Types of filters

[JerryC]

First a little back ground. !st I have kept a saltwater reef tank (mainly SPS) for the last 14+ years. I currently have a 650 gallon tank setup. I have not made the switch to Discus yet but I am really looking in to it.
I do have a couple of questions that I would like clarified if some one will.
1st Why do you guys use canister filters instead of wetdrys. I know with salt water tanks these are far more efficent than canisters do to the increased O2 levels in the air around the media. I'm sorry if this has been covered before but I have not been able to locate the info.
2nd If you had a 650 gallon tank how would you stock it. I don't plan on breeding in time soon so fry/rearing are not that big of a concern now. Although I would like to try later on down the road. My wife is currently not happy with my choise of switching over to Discus because she does not want a tank were all the fish look the same outside of color. Remember she is use to saltwater.
Any help or idea would be welcome. I am currently waiting to see what the PH of my tap is after a 24 hour aireation period. This will most likely make or break the whole idea because if the tap is to high (8.1 out of the sink) I don't know if I really want to fight Ph every time I do a 200+ gallon water change.

Jerry
Columbus GA.

[ILLUSN]

wetdrys are great filters, but with the build up or organics in them they can become nitrate factories, the same can be said of FBF's, if your going to run a planted discus tank then the excess o2 will also drive out all your co2.

if you have a wetdry theres no reason you cant use it.

650gal is a big tank, you could have 50 discus in there comfortably, plus a few bristlenoses or whiptails to take care of any brown algae and a nice school of tetras for show 9and lunch as the fish grow up).

[JerryC]

Thanks for the quick reply. So there are no medium size fish that will not become lunch to put in with them.

[ILLUSN]

Once tetras get big enough they'll be fine, you could stock something like an empoerer tetra or hatchets they wont get eaten. longnose whips get to around 25cm, and royals to a similar length, even bristlenoses will grow to 15-18cm with time, some adult peppermints would look great, you could throw in some clown loaches and just move them on once they get too big for the discus.