Have you thought about the use of a refugium like setup?
That was one of the things that I incorporated into the design when I first built my system.
I sectioned off one of the back corners using some old undergravel filter pieces. It's where my intake particulate filters are located.
All the detrius is pushed toward that area by the larger pump at the other end of the tank and passes through the small perferations.
I always end up with many copepods making a home in there and a colony of tubificid worms have lived there for years.
It was sorta' a blending of a refugium and a Hamburg Mattenfilter (HMF), but I couldn't find decent foam mats at the time.
But, I really like how it's worked out regardless! :~)
This is just the left side of the tank.
There is a hidden powerhead on the right side that pushes the detrius and water to this area.
That little pump runs the waterfall system and takes care of the watering the plants.
The hidden filter area:
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The front area:
(Yeah, it's a little overgrown right now!)
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You can't see anything from the viewing side even without the plants.
It's all hidden behind the rock structure.
Plus, it's been set up for years...
So, I don't really care how bad it looks! ;~)
Just a thought!
Scott