Desirability of switching location of input and output

So when I installed the new canister filter I did not think much about it, and accidentally installed the filter intake on the side of the tank where the old filter's output used to be, and the output where the old intake used to be.

Later on I thought that for aesthetic purposes I would want to switch them because now the intake is more visible than it used to be, but I did not have the energy to do it, and have been postponing it.

Today my bn pleco fixed our air stone. Yes, she did! We have this big air stone in a corner of the tank, which has never worked before, and I have been meaning to replace it with a smaller one that actually worked. Today our bn pleco was polishing everything including the air stone, and now finally bubbles are coming out of it.

So I started looking again at where our bubbles are, and basically now half of our tank has lots of bubbles due to the cannister filter output, the sponge filter and the air stone. The other half of the tank is significantly calmer. That's where our filter intake is (covered by a prefilter sponge), a large java fern, and the driftwood along with the java moss where the bn pleco likes to hang out on the driftwood of course and where someday I hope we shall have a good habitat for shrimp.

So I am now wondering: should I move the location of cannister filter input and output? The advantage would be aesthetics of less visible filter input (it usually has gunk on pre filter). The disadvantage: both sides of tank would have bubbles, whereas now there is one calmer side of the tank. What do you think?

 

I would think surface disturbance would be an advantage. Bubbles shouldn't cause too much trouble for the fishies. \o/ and way to go princess longfins, as resourceful as she is graceful!

Moving the airstone would be far easier...but aesthetics outweigh convenience for those of us who know of vanity lol. For example, in my research to battle nitrates I've been debating between an internal filter or external hob canister filter. Problem is the canister filter can't fit on the back of my tank because I need an extra half an inch of clearance lol. I'm going to have LOTS of fun moving the tank to get the space, but it'll look better than an internal filter and be more practical at the same time.

 

Interesting article, though it took me rereading it in its original German to fully understand it:

https://translate.google.de/transla...ame=aquarium-stroemungsverteilung.php&act=url

 

Pretty heavy reading for someone who isn't a morning person. xD

Just glancing at that makes me glad I have a high reading comprehension as context helps a lot for the words that don't quite translate right. I get the general idea of the article and it is intriguing. I personally place my intake/output together with the intake in the corner and the output pointed down the length of the tank. This might change a bit if I ever pick up another filter or a powerhead.

 

According to this article putting intake and output together is better for the overall circulation, so what you are doing is more correct than my current setup. Although of course for my sponge filter the two are together. I will need to see whether I can squeeze the canister filter back there without switching the output to be elsewhere.