Hi can anyone give me some info/a link to info on Under Gravel(?!) Filters in particular wrt small (~25l) tanks on how they work/can be cleaned, any inherent problems etc... (I have tried unsuccessfully to search previous posts)
TIA
TIA
Ugf's
- Thread starter Coomon10
- Start date
OohFeeshy
It's only forever; not long at all...
UGFs are pretty outdated and useless now, the maintenance and related problems (including generally having to leave any mess to rot in the tank, etc.) mean that something like a small internal or even just a sponge filter is a much better alternative.
BiffMalawi
Fish Fanatic
I agree, infact I just rippeed one out yesterday. The idea sounds good but you can never vaccum out the gravel well enough to keep it from being an ammonia factory. If you have ever removed one from a tank you will understand. Todays hang on the back filters are so cheap and efficient evn quiet there is no reason to use them.
I'm not in 100% agreement here - UGs can be useful. Internal filters clog up, and need regular maintainance too. Old ones seem to have such poor flow - they need replacing just too often.
In a fishroom environment plug sockets are often at a premium too!
Undergravels, do have their uses - If you have a small tank that you can strip down, rinse gravel and re-set up every couple years, undergravels can work very well. ALL filters need maintenance.
Having said this, plants don't do well in them - so they make ideal tanks that are not for display - raising fry or young fish - temporary accomodation etc - and in instances when even the lightest flow is too strong for the fish
In my non-display tanks I use air-driven box filters and sponge filters, primarily because a tank with no substrate is easier to clean, but I suspect a well-functioning undergravel would outperform these filters, purely due to the extra volume of filter media
In a fishroom environment plug sockets are often at a premium too!
Undergravels, do have their uses - If you have a small tank that you can strip down, rinse gravel and re-set up every couple years, undergravels can work very well. ALL filters need maintenance.
Having said this, plants don't do well in them - so they make ideal tanks that are not for display - raising fry or young fish - temporary accomodation etc - and in instances when even the lightest flow is too strong for the fish
In my non-display tanks I use air-driven box filters and sponge filters, primarily because a tank with no substrate is easier to clean, but I suspect a well-functioning undergravel would outperform these filters, purely due to the extra volume of filter media
Hi.
I have a fancy UGF with a power head on it.My gravel is never ever dirty and it works like a charm for me.As for the plants make sure you have anouth gravel covering the filter for them to grow in then you should not have problems.
What is nice aswell is that bacteria builds up nicely in UGF and good backup when cleaning your otehr filters.I do believe in not only haveing a UGF but using it in conjunction with power filter.
My UGF pumps 200 litres a hour and power filter pumps 500 and I have 60 liter tank.Sofar I have had not issues with UGF but as stated the time will come where you will have to take out the UGF to clean it and its gonna be dirty and nasty.Otherwise what you can do it just get a small pipe and push it under the gravel filter through the intake pipe and suck most of the dirt out of it and you do not have to remove it.
Hope this helped!
I have a fancy UGF with a power head on it.My gravel is never ever dirty and it works like a charm for me.As for the plants make sure you have anouth gravel covering the filter for them to grow in then you should not have problems.
What is nice aswell is that bacteria builds up nicely in UGF and good backup when cleaning your otehr filters.I do believe in not only haveing a UGF but using it in conjunction with power filter.
My UGF pumps 200 litres a hour and power filter pumps 500 and I have 60 liter tank.Sofar I have had not issues with UGF but as stated the time will come where you will have to take out the UGF to clean it and its gonna be dirty and nasty.Otherwise what you can do it just get a small pipe and push it under the gravel filter through the intake pipe and suck most of the dirt out of it and you do not have to remove it.
Hope this helped!
So does a UGF work in the same way as a 'normal filter' then? Collecting $h!t in a sponge type piece of material that then needs cleaning, the issue being that it is harder to access the UGF for cleaning?
OohFeeshy
It's only forever; not long at all...
UGFs pretty much pull all the crap into the gravel. I would assume (although whether rightly or not I don't know) that a tank that size would be QT, hospital or fry tank, in which case, it's much cleaner and hygenic to have a barebottomed tank and a sponge filter so you can clean all the rubbish off the bottom every day.
blackguppy
Fish Fanatic
I couldn't disagree more with almost all I read about the negative aspects of undergravel filters. If used properly, they are incredibly efficient. Although most of my tanks are bare bottomed breeding setups for fancy guppies, I would never think of having a tank with a substrate without them.
The majority of the problems with them come from people setting up, and using them incorrectly. You need the proper depth of gravel, gravel the correct size, and most importantly of all, they MUST be run with powerheads, not air. I have never had a build up of mulm under any of my UGFs. My plants thrive with them. If you're gravel cleaning during water changes ( which you would have to do even without the UGF ), and have actually set the UGF up properly, it will never have to be removed for cleaning. Coomon, the purpose of an undergravel filter is to provide an immense biological filter medium. It's not an ammonia factory, just the reverse. It was never meant to take the place of mechanical filtration, or to be used as a stand alone filter system. Try setting one up the right way, and maintaining it, and I guarantee you'll enjoy the results.
The majority of the problems with them come from people setting up, and using them incorrectly. You need the proper depth of gravel, gravel the correct size, and most importantly of all, they MUST be run with powerheads, not air. I have never had a build up of mulm under any of my UGFs. My plants thrive with them. If you're gravel cleaning during water changes ( which you would have to do even without the UGF ), and have actually set the UGF up properly, it will never have to be removed for cleaning. Coomon, the purpose of an undergravel filter is to provide an immense biological filter medium. It's not an ammonia factory, just the reverse. It was never meant to take the place of mechanical filtration, or to be used as a stand alone filter system. Try setting one up the right way, and maintaining it, and I guarantee you'll enjoy the results.
OohFeeshy
It's only forever; not long at all...
Ignoring any techinical problems etc. the fact is that no fish I know of prefers gravel over sand. All bottomdwellers IMO/E require it, as do other fish that bury or sift through the substrate.
Plus in a tank as small as the mentioned one, the depth of gravel takes up far too much volums and space to be a viable option.
Plus in a tank as small as the mentioned one, the depth of gravel takes up far too much volums and space to be a viable option.
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