filtration questions

[pluchinsky]

i feel like a nuisance posting constantly but switching to a new set-up has me feeling like a newbie again. we now have a 125 gallon tank with an internal overflow in the middle & a 55-gallon tank to be the underneath sump. i'm trying to complete my list of everything to order for it so we can set up. i had chosen an eheim plus filter (canister) but people keep mentioning wet-dry filters. are these better than canister filters & what's the maitenance like on them? we want to get everything right on this new set-up. i'm, also, worried that with an aggressive set-up i can't have the algae & detritus attack packs or anything to sift/aerate the sand. someone mentioned a sand-sifting star that stays submerged so the fish don't get to it. what's this called & will it work? thanks so much!

 

[moray345]

i would go with a wet dry for a agressive because it filters more and the only maintenece is reall y just changing/cleaning the bioballs:thinking:

 

[pluchinsky]

i looked at another site yesterday to see what i could find about them. it praised the wet-dry as being superior for biological filtration and, therefor, the overall health of the fish. But it, also, said that it's designed poorly for mechanical & chemical filtration b/c it lets a lot of the water flow right around that media. it said that, though, some people say you don't need chemical or mechanical filtration with good biological filtration; you can't argue with the fact that systems with a good canister filter (for mechanical filtration) have crystal clear water. so, since i'm setting up a sump, i'm hoping that will make up for the extra biological filtration the wet-dry would have given me & the canister will keep the water clear. do u agree with that or am i missing something important here?