It IS a PITA
It IS a PITA
I have to agree, got fish8. Sometimes this tank is a pain in the *ss. I solved the top-off issue by hooking up a direct ro/di feed thru the autotopoff.com system. I encased their float switch in a 3" pvc pipe with holes drilled in it. That stopped the short cycling that occurred when the water level in my sump return area would "wave" up and down.
You are 100% correct on the cleaning of the acrylic....however, I find that the outside surface is easily cleaned with a quick every-other day swipe with an acrylic safe pad. I scrape the interior with a credit card once a week.
I had a male Clarkii go over the side, but when I put him back, the female killed him...so that's why he went "overboard" in the first place.
Best use for this tank is for a clam/softie tank...great viewing and little trouble with things going over the side.
Your observation on the snails is correct, but I find that throttling the return flow down will result in the water still cascading into the trough as opposed to flying onto the carpet (so far).
By the way, your tank was beautifully done.
Grunfeld in Detroit