Thank you for all the responses. Yes, the tank is very small, but I know I can only keep one or two very small fish in it. What I really wanted to do was NOT use the undergravel plate that came with the aquarium and get a small sponge filter, like the Jr. Dirt Magnet, instead. I wanted to be able to cover it with a thin/single layer of gravel for appearance, but wasn't sure if it would still function properly. (Hence my confusion about whether or not I should try burying it under the plate.) So I did lots of searching and found the article that is attached below. It describes exactly what I had in mind. Getting rid of the undergravel plate will give my fish just a little more room, since that plate takes up some valuable real estate in such small quarters. (Likewise, filters hanging in or out of such a small aquarium would take up too much room and look awful as well.) So the sponge filter under a little gravel seems the way to go. Besides, I like the look of bubbles floating up and I think the low hum of a small air pump is kind of soothing. Thanks again for the advice. Hope you enjoy the article below as much as I did. Here is a link that might be useful: Miniature Aquariums article

Does this filter supply an additional faucet or does it supply the cold faucet at the sink? Since you mention COPPER tubing it most likely uses a compression fitting and you may have kinked or cracked the tubing. If you don't know what you're doing then the easiest solution is to get someone in there to correct the problem or shut off the water and remove the filter along with the tubing and take it to someone who knows what they are doing and can advise you. Any help we can provide is based SOLELY on your ability to accurately describe the components and the problem. You will have to either accurately describe the problem and components or post a picture or move it closer to the screen so we can see it. If you are intent on replacing the filters yourself the installation might be improved to make that easier for you.

hopesprings_gw why is your water salty? Water softeners should not make your water even taste salty, let alone make it salty enough to leave a residue of any kind. You may need to increase your rinse time on that softener. The salt dosage may be set higher to deal with a slight iron problem in the water or to compensate for an undersized softener. Moreover, "cheapy" softener will eat salt and well, you will too then. Some water treatment companies ( I won't "call" out by name) have "salt runs" i.e., they deliver and sell salt to people, most of whom rent or lease softeners from them. Setting the salt dosage high means the equipment goes through salt more quickly, so they can also sell you more salt, more often = more service fees = more residual revenue. Not to mention the fact that their equipment requires a higher than the industry average salt setting to start with, but hey, the bags of salt they sell bear their company name as well. Caveat Emptor. A properly set softener should leave less salt in your water than a slice of white bread. Dig around on the WQA website, its there. Lastly, NEVER call the "man". They offer such a complete list, it gives their franchisees too many irresistible ways to gouge and cheat the customer. That might also just be bias of an individual who was the "Rayne man" for many years. I'd remove the other "man's" equipment, install Rayne equipment, then drill the other's full of holes and drop it off in their lot. It kept them from destroying peoples walls, plumbing and yards in anger over losing yet another customer to "that damn Rayne man". What can I say, aside from: Genuine, honest customer service trumps ALL. Soap scum with soft water = you're using WAY too much soap. And yes, hard water will definitely etch glass, metal, stone, marble, ...

I use my prep sink for all my food prep activities. One of the best pieces of advice my fired GC gave me was to put a GD at each sink. I use both regularly even though I compost extensively. I cannot stand digging gunk out of a strainer basket. For filtering needs, I put an inline filter on the cold water line under my cleanup sink. The water here is otherwise healthy. I just don't like how it tastes for drinking. I reasoned that since I wasn't planning on using filtered water for cooking, it didn't need to be at the prep sink. If it was just for drinking, then putting it away from the prep sink at the cleanup sink was better as water drinkers wouldn't be invading my working space to get water. I'm very happy with both of these decisions.