Covering intake?

I have a Sand tank with a Rena X3. First, I took one of the segments out of the uptake tube so it wasn't sitting on the bottom. Then I took a foam insert for an Aquaclear 30 and cut a + shaped slit in the top of it and worked the hole down till it was deep enough to fit over the end of the uptake tube.

I have to yank the foam insert every couple of weeks and rinse it out. Takes about 5 minutes. Just don't squeeze the insert while it's still in the tank. It will eject all kindsa nasty crap.

^^^
I do the same thing, but I use the cheap sponges from big-als, they're huge, but I can cut 'em.

I find mine gets covered in crap that I'd like to remove from my tank very quickly, 2-3 days, but it's mostly plant matter(planted tank). YMMV.

I use a sponge I bought from wal-mart, 2.5" x 2.5" x 3', and it cost me $3 (It was meant for insulating small areas). I cut out a length about 5 inches long and cut into the center with an apple corer, then attach that onto the intake of my filter or powerhead and the suction will keep the sponge on there even if it's a little loose at first. (I have a sponge on my powerhead because I once saw an ADF get stuck to the intake, luckily I pulled him off and attached a sponge.)

you can also put a fine mesh filter media bag over the intake. works well.