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Go as big as you can! Remember: The solution to pollution is dilution. The larger the volume of water you have the less frequently you'll have to change it. Below is a crappy picture of my dart frog set up. It is an acrylic tank (which is much easier to work with if you plan on plumbing it). I have one drain in the right side (under the expanded clay pellets) and two inlets; one through the large rock waterfall and another behind the branches that acts like a spring. If I ever get the chance I'll add another drain.



I know this isn't the cleanest looking set up, but it works great and is really just an experiment for a larger set up in the future. I have a ten gallon sump underneath the main tank with a power-head pushing the water through the waterfall and stream. The whole substrate acts as a biological filter. This tank has been running for over a year with very little maintenance required. Granted, this is only housing four pumilio, but something similar would probably work for a chondro. Still you would have to remove as much fecal matter as possible, but the stuff you couldn't get would simply feed the plants. Once you notice algae blooms, change the water with R.O. and most of the nitrates and such will be removed. Water changes are easy with my set up as I just pull the intake line off the power-head (with if off, of course) and put on another hose to pump the water directly into a waste container.

I've also considered adding sufficient lighting and aquatic plants in the sump as well; adding additional biological filtration. Unfortunately my wallet can't keep up with my desires.

I suppose if I were to try this kind of set up for a chondro my major consideration would be the thermal gradient. The power compact florescent lighting I use keeps the tank quite warm in the daytime. At night the tank is only heated by a underwater heater in the sump which, keeps the water at around 75 deg. F. I have never measured temps in my set up, so I don't know how stable they are. The frogs hide under the wood which sits close enough to the water to keep them warm enough. I don't know how it would be for a chondro, but a heat panel would be easy enough to install.

Good luck with this project if you decide to pursue it. Let me know if you have any more questions about my set up; I'd love to help. Here's a link to a couple more pictures of this set up: Pumilo Tank