New tank, lots of question!

[JoeFarrah]

So my silver arowana has hit the 13"-14" mark and I'm gonna move him into a 180gal (6x2x2 footprint) I just picked up. Obviously not his final home but it's a start. I've never owned a big tank but I'm getting into it because I love my Arowana too much to ever see him go so this new experience has me with many questions. I'll number them below and any response is greatly appreciated.
1) would 2 canisters rated for 100 gal each be enough for that water volume. If so, what would be a efficient set up for the two inputs/outputs.

2) with such a large volume of water should I add an additional circulator/power head to better distribute heat and create a more natural circulation

3) is it dangerous to use 2-3 heaters all set at the same temp to heat the tank? Or do I need to find a single powerful heater?

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

1) I think you need to look at the flow rate of the canisters, and then check to see if they get that or if they are lower in reality. Example: SunSun filters. Their flow rate is much less than what they advertise once you get them full of media. However, they are great filters though. I would recommend two or three SunSun HW-304B filters. They are around $80 each on Amazon and are rated for 500+ gph (probably around 350-375 after media is added). This should give you good turnover and they hold a lot of media. I think it's your best option for a canister filter setup. Having said that, I still recommend a sump for a tank that large. Will be far better than the canisters in the long run.

2) With a proper filtration setup I don't think a power head is needed. I wouldn't get it right off the bat. If you find you need/want it then you can always add it later.

3) Multiple heaters are fine, as long as you run them off of one main controller. I like to recommend that you use a heater controller and then use heaters that have their own thermostat also. You can set the heaters themselves a little higher than the controller so that if it ever fails on the heaters will turn themselves off after a few degrees are added to the tank. I think you should probably start a new thread about the wattage required and include typical ambient temp and desired temp so that others can help you figure out what you need.

Good luck!

 

[Hoplo]

1) all depends on the filter, and the stocking of the tank, the more you stock the tank the more filtration you need, but if the tank is understocked then you wont need as much filtration. As a good starting point it is possible it would be ok, but as said above a sump is better.

2)It depends on how much flow your filtration gives, and how much flow you want in the tank. If you are finding your fish needs more exercise, or all the muck isn't getting picked up then you can think of getting a power head.

3)external control as said above is the best option, other then that I prefer to use multiple smaller ones as it is harder for everything to go wrong then.

 

[turtles]

Have a look at ehiem 300watt I run 1 on my 180g and it does the job beautiful for heating the tank

 

[xraycer]

1) all depends on the filter, and the stocking of the tank, the more you stock the tank the more filtration you need, but if the tank is understocked then you wont need as much filtration. As a good starting point it is possible it would be ok, but as said above a sump is better.

2)It depends on how much flow your filtration gives, and how much flow you want in the tank. If you are finding your fish needs more exercise, or all the muck isn't getting picked up then you can think of getting a power head.

3)external control as said above is the best option, other then that I prefer to use multiple smaller ones as it is harder for everything to go wrong then.

^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^

 

[celebrist]

I ran three cans on my 150 as well as two hobs but I am an over filter redundant filtration backup fan.

Keep your long term filtration plans in mind as well when you start buying filters now

I am also a multiple heater advocate

I have had both filters and heaters fail on occasion so having more than a single unit allows you a lot of protection, especially if it occurs when you are not home