it's fairly simple really. you run the intake under your false bottom. the last one i did, i siliconed a piece of 2" pvc into the corner of the tank to run my piping in. the intake slid down the pipe, below the false bottom and out through the lid to the canister. the output end, i just ran to where i wanted the water to come out. and covered the tubing for that with foam. i used the exoterra turtle filter. it worked well, but was a true mother trucker to prime. but once you get past the priming issue, it's a piece of cake. the one thing to remember about using canister filters is this: you do not need to use the tubing or equipment that comes with it. most filters are of standard sizes, and you can use vinyl tubing from home depot or lowes to customize it to your needs. i haven't used a stock intake or output for any of my tanks' (aquatic or vivarium) canister filters for about 10 years now. i always make custom ones, so i can hide them and/or design them for maximum flow for my aquatics.