Wow, a 150-- lucky you!
and 6 large fancies sounds like a very nice load for it.
Many goldfish folks I know use two filters on their large tanks-- a
canister and a wet/dry. This arrangement has lots of advantages,
including fail-safety and flexibility of media placement.

(DCrowno835) wrote in message ...
canisters. I've looked at the Eheim 2028, and it's looking not too bad, but
what are the pros and cons of each?

Eheims have a great rep. I used a Fluval 204 canister on my 29 for a
while, and it worked really well but was hard to re-prime after
maintenance. No doubt the Eheim will do better for you.

Canisters will go toxic much more quickly in a power failure than a
wet-dry because of the lack of oxygen in the canister, so if power
failures are an issue in your area that might be worth considering.

I already know that the filter media for
the penguins is costly,

Well, you know what? It doesn't HAVE to be. You can pretty much put
whatever you want in that thing. Those cartridges can be dismantled
and the backing reused with whatever you care to strap on (I use
rubber bands and Rite-Size cut-to-fit stuff-- some folks use
poly-fill). The bio-wheels are almost immortal anyway and they
provide most of your bio-bugs. Gravel, ceramic, whatever can go in
the media baskets and only needs occasional rinsing. I really like my
Penguin and it's been very cost-effective.

is a canister more cost efficient?

Not much different in my experience. You can be creative with media.

Also, someone recommended a UV sterilizer. Just what is
that, and why would it be necessary?

Not necessary generally. Very expensive. Kind of a luxury. It does
keep the water very sterile. I have HEARD that your fish Never Get
Sick when you have one.

Good luck!!
Have fun!!