Filters

[Assaye]

Nice tank =)

Gotta say that I'm not a fan of UGFs either. Modern internals and externals are more powerful, do a better job of mechanical filtration, are specially designed to optimise biological filtration and have the option to add things like carbon and zeolite.

A little worried about the ammonia readings. I know they are low but we both know they should be zero. Even a low level like that can do serious damage over several days. Do you know why they are high?

 

[salts155]

yeah i know but what ever i do i can get them down to 0 even my tap water is 0.25ppm but look at the picture and see the seachem ammonia alert is showing fine, it might just be the api test for ammonia.

thanks by the way.

 

[waterdrop]

sorry, yeah, thought I found the right thread and commented?

 

[salts155]

any reason you can think of waterdrop why my ammonia is a bit weird.

keep getting two different reading.

 

[bitteraspects]

Pros:

Cheap to run
Cheap in price

Cons:

Not as effective as modern filters
Very hard to clean
Not plant friendly
No media options


Those are just off the top of my head, and I'm sure I'm missing some. They are very limiting as to what you can do with them.

true. but as far as the PROS go, while the UGF are cheap. a sponge filter or box filter will be even cheaper and just as effective.

 

[drobbyb]

true. but as far as the PROS go, while the UGF are cheap. a sponge filter or box filter will be even cheaper and just as effective.

I agree! I am a firm believer in sponge filters. I use them in my fry and growout tanks exclusively. I was just pointing out the pros and cons of an UGF.

 

[bitteraspects]

Yeah I know. Just adding my experience in there. I do agree with what you wrote.

 

[salts155]

sump tank how do you go about setting one of them up and are they better

 

[salts155]

?

 

[Tolak]

Sumps are excellent filters for larger tanks. Many shops are set up with one common sump for multiple tanks. A sump filtration system requires that the main tank be drilled with an overflow, a second smaller tank for filtration, and a pump to move the water from the sump to the main tank.

You can use a plastic bin for the sump, and set up a self siphoning overflow instead of drilling. The plastic bin works fine, the undrilled overflows are prone to leakage, and are not the most reliable way of doing a sump filter.

 

[bitteraspects]

actually, DIY overflows are just as efficient and safe if built properly.

 

[Tolak]

Every one I've seen has leaked eventually. Then again, they were all in fishrooms, where water is a regular occurring thing on the floor. With dozens of tanks you multiply the chances of equipment failure dozens of times. People who don't want water on the floor go through the trouble of drilling, which really is no big trouble once you've done it a few times. Drilled tanks will leak, same as any other tank. The possibility of the leak being due to a properly drilled & installed overflow is less than a self siphoning setup.

In all actuality any time you are dealing with tanks you risk leakage, tanks can leak, filters can leak, buckets get tripped over. It's all a matter of how much, if any water hitting the floor can be considered acceptable.

 

[drobbyb]

Just to comment on the sump topic, they are by far the best filters available. You have endless possibilities with media, giving you far more room for the good guys to grow. There is a delicate balance of flow back to the tank vs flow into the sump. Overflow types are safer if there's a power cut as they will only drain the tank so far before the siphon breaks. With drilled tanks you need a control valve to automatically stop the flow in case the power goes out or your pump stops working.