Unless you have your heart set on having an Aquarium - Knowing you will soon, in 2006, have a pond set up - I would look into the following:
QT Tank set up. Would give you much more water volume and you be ahead of the game with your ponding as well.
1) Buy and set up a rubber mate stock tank of at least 100 gals with another tank - if you have the space - as a settling tank and extra volume.
2) Build your own DIY QT - larger in size to fit a given area.
Doing this over an Aquarium set up - would allow you a keep larger fish then just an Aquarium. you would already have a QT for your pond fish. Plus if you set up this winter - you should have something to help seed your filtration for your pond in 2006.
I have 3 100 gal rubber mate stock tanks all set up. One is a main tank. One is the settling tank. And one is a QT. I have the option of using one filter for all or shutting down one tank to use as a QT all by it self. that way if I have new fish in one 100 tank and I end up with a sick fish from my older stock - I can still use the same set up for them all.
If you stick with setting up an Aquarium or if you change your mind and do a DIY QT tank - I would reccomend a canister filter that has stackable filter areas. Much easier to clean - while saving the good bacteria. some of those other canister filters posted can be a real pain to remove each type of filtration material and then set it back up.
Tony
"We were given two eyes, two ears, but only one mouth; so look and listen twice as much as you speak. That way you are sure to learn more!"