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## chinds78 (Jun 22, 2011)

I'd say set up a sump system. This can be set up fairly cheaply with either an old fish tank or a cheap rubbermade container and a water pump. It is a little bit of work to set up (with the plumbing), but worth it.

Otherwise, I'd use a couple of good canister filters. This would probably not be quite as cheap, but it would be easier.


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## dsouthworth (Sep 7, 2011)

Im looking around for 150g. 
But i plan on doing an XP3 and a Aquaclear 500. Found good deals on CL and getting all of it for about $130. pretty goo deal concidering a new xp3 costs 130.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

My preference is for a sump on a tank of that size, but a pair of large canisters will also do the trick. The real question is which suits your requirements better - a sump allows you to customize things so that there is very little in the tank itself - heaters etc can be out of sight.

Of course, if the tank is reef-ready, the decision is strongly in favor of a sump.


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## newbie11 (Aug 25, 2011)

what kind of heaters will I need?


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## chinds78 (Jun 22, 2011)

I'd say get a pair of 150W heaters and place one on each side of the tank or get one 250W and place it in the sump if you go that route.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

For heaters, it really depends on the difference between the ambient room temperature, and the tank temperature desired. You are in Texas, so your heater needs are likely far different than would mine be in Mass. My basement is roughly 65 degrees in summer and just under 60 in the winter.

That said, you might consider figuring out what the total wattage might be, then divide in two and buy two heaters of that wattage. In theory, this allows you to avoid big problems when a heater sticks. A reasonable starting point might be a pair of 100 watt heaters.


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## newbie11 (Aug 25, 2011)

Cool cool thank you guys! Yall are very helpfull :thumb:


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## punman (Oct 24, 2003)

I have a 135 gallon tank. One 250W heater and two AClear 110 (the old 500) filters.


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## mbunabrandon (Sep 15, 2011)

I have a 135 gallon mbuna tank and I have a rena xp4, and an aquaclear 110 and 70. If you add it all up it turns over the whole tank volume 10 times every hour. 8-10 times a hour seems to be what most people advise for a tank of mbuna. I myself am not a huge fan of sumps they generally do a poor job of mechanical filtration and cleaning them can be a pain. On the other hand what is nice about sumps is you can hide most of your equipment in the sump instead of the main tank. They also add a lot of water volume to your system.


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