in fact there are two wiresize holes on either side too but unless you disconnect the plug i dont see how you would feed the wire through

can you post a picture at all - am having trouble imagining it - ?

Dont know if this is clear?

they look like they should snap out don't they

any DIY boys care to comment?

Its weird cos those cut out bits arent on the inside. I could try with a knife but dont wanna bust it hehe
I got qanother substrate question in a minute too

The ammonia has come down from 1ppm to 0.5ppm and the Nitrates have gone from 1ppm to 2ppm - unfortunatly the pump was blocked for a day :( I think it was the polyester pad that did it, I didnt remove any debris from the pads, I just turned the 180 degrees so the blocked bits are furthest from the impeller, the filter's been running fine...

I was wondering if I should bother adding the Nutrafin Cycle stuff as per the FLUVAL Instruction manual??

BTW those really do look like snap outs to me... They are at the back, I wonder why would they bother putting them there unless they were for that purpose? Is the material Normal then thicker then thinner, kinda hard to explain, but typically manafactures would have the thin bit that you could smap out easier surrounded by a thicker than normal edge to make it less easy to damage the rest of it... Hmm how can I explain better.

YEah think it is. Im gonna be brave n snap one out soon. Just set up! substrate in, filled with some water, put in my rocks and decor, filled to the top, put in declorenater ( and turned on heater and filter.

Took some readings too, Amonia 0 ppm of course
Nitrite 0
PH- seemed to be around 7.2-7.4

Do i need to check nitrate? And i was hoping to get some neon or cardinal tetras who i know perfer a lower PH. Can i get this down or will tettys be ok in that sort of PH?

Also rinsed everything with plan water but the water in the tank at the mo is really cloudy looking. Will this clear? If the water in my area is normally cloudy will it stay that way in the tank or will filter clear it?

Got all me air bubbles appearing now! Exciting!!!

when you get fish in the tank, you will mix the dechlorinator in a bucket with the water first wont you?

you could check nitrate now just to know what your tap water is, but i wouldnt waste tests on it after that until you've seen ammonia and nitrite peak and fall again

i'm not all that on tropicals but i think that pH will be ok it is not extreme and if they are tank bred as is likely they will already be used to local water conditions

water will probably clear overnight with filter running

hammers - yeah leave the pH as it is, theres no point messsing with it, as you will have to keep it stable aat a diff pH to what it naturally sits at. and the neon tetras will be fine, most neons are farmed so do not need a lower pH. the shops water will most likely be similar to yours too so if they are ok at the shop they will be fine in your water. cardinals will probaly be ok, but if they happen to be wild caught, they will need water similar to what they are used to.
you might as well check the nitrate so you can see what it is before you start cycling, and what it is in your tap, so you know what will be the lowest you can get it too.
the water should clear as your tank cycles, newly setup tanks are usually a bit cloudy.

nik nak - you can add the cycle if you like, as you have it, but IMO there not much point.