I haven't modded mine at all. I have a 14g. I use a seio M620 on one side for counter-current, a bag of purigen and a bag of phosguard. Sometimes I use a bag of high density carbon, but not often.
Issues I have with it: heat from the lights causes the temp to rise in the day and lower in the night; the fact there are only 2 pc lights in there limits me on types of corals as well as places to put them to be able to get the light they need; the lid, though spiffy looking prevents putting on a hob skimmer or anything else; fans sometimes start revving and making huge amounts of noise when the lid is lifted (this seems to stop when you turn the lights off, lower the lid, then turn back on).
Likes: the back allows me to hide all my media, allows for some mechanical filtration, and hides the heater; it's attractive; easy enough to plug and play; you can set the lights on different timers due to having seperate cords.
All in all it is a good little unit to start out and learn on. I direct the flow to the top, so I have no issues with a film on the water. So far no issues on ballasts, but only bought it in April, so it should still be under warranty should they kick the bucket.
I think now in hindsight if I had the knowledge I do now I would have just used a normal fish tank and added whatever features I wanted to it--just so much more flexibility that way for lighting and other features. That being said, if a cheap 29g came up for sale I would still buy it just for the extra space. 14g is not very big, lol.
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