UNCLERUCKUS
"THE ALL POWERFUL Q !!
PANTYHOSE TIED OVER INTAKE WOULD WORK TOO BUT I IMAGINE IT WOULD CLOG QUICKLY ADDING MORE WORK.
I think that Africans enjoy playing in the sand. I have had the same problem with sand and ACs. In tall tanks, I use only a single lift of the U-tube to keep the input up high, away from most of the sifted sand. On short tanks, I put a coarse sponge over the strainer. This is not ideal, but it works.
Sponge filter over your intake should cut down on the sand getting to your impeller. Get one with larger gaps to allow for water flow to stay high.
Something like this:
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.c...pcatid=21426&cmpid=03csems&ref=4624&subref=AA
Ditch the halides, you can get the same shimmer effect from LEDs.
Check these out -
http://www.ecoxotic.com/aquarium-led-lights/led-par-lights/ecoxotic-par38-aquarium-led-lights.html
You should be able to find pendant light fixtures that these would fit into at home depot. Plus, 21 watts, thats just cool.
They used to have 6700k ones. I would call and ask.
I will defiantly be using these when I have the space for a larger tank
I would go with the hydor inline 300 watt heaters, you want a more clean look less equiptment in the tank. And those heaters are very reliable.
If you ever do decide to drill the tank DO NOT drill tempered glass. Your tank will be in thousands of pieces if you do. You generally run into tempered glass bottoms starting at 75 gallon tanks and going up.