Different filtration methods have different benefits and weaknesses from my understanding. Canisters and Sumps generally being considered the best by many. Canisters are fairly effective at both biological and mechanical but when compared to a sump they will be at biological disadvantage but will hold a mechanical advantage over the sump. The sump being more efficient biologically because of all the surface area it offers for bacteria, but weak mechanically because filter socks are inferior to filter pads again because of the surface area made useful in the different setups since a Canister creates more flow thru the fliter pads.
That being said most hobbyists do consider biological to be the most important part of filtration however if talking price and efficiency the most efficient biological filtration is a fluidized bed not a conventional sump. Of all the filter methods it offers the most biological surface area while maintaining optimum flow thru making it extremely efficient. You can buy a fluidized bed filter ready to go or you can DIY and it's at worse as complicated as a sump to set up. Being the biological superior filtration the fluidized bed is optimum choice if simplicity and familiarity are ignored.
1 it's biologically superior to a sump and equally efficient mechanically.
2 Because it can be bought ready made it offers simplicity and a ready made fluidized bed cost much less then a ready made sump.
I suggested a canister because it's the simplest and easiest to work with. So I suggested the best canister ever made in my opinion. One that is rare and will eventually disappear from the market and I'm not sure a equal will appear. Sumps aren't quite as cheap as made out. They require plumbing, an overflow box and possibly baffles if you want optimize it's efficiency. Not to mention they can be complicated for someone new to the hobby to work with especially if one chooses the do it yourself route in making one to save money. I hope I've accurately portrayed the benefits and disadvantages of each and I hope it help you make an informed decision when choosing your filtration method Lindsay, good luck and can't wait to see your set up.
