Taking down my 125...And setting it back up.

[Mudslinger14]

Alright...So two days ago, I went out and bought an fx5 for my 125.
There are a couple problems with it right now...#1, my stand isnt tall enough for it. It JUST fits in, and the hoses are under strain from the top of the stand. So my dad suggested drilling two holes in the top of the stand, where its just a piece of plywood, so the hoses can run freely. Good idea? Or will the tank fall to bits?

Second thing is, the intake goes far too low in the tank...So how should I get it higher? The tubing is already taught, but there's a big straight piece that goes into the water. Should I cut that to size?

The filter is working wonders for my tank though. For the past two years, I've had a reallllyyyyyy crappy HOB filter that did nothing. Happy to know I'm providing good filtration for my fish.

What I'm planning on doing is putting a large piece of driftwood the length of the tank in...And then lightly planting it around it on each end and maybe some java moss on the driftwood itself?

Input welcome

 

[CClump]

unless you got a really junky stand, drilling into it shouldnt be a problem.
i dont have an fx5 but i imagine it shouldnt be too hard to cut the intake to size as long as the intake part is covered to keep anything from getting sucked in.

My other suggestion would be turning the intake somewhat sideways, but if the tubing is already tight that doesnt sound plausible.

Maybe set up the filter next to the tank outside the stand? they are nice looking

 

[aclockworkorange]

I had the same problem with my stand, but I removed one of the panels on the bottom so the FX5 sits directly on the floor--obviously this setup depends on how the stand is built. You can cut the plastic intake tube if it is too far down in the tank. Pictures would help!