Biotopes Setup Question

[drob85]

I know i am not ready to start a biotope tank yet my discus are still young but by the next year I will be ready. so I have been doing my research around the internet and I found hundreds of different ways to set up a biotope tank so i am now asking SD how did you all set ur biotope tanks up and the question i can not find anything on and has been bothering me the most how do you clean a tanks like that and do u still need to do alot of water changes? Also does anyone use a Aquaripure & does it really work?

[Second Hand Pat]

A true biotope has sand and wood. In my biotope tanks I have a slimline backline which offers a realistic look, a light covering of sand (about 1/2 inch) and wood. All my display tanks have sumps which gives me a place to hide filter media, heaters etc. My largest tank (230 gallon) gets two 40% WCs a week and a sand syphon with eah cleaning. The quilt batting (for sediment filtering) is replaced once it is dirty.