Hi Stephen,

You could probably hide the filter with a few plants or a couple of
rocks.

As for the light, you should turn it off at night. I have mine on
timers so that I don't have to think about them. As a general rule,
depending on the type of fish, wattage of lamps and whether you have
plants, the lights only need to be on 10-12 hours per day. My goldfish
lights go on for 10 hours, from noon to 10 pm, when I most want to
watch them.

Good luck!
Vicky

_____________________
Vicky Taylor-Hood
fibre artist * quilter
St. John's, NF, Canada

http://www3.nf.sympatico.ca/vickyth/