New filter questions?

[Marine430]

I am in need of a new hob filter for my 40 gal lps and softy reef tank. Sump is not an option at this point in time. I am looking at the aqua clears! I am wondering if I should get a smaller filter like the 50 or 70 gal model and get a skimmer. Or go with the 110 and no skimmer?
Also changing out the filter I am going to lose my bacteria is there anything I can do to help the new filter get the bacteria faster?
Any other brand of hob recommend? I am tired of the bio wheels but I will get another if they work as good if not better then anything else on the market.

 

[Butitor]

i used to have that setup before. 70gal model with skimmer (Aqua C skimmer) until the aqua clear is dead. i made a DIY hang on refugium. i'm still using the skimmer till now. good luck to your tank.

 

[nagreen]

I've never been a huge fan of the bio wheels but I had an AquaClear on a 29 for 7 or 8 months and loved it.. If you have plenty of live rock you probably won't have to worry about your tank re-cycling. You'll grow new bacteria on the media in the AquaClear in no time.. You could even put some rubble rock in with the stock media it comes with and it'd speed things up I'm sure