RyanT

I read a bit about Riverfront teaming up with Concept many months ago but haven't heard much since. The webpage is pretty bare-bones, has anyone been around recently who can comment on the current state of things? How do they compare to Pisces in terms of selection/price?

I recommend drilling multiple holes so you can use a quieter overflow arrangement (Herbie?). You could also drill the side/back if you suspect the bottom is tempered.

Go for cast acrylic over extruded when possible as well. The extruded stuff is much softer and will absorb more water.

I had one a long time ago. The main problem is that there are virtually no advantages to a fluidized bed filter. They don't achieve anything that a basket of bio-media doesn't do just as well. If you really need more filtration why not just get another canister? You complicate the plumbing and put yourself at risk of blowing a cloud of sand into the tank or filter. The textbook advantage of a fludized bed filter is efficient space usage, but the extra plumbing you need will offset that anyways. I'd take a sump over a fluidized bed no question.

I love sumps. They keep equipment out of the tank and increase water volume. They are also really cheap if you are just gluing baffles into an existing tank. With some of the new adjustable DC pumps coming out you don't even need to worry about flow rates. The hardest part would probably be installing an overflow into the display. Here is a system I am currently setting up. The sump is simple but the overflow plumbing is rather involved.