Fish tank set up help needed!

I am glad that others dislike undergravel filters too :) I was astounded when I saw the dirt-pack under the gravel, when my friend sold me my 55g, that had an undergravel. The water I cleaned out was Blacker Than Dark Coffee....!

I'm late in this too...but I also agree with the 1 GF per 10 gallons rule. After moving to this small apartment, I had to get rid of my two 30's, but I still have one 10 gallon tank running with my favorite pleco and the 'feeder' GF I saved from my garter snake a few years ago. He is now about 4-5" long and keeps me pretty busy replacing filter cartridges and vacuuming his gravel.

Avoid undergravel filters like the plague! They never get totally clean and can really mess up the balances. And I also agree on getting larger 'river rock' for GF since I've had to rescue my boy quite a few times from rocks in his mouth. I'm thinking of putting both fish in a bucket with air stones for a while and totally changing out the gravel for rock soon...
My :twocents: for cleaner tanks, aside from a good carbon filter and water changes, is a nice pleco. Man, those guys will really clean house...at least they always have for me. :) No need to scrub algae, and they suck up any extra food from those accidental overfeedings. Just be careful with the type you get, since some like slurping off big flowing fins.