toying with the idea of a new startup

[fishykisses]

i have a 55g tank that will be empty this weekend. I have 2 canister filters a rena fx3 and a fluval 403 or 404 that i was running with the fw setup.
i ran a 25g fowlr for about 2 weeks before it sprung a leak and i sold everything off. so i really don't have experience with this and it was quite a long time ago.
My questions...
i've been researching and found that i can use my current canisters if i remove the media and add LR. This would act as a sump No? and i could use the other complete with it's own media as just a bit extra filtration and water movement?
Sorry if these are dumb questions.
then i'd need a power head or 2. I would just like fish only and some decent looking ornaments in the tank. No LR, just space for some fish.
what else would i need to start this up? do i need special lighting as well if i'm not adding any corals such?
thanks

[tang daddy]

For the 55g you can run a simple set up with lr rubble in the canister and you could also add a bag of charcoal to purify the water. You should put atleast 1 powerhead in the tank and Hydor koralias are usually sufficient for flow. If you're doing a fowler a regular pc or t5 normal output is fine. I would suggest you add some lr to the display so that the fish have a place to hide and swim through to give them a sense of security. When choosing fish for your small fowler, make sure to do your research on the fish to see if they're compatible with other fish you will be adding. This will save you lots of headaches and money in the end. I would not put any tangs or angels because they need more space to swim and can quickly pollute and outgrow your tank. You'd be surprised but there are so many cool inverts and nano fish that can be put into a tank. Also there are some super hardy corals that don't require tons of light aswell!

Good luck and happy stocking!

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Skip charcoal (which should be changed weekly) and add Chemipure (much longer useful life).

[The Guy]

I run purigen in my canister filters and it works well, I change out bag of purigen when I clean and service the filter. The nice thing about purigen is that you can clean and recharge it and reuse it. It's a bit expensive to use but worth it, keeps my tanks crystal clear.