Paludarium idea, will it work?

[Taari]

That's what filters attached to the powerhead intake are for. I've never used a canister filter, and it seems they are all expensive no matter what. I'm on a limited budget right now, so I have to do this as cheaply as possible with as much material I already have as possible. A sponge filter should work just fine for a handful of tiny fish in a planted tank.

 

[mellowvision]

nah, canisters aren't all expensive, and last a long time. The filter running my 45 gallon paludarium was $38 on ebay. It's a cheap knock off filter, but it's fine. Prefilters on powerheads just means a larger unit to hide in your tank. Between the size, extra heat, and lack of control, I don't think it's worth the savings.