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Am wanting to upgrade to a 150 gallon rubbermaid stock tank for my res and was wondering what filter would be best for that setup?

I want to put this setup indoors and don't really like the idea of perching the entire tub on a raised platform (e.g. breeze blocks) in order to be able to use a canister filter (e.g. xp3) that must be placed a certain distance below the tank for maximum efficiency. The tub full of water alone is going to weigh over 1000lbs so I don't want to add a bunch of bricks to that!

So instead I was considering a pond pump that could be placed inside the tank along with an internal or external filter.

Something like this pond kit maybe: http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18614/si1382356/cl0/supremepondmaster1250filterandpumpkit

Would this work, or is there a better option?

Any help and advice greatly appreciated!

I'm doing a similar set up and when I looked at the pond cleaners I didn't see any that had areas for decent filter media. From what I could tell, the pond filters were more for removing leaves and such.

A few Fluval 4 Plus internal filters might work.

For mine (300 gallon stock tank) I got 2 XP3s. I'm still setting it up so I haven't tested them yet, but if I need additonal filtration I'll probably try to find a decent pond filter or get a Fluval 4 Plus or two.

Are you putting the pond in your basement or on a reinforced floor?

There are few people here who have a pond filter. There are pics from Stacey www.redearslider.com/habitat_gallery.html

Also here http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/smpond.html
They also have a Fluval 4 but it would be underpowered for a 150 gallon tank (I use one in a 100 gallon).

Yeah, I recommend a pond filter, a fluval might not do the job.

I've been doing a little more research. I haven't opened my XP3s yet so I can always return them, but I think I found something better on www.macarthurwatergardens.com. They have canister filter for ponds. I think I'm going to get the Tetra Pond PUV 1500 Pressure Filter with UV.

Yeah, I was looking at that too, but it requires a pump as well. By the time you've added a pump you could have bought a Fluval FX5...

I believe with this one though you don't have to worry about the canister filter being such and such a distance below the water line. The pumps don't seem to be very expensive, but a Fluval FX5 isn't big enough for my uses.

Agreed! In the end I went with a Fish Mate pond filter and 800 gph pump.

Like you said, the pump doesn't need to be placed below the waterline because it's pressurized, and the 800 gph pump is going to provide plenty of flow for a 150g tank, even after everything's hooked up.

The Tetra 1500 looks great but I'm trying to stay within budget. Also, I'm not sure that you need UV filters with turtles?

Are you sure it's the filter and not the pump that's pressurized?

I think you're right - it's called a pressurized filter - but that's probably because it requires a high pressure pump to work the way it was intended? *shrug* Do you know the answer and you're just being polite?

We have a UV filter on our fish tank and it keeps the water in excellent condition. I'm not sure if it will be needed for the turtles, but I'll try it and if it helps even a little bit to keep the water good for longer its worth it to me.