Only matters if you're using CO2 injection. Otherwise it won't do a thing...Actually, it could help increase the CO2 in the water if it's being used up by the plants...
Yeah, Pies's pictures are MASSIVELY photoshopped. They look nothing like the real thing. Here's a picture of what his tank really looks like that I snuck when he wasn't looking last time I visited.
If you want things for them to hide in you could just use regular rocks, works just fine for FW.
I've been thinking it would be interesting to set up a marine tank that looks like a FW tank, driftwood and stuff...
I'd go with the sump too. A few concerns though, since you're going with planted you'll have to be aware of loose leaves and plant debris blocking the overflow. Also, if you decide to use CO2 injection all the disturbance from the overflow will release a lot of the CO2. Both of those can be minimized by using a relatively small return pump though.
I still stand by the $1000(ish) for what I was aiming for at the time, a basic FOWLR and given I had the tank, stand, etc.
It only stayed a fowlr for 9 months, though.
The tank should only cycle once when you set it up. If you mean turnover, the how many times per hour the filter pumps the tank's volume through it, that depends. Most filter's "Suggested tank size" is based on 2-3 times per hour. You're better off with more than that. 5x per hour or more.
That pipe is going to be pretty expensive if you do find it. I'd make a guess at over $1000/meter. I think 15mm is going to be pretty excessive unless you're going really tall.
I'd probably use PVC downpipe, maybe with a clear window built into it if you need to see the bubbles. Or just get a sheet of perspex and bend it into the right shape...
Or use a hexagonal acrylic fish tank as the main chamber. Those are fairly common, cheap and big. You could make an uber skimmer out of one of them!
Massive restriction, poor reliability unless constantly cleaned. Drill a hole just below water level on the return(INSIDE THE TANK :lol: ) instead. That'll break any siphon before it overflows your sump if you have it high enough.
I'd imagine you'd need something along the lines of a small glasshouse or some kind of relatively sealed container to house them. That would keep your breeders from flying away and force them to lay their eggs in a trough or similar.