Here is what I worked up on my frag tank. I didn't like the amount of flow going through the 1in bulkhead, so I added this.
It worked great for about 8mos until I built my larger tank. I had a water alarm zip tied on it for a little while because I was paranoid. But never had any issues. This design auto starts again if the water level drops (like when you do a water change). I swear it's magic.
I did have it in the basement though.