I’m not sure what’s going in the tank yet. I think I will be stocking as a South American cichlids and no plants but I’m not 100%.Mistacliff , your filtration will depend on how the tank is stocked, water change schedule and if it will have plants or not.
How do you plant to stock the tank?
Using a canister is not 100% required.
Mannn. Never Bothered downloading the App for PetSmart. Had no idea they add a mini-game for coupons. Literally Bought an FX6, the 125 Gallon combo, and most Recently a Fluval 407 online. All were Purchased cause they were all on sale. I did save a good amount on them but nowhere near if I had the 15-25% Off. Pretty much done with the big purchases too. Am Sad XDWith a 125g, you have an infinite amount of options if you were thinking about CA/SA cichlids.
I have a 75g full of them and definitely wished I had a 125g!
Yes I agree with not going by the fish store's recommendation with a WC once a month. A good starting point once the tank is stocked and the fish start putting on some size is a 50% WC every 7-10 days. I use a pump and 50ft vinyl hose to pump out my tanks, then use an adapter to attach a drinking water safe garden hose to my kitchen faucet to refill. My setup makes for easy and large WC's.
Regarding filtration, you will get a 100 different suggestions and none will be absolutely right or wrong.
You can always start off with two large HOB filters then reevaluate the tank's needs as the stocking increases and the fish put on some size. Everyone has different needs, but for example I use a combination of Aquaclear HOB's, sponge filters and canisters. I like Aquaclear HOB's and stopped using the 2 Tidal 75's my friend gave me.
If you go with Aquaclear's, consider buying extra replacement foam blocks so you can double stack them in the filter. In my experience, an extra foam block will give you a lot more mechanical filtration, as well as providing a ton surface area for beneficial bacteria to colonize on, probably more so than the included bio-max media.
For example, you could start the tank with two Aquaclear 110 HOB's. As the cichlids grow and/or you add more of them, then re-evaluate the filtration needs. You might just need to add a power head to increase the circulation in the tank. Some people put power heads on a timer so they turn off at night to give the fish a break. Extra circulation will help blow off fish waste and uneaten fish from the substrate and allow the filter intakes to suck it up. Or you might need to add a third HOB or maybe then consider adding a canister if that is what you need. I suggested the AC110 because I have one and it flows a lot of water. Here is a LINK to a thread I posted about it back in 2018. It doesn't use the same media as shown in the pics, but it will give you an idea of how large it is.
Regarding the Aquatop Forza, from what I recall they are repackaged SunSun canisters with possibly different color or plastic shroud around the motorhead.
If you live near a Petsmart, they will put the FX4 on sale for $199 and the FX6 for $249 every couple of months. Maytimes it will be put on sale in the store and the online price will not reflect this. If you use their 20%-25% off coupons that can be earned by playing the game in their downloadable Petsmart app, it brings down the prices of the FX's to $149/$186. Not cheap but a far better price than what they go for at full retail.
I think a FX4 would work well if paired with an extra power head and/or another HOB. If you can get them on sale and use the Petsmart coupon, try to get the FX6 if budget allows if you want to use a canister.
I've ran an FX4 for about 2 years and have had zero issues with it.
Depending on your LFS' stocking availability, consider buying your CA/SA cichlids online. My friend and I have bought from "Imperial Tropicals" on multiple occasions, Each time the fish arrived healthy and as advertised. Another reputable online retailer is "Cichlids of the Americas". All they sell are CA/SA cichlids.