Filter intake placement

[Coyne]

I'll be re-setting up my 45g soon(ish) and am hoping for as clean of a look as possible equipment-wise. That said, I'm planning on the filter intakes (there will be two) being up toward the top at opposite ends of the tank.
Any downside to not having the intakes closer to the middle or lower part of the tank like you typically see?

 

[Laser]

Aside from the obvious fact that the filter won't take in as much debris as it would close to the substrate I can't think of any other con to having the filter intake up higher.

 

[Luananeko]

Aside from the obvious fact that the filter won't take in as much debris as it would close to the substrate I can't think of any other con to having the filter intake up higher.

^ This. The larger debris particles will tend to linger at lower levels of the water column, so having your intake up higher means you'll have to vacuum the substrate more regularly to pick up the bits the filter isn't sucking in.

 

[Coyne]

Yeah.. kinda of what I was thinking as well.
Im going to be planting pretty heavily, so my thought on that is that it will eventually become plant food, but I know from my other tanks that the mulm will eventually build up. Something to look out for I suppose.