Fast-how many gallons do I need to filter in my 125?

Makubex

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Theres like 10 fish in it, 4 small-medium tangs, a 6.5" foxface, 3" piccasso triggerfish, 2 clowns, 1 cardinal and one huge engineer goby(will rehome him though), I m already running an hob marineland filter that does 90 gallons per hour, im getting a canister filter tomorrow, which one should I get(IF i even need one!), I really need to know if I really need one as im very confused... some professionals say you need one others say is like 10% useful only IF AT all. Fowlr tank with skimmers, powerheads, uv sterilizer, one hob marine land filter for up to 90 gallons
 

DanTheReefer

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Theres like 10 fish in it, 4 small-medium tangs, a 6.5" foxface, 3" piccasso triggerfish, 2 clowns, 1 cardinal and one huge engineer goby(will rehome him though), I m already running an hob marineland filter that does 90 gallons per hour, im getting a canister filter tomorrow, which one should I get(IF i even need one!), I really need to know if I really need one as im very confused... some professionals say you need one others say is like 10% useful only IF AT all. Fowlr tank with skimmers, powerheads, uv sterilizer, one hob marine land filter for up to 90 gallons
Wow seems really overstocked, a lot to unpack in your post, can you upload pics?

Canister filter is pretty old school (and expensive). I’d say what you see most commonly on here is a sump that has a protein skimmer and a media reactor in it. The media reactor is like a canister filter without the motor that sits in your sump. A lot of us run the canister filter off of the return from the sump to the display. I use the BRS mini media reactor with BRS Rox carbon media and run the carbon for a couple days at a time as needed. You probably want to run phosphate media (Grandular Ferric Oxide) if your phos creeps up. And you’ll need a lot of water changes to keep up with nitrates for your high bioload.

I haven’t seen a canister filter for a long time. Hang on back filters are pretty rare, mostly for small low budget setups with few if any fish.

What do you mean by “skimmers?” Do you have more than one protein skimmer, or are you referring to an overflow that moves water from the display tank into a sump?
 
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Makubex

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Wow seems really overstocked, a lot to unpack in your post, can you upload pics?

Canister filter is pretty old school (and expensive). I’d say what you see most commonly on here is a sump that has a protein skimmer and a media reactor in it. The media reactor is like a canister filter without the motor that sits in your sump. A lot of us run the canister filter off of the return from the sump to the display. I use the BRS mini media reactor with BRS Rox carbon media and run the carbon for a couple days at a time as needed. You probably want to run phosphate media (Grandular Ferric Oxide) if your phos creeps up. And you’ll need a lot of water changes to keep up with nitrates for your high bioload.

I haven’t seen a canister filter for a long time. Hang on back filters are pretty rare, mostly for small low budget setups with few if any fish.

What do you mean by “skimmers?” Do you have more than one protein skimmer, or are you referring to an overflow that moves water from the display tank into a sump?
I have an empty media reactor that can run phosphate media - hob or in sump, I have two reef octopus hob skimmers, the tangs are mostly small though 3 have hhle from their previous owners, they are a gem tang, purple tang, hippo, and a sailfin, I was told it was limit bioload for a 125, and once the tangs got bigger id have to trade them for smaller sizes.
 

Lbrdsoxfan

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That foxface is a pig even in the 125, its gonna be a mess with the trigger when it comes to bioload. Let along the tangs as they get bigger.

I'm not a huge canister guy, I'd just run the largest matching pair of hobs I could find if a sump is impossible.
 

DanTheReefer

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I have an empty media reactor that can run phosphate media - hob or in sump, I have two reef octopus hob skimmers, the tangs are mostly small though 3 have hhle from their previous owners, they are a gem tang, purple tang, hippo, and a sailfin, I was told it was limit bioload for a 125, and once the tangs got bigger id have to trade them for smaller sizes.

I think you’re okay in short term. Is the person you’re taking advice from a good mentor? Just getting concerned about you saying someone told you something vs doing your research and deciding what you think - there’s only a handful of reefers I’d blindly trust like that.

By the way, really nice collection of tangs if you can make it work. With all the wild collected drama going on they are extremely valuable
 

sfin52

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Theres like 10 fish in it, 4 small-medium tangs, a 6.5" foxface, 3" piccasso triggerfish, 2 clowns, 1 cardinal and one huge engineer goby(will rehome him though), I m already running an hob marineland filter that does 90 gallons per hour, im getting a canister filter tomorrow, which one should I get(IF i even need one!), I really need to know if I really need one as im very confused... some professionals say you need one others say is like 10% useful only IF AT all. Fowlr tank with skimmers, powerheads, uv sterilizer, one hob marine land filter for up to 90 gallons
If you can't drill and don't want an over the back overflow the fluval fx6 or fx4 will work. I went fx4 from my 90. I didn't want to risk the hob overflow and tank can't be drilled.

Canisters will just fine.
 
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Makubex

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If you can't drill and don't want an over the back overflow the fluval fx6 or fx4 will work. I went fx4 from my 90. I didn't want to risk the hob overflow and tank can't be drilled.

Canisters will just fine.
I did more research, it seems like a lot of people do use canisters in their reef or specially fish only tanks, it helps a lot
 

Nate Chalk

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That foxface is a pig even in the 125, its gonna be a mess with the trigger when it comes to bioload. Let along the tangs as they get bigger.

I'm not a huge canister guy, I'd just run the largest matching pair of hobs I could find if a sump is impossible.
Agree i had a canister and they are the worst to clean weekly vs a sump
 
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