Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions - just to ally all your fears, I have cleaned the tank out today, removed the Eheim and replaced it with an internal sponge filter - a little noisier but a lot easier to deal with (and visually looks a lot better without those hoses going everywhere).

:bounce: *Clap clap* Bravo!

ive got a 2 foot tank that is going to be planted in dwarf sag with up to 7 (max if they all girls) female fighters. not sure what filter to use as my fighters hate currents. wasnt going to worry about a filter just do weekly changes, coz the plants should help it.

I have fighters and i have a filter. But it has a tube on the air bit and half closed at the end so the water movement isnt that much.