New to big tanks, and getting a 210. filter ?'s

been a while since ive been on the forums, but i know i can find good help here. ive browsed around trying to find answers, and have found some info, but nothing definite.

i have about 9 GT's that need an upgrade. so ill be picking up my 210 in August. im still in the planning stage right now. the only thing that is a definite is the All Glass 210 with twin megaflows. i have yet to build a stand or pickup any filters.

stand is a cakewalk. filters is where i need a little help. i like the simplicity and ease of use with canister filters, so ive been eyeing the fluval fx5 which seems to be an affordable choice. A friend is telling me to run a wet/dry sump. so im going to take his advice and run one with a fx5 as a secondary. the fx5 i have figured out. the sump is where my questions lie.

space is somewhat limited. i have access to a 55g and a 29g to use as sumps, but there is little chance that the 55g will fit. Will a 29g sump be enough when aided by the fx5?

also, i havent seen much concrete info on what to put into a sump. how much biological media should i use?

for the sump pump, ive read 5 times your tanks capacity is ideal, so 1000gph is my current target. i plan to run a Quiet One 4000 in the sump. Am i on the right path? any experience with the reliability of this pump?

i appreciate any info you can provide. im going to go back to searching the archives for more info.

-scotty

thanks for your input and reassurance.

the stand will be built by myself (i sell lumber for a living, its almost required). my current design is getting modified as we speak. the main issue with the 55g as a sump is that it is 21" tall. add in the 210 is 29" tall, and lumber thicknesses and ill end up with an overall height around 60"+, which is a tad taller than i wanted.

i think i may go scrounging for a lower profile tub that could fit down there and bring my overall height down a little. i know i will be moving in the next year, so im trying to plan ahead. otherwise this thing would get built into a wall.