15 Gallon Long; Filter In An Odd Spot....

[Channti]

Alright; so here's the thing.

The tank is a 15 gallon (long). I've had the tank set up in the past, dismantled it a few months back and have brought it to university with me. Have a minor issue though.

Due to the setup of my room, the tank must have it's back flat against the wall. This means there is no room at the back for the Elite Hush 20 HOB filter I have for it. Looking at the tank, it would be possible for me to run the filter on the right side of the tank. The problem I have though, is that the left side of the tank wouldn't be filtered as well as the right side.

To attempt to balance this out, would a powerhead on the left side of the tank help in filtration?. I have zero experience with powerheads, so I have no idea if I'm even on the right track here. Can a powerhead even be used on a tank with a sand substrate?. Here's the rest of the info on the tank...

I've gotta junk the hood for the tank anyway (it's a piece of well... I'd be censored if I typed it). The lighting is going to be a pair of 11 watt CFL bulbs (until I can invest in some better lighting). Sand substrate. Planted with some basic plants (whatever I can keep alive... Java Fern, Hygrophila Polysperma, Cryptocoryne Wendtii, Corkscrew Vals).

What kind of materials could I make a lid for the tank out of?.

The tank is going to be home to some type of community. Still deciding between a female betta sorority tank and a small community. Probably the female bettas.... but it'll depend on what mood I'm in when I go fish shopping

 

[OldMan47]

It sounds like you have some good ideas there Channti. The filter on the right side will give you the biological filtration you need and I would leave it at that. Unless your water circulation is terrible, the water will eventually end up back at the filter and any ammonia or nitrites will be removed. I run several of my tanks with nothing more than an air driven box filter. I will guarantee that those tanks are not going to get anywhere near the flows that your 15 gallon will get. My tanks stay healthy because the content of my box filters is enough to remove any biological chemicals using the ceramic bio-media that they contain. They do not remove much at all in terms of particulate so I must do that with regular gravel vac use. Let me give you a piece of advice that will get me in trouble with all the 5x and 10x filtration people. If you have an adequate volume of biological media and get any water flow through that media your fish will do fine. If you insist on your filter doing your job of cleaning the loose waste material from the tank bottom, the high flow people have the answer.