Possible new tank... A few general equipment questions

Hey guys! Well, the more and more I browse my local Craigslist ads, the more convinced I am becoming that I will one day wind up on an episode of "Animal Hoarders", haha. Anyway, I found a perfect condition 75 gallon tank with a Penguin 350 bio-wheel filter for $100. I've currently got a 29 gallon that has been up and running for 2-3 months, and I'm already wanting something bigger to give me more stocking options. Anyway, the tank has no heater, hood, or lighting, which leaves me to acquire that stuff on my own. A couple questions here. First off, one heater or two? The tank is 48" long, 18" wide, and 21" deep. Secondly, I looked on Amazon at the Penguin 350 and noticed that it's rated for tanks up to 75 gallon, but I also know that companies are pretty liberal when it comes to rating their filters for certain tank sizes.... Would a second filter be in order? Or perhaps a single larger one to replace this one? Third and finally (for now, anyway, haha), tank hoods / lights... Do any of them offer benefits that others don't? I've never looked much into hoods and lights - the one I have on my 29 came with the tank... Any guidance / help / advice is appreciated. Thanks guys!

 

Because the tank is only four-foot long, if you upgrade the filter to a canister with a spray bar, you can get away with one (300W minimum) heater.

I would definitely upgrade the filter. Penguins have this lovely system where the number in their model name represents the gallons per hour the filter can turn over. This means that a Penguin 350 has a GPH of 350 gallons. The rule of thumb for HOB filters is that you want at least a 10 GPH turnover rate. This would mean that a Penguin 350 is really only suitable for a tank under 35 gallons. Sure, the manufacturer *says* it is rated for a 50-70 gallon tank, but manufacturers tend to be overly optimistic about what their products can actually do. I would recommend upgrading to a good canister filter on a tank this size. I run a Cascade 1000 on my 55gal and LOVE it. I know some people don't like the Cascades, though. Another good one, that is relatively inexpensive, is the Sun Sun canister filters you can find on eBay. I know several members on here have them and love them.

As for hoods/lights...can't help you there. I have a 108W T5HO Current NOVA fixture on my 55gal with no lids (open top tank). I can't afford to buy lids, so I just deal with the evaporation.

 

Hmmm, I hadn't thought about a canister filter. Looking at the Cascade 1000, I see it has a turnover rate of 265GPH, so I take it the turnover rate rule of thumb is less for canister filters as opposed to HOB filters?

 

Going off of price really, I'm looking at the Aquatop (previously SunSun from what I understand?) models and the CF400UV and CF500UV both look good.. The 400 is rated at 370GPH and the 500 is rated at 525GPH... Would the 500 be overkill for the tank, or would the 400 be adequate? (Will probably stock with an assortment of cichlids... not 100% on that one yet, though)

 

GPH for canister filters should be between 5 to 8 because they hold more media than HOB. If I'm correct petsmart sells a single 48 inch light for 99 and I think the hoods are 35 each for the plastic ones with lights.