Best filtration for 125 gallon non drilled fish only

[Jeffc1527]

I recently picked up a 125 gallon fish tank from aqueon that is not drilled. All of my tanks are not drilled, not that I don't like drilled, its just they seem to be a bit more money. Now all of my current tanks rely heavily on HOB protein skimmers, uv sterilizers, and canister filters. I have wanted to have a sump set up for at least one of my tanks for some time now, but I work with a very limited budget compared to some. For this 125 gallon I would love to go with a sump option but I am unsure if it would be any where close to my price range. I already have a sump just laying around that I picked up awhile ago and I have seen some of the overflow boxes you can get for non drilled aquariums but it seems a lot of the kits have you drill the holes yourself which I am definitely not confident enough to do. My budget on the filter is about $200-300. That does not include protein skimmers or uv sterilizers or any of that, just primary mechanical/ biological filtration. Due to budget constraints I was going to go with a fluval fx4 canister filter to start and then add HOB uv sterilizers and protein skimmers like on my other tanks. I just wanted to see what everyone else thinks. How would you go about with filtration for a 125 with a budget of SAY $300 and a non drilled tank?

 

[Slocke]

I have a 110 and a 125 both not drilled.
110 has just been hooked up to a 45gal refugium I'm using a fluval fx6 cannister filter as a return pump. It uses the Eshopps overflow HOB to get the water to the 45 and the canister pumps it back and filters it.

For the 125 I use Shark Pros and a tidal 110 but I think I want to do the same with that tank.

 

[Slocke]

Tidal 110 HOB Power Filter

TIDAL hang on filters are designed from the ground up to provide the aquarium with high-quality, easy to implement, comprehensive filtration. While having a system plumbed with an overflow and sump certainly has its advantages, this isn’t always practical. In some situations, space constraints...

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Shark PRO 900 Internal Filter (238 GPH)

Versatile & Efficient Filtration with Hassle-Free Maintenance Modular filter cartridge system Can be mounted vertically or horizontally Magnetic quick uncoupling -- no need to turn off filter during maintenance! Integrated oxygenation system and spray bar Adjustable water flow knob Strong...

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PF-1000 HOB Overflow

Add an overflow to any aquarium with Eshopps PF series of hang on back overflows. Adding a sump to a tank will allow you to hide equipment and while adding water volume making your tank more stable. Traditional overflows require you to drill holes in your aquarium where Eshopps PF HOB overflows...

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