Undergravel Bad For Fry?

[Murray]

I have two paired kribs and i want to get an undergravel filter connected to a powerhead for oxygen and water current, i already have a good filter on the back of the tank an outside one, aquaclear to be exact, its a 20 gallon tank, if i get the undergravel filter will that be alright still for breeding? or is this a bad idea. if there is enough gravel on top the fry shouldnt get sucked in should they?\


ps my kribs layed eggs lik,e a month ago and they werent successful in having babies, they havent even tried again, ideas?

 

[kribensis12]

Not a good I dea at all! The babies can still get sucked in and the current if it is too strong can beat them up. Feed them high protein diets and do a 50% water change and you will have babies.

 

[vancouver]

Depends on how much gravel you have... if you've only got like 2'', and the kribs dig down to the ugf, there is a good chance they will get sucked in... but if you have lots of gravel you should be ok.

 

[crazie.eddie]

If you add too much gravel, you defeat the purpose of the UGF, becuase the substrate will be too deep to allow sufficient water to pass through. Therefore, don't bother with the UGF. If you just want oxygen and more water current, why not just use a powerhead with a pre-filter sponge?

 

[Tiger Tiger]

Have to agree with vancouver ,Put at least 4 inches of gravel in. The underwater gravel filter prefers there to be more rather than less gravel as it works better with a thicker load.
It will work better but create less stong intake at the top its a very simple principle when you think about it.
About 4 maybe even 5 but no more, or less.

With 2 inch you are just wasting your time with a undergravel filter.

 

[crazie.eddie]

Apparantely nobody has ever used UGF's. I have for several years before using canister filters. Bacteria colonize the substrate from top to bottom with a UGF. Oxygenated water passes through, which the bacteria thrive on. If there is the flow is restricted, then it the bacteria will die in those areas. Therefore, the lesser amount of substrate the better. It is normally recommended to have, at the most, about 2", of substrate for a UGF.

The problem is, you have to tear down the whole tank to place the UGF in there. Since you stated the following...

I have two paired kribs and i want to get an undergravel filter connected to a powerhead for oxygen and water current

then all you really need to do is just add a powerhead with a pre-filter sponge. This will help oxygenate the water and create current. PLUS the pre-filter sponge will allow benificial bacteria to grow on it as well.

 

[vancouver]

I used ugfs for years.. water can still pass through 4'' of gravel..

 

[crazie.eddie]

Gravel near the uplift tubes will be the strongest, the farthest will the weakest or no current. If you add 4" of gravel, you reduce the strength of the current. I'm not a math wiz, but it may have to do with physics.

Also, if the fish happen to dig, then that area with the least amount of gravel will have the strongest current, while the rest of the substrate will have very little or no current.

Basically, you just created spots where as if you never had a UGF. That's what a substrate is.

 

[Rhiannon]

I use an UGF, and for some reason everyone is like "change filters" and I think why, it does fantastic for my aquarium.

 

[crazie.eddie]

I use an UGF, and for some reason everyone is like "change filters" and I think why, it does fantastic for my aquarium.

They work great as long as you maintain them properly. Just make sure that you do a good gravel cleaning to get the detritus underneath the plates and occassionally stick the syphon down the uplift tubes to get detritus collected underneath there.

Also 10 gallon tanks or higher with UGF's function better if used with a powerhead. The reason is, IMO, the powerhead will provide stronger current to go through the gravel and UGF plate. An airline hose and airpump can't really create sufficient current for this purpose.

 

[Murray]

after further investigation i decided to avoid the power head undergravel filter idea. i think my filter for 20-30 gallon aquarium is good for my 20 but as for getting o=xygen into the water is it ok if the tank is right full and the water doesnt really fall at all to get into the taknk it just flows nice is that enough oxygen?

 

[crazie.eddie]

The more agitation the water gets, the more oxygenated it gets. You can leave the water low to create a water effect, but then, you would have to deal with the extra noise. Otherwise, you can just add an airstone connected to an airline and a pump. I don't like the looks of the bubbles during the day, so I set the airpump to turn on after lights out.

 

[kribensis12]

I think that all are awnsers combind is a no for the ugf, but I am not sure about the powerhead.

 

[Murray]

I went to my LFS and he built me an undergravel filter and it is made of four plates and there are dials to control how much suction through each plate. This allows me to say the farther away the more suction so it works evenly. The guy at the LFS said the undergravel filter was a good idea, the more water circulation the better. It also allows beneficial bacteria to grow. I purchaced the filter however my kribs have just layed eggs so I am going to postpone installation for a while. I have not purchaced a powerhead, but when I do would it be a good idea to get the one that is for 10-20 gallon aquariums or 20-30 gallon aquariums (mine being a 20). I believe they are adjustable anyways for the amount of flow you could have at a given time. I also plan to try to grow some java moss since -from what I have read- it is easy to grow and beneficial to my tank. Let me know your guys thoughts and feelings.

 

[Murray]

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