AC 70 existential crisis: to mod or not to mod?

[mountaineer]

I have an Aquaclear 70 HOB on my six-week-old 27 gallon cube. I mainly use it to hold media (Phosguard and sometimes carbon if I need to do some polishing). I also stuff a big gob of filter floss in there, which I change out weekly.

 

Today, I swapped out my floss, and filthy water entered the tank. My skimmer went crazy and sucked much of it out. But I had this realization that the floss is simply trapping detritus and giving it a place to break down into nitrates, rather than giving my skimmer a chance to get it out of the system. (Right? I'm a newcomer to all this...)

 

I'm toying with the idea of ditching the floss altogether and turning my AC-70 into a fuge/copepod palace, as so many have done.

 

However, I worry because I really want the AC70 to continue to hold my media (Phosguard/carbon), and all the mods I've found simply turn it into a fuge, without a place for media. (With the bigger 110, there's more space and wiggle room, I guess.) I have zero room for a real sump in my condo, so HOB is my only option.

 

Has anybody on here modified (or seen a mod of) an AC-70 so that it's a fuge AND holds media? If so, any tips? I could use the insight.

[nanosaurus]

http://shop.mediabaskets.com/AquaClear-70-Media-Basket-AC70MR.htm

 

Filter floss in the right chamber, media bags in the bottom, chaeto fuge on top. Not DIY, but I've yet to see an AC fuge mod that can offer all that.

 

As you've discovered on your own, floss needs to be changed at least once a week, more if its trapping a lot of gunk

[mountaineer]

Ah, that's pretty slick. Thanks. Well, Christmas is coming up...