so a guy on craigslist has a cascade 1500 for sale and im thinkin that and a hang on the back should do the trick on my 135. im planning the overstock approach with mbunas. or should i stay with the xp3 and cascade 700. my thought was the 1500 has 100gallons a hour and use the 700 maybe so id have like more filtration than i needed. is my logic correct? also what s your thoughts on amonia chips/charcoal as a filtration. i know peeps said charcoal isnt neccesary but should i use the amonia soakin(i forget what its called) stuff to safeguard against all the waste im gonna have with a overstocked tank

No need to beat yourself up over it, but I moved your two topics to Tank Setup.

I don't really know much about the Cascades. I do like the Rena ones however. Do you have the 700 and the xp3 already? If you already have those two, then you should be set.

If memory serves the xp3 is rated for up to 175g tank.

Hey we are here to help and welcome you with open arms...don't be afraid to ask no question is a stupid question on FWM. I agree with saint...and yes you want as much filtration as you can get in an overstocked African setup. I use 2 Penguin 350's a rena xp3 on my Mbuna tank which is 120g and I have 45 fish in there.