Undergravel Filter Vs Power Filter

[Geordie1991]

The tank I'm getting is UG filter, are these good to use? I think it looks so much better than having some thing sticking on the side of your tank

 

[Mikaila31]

The tank I'm getting is UG filter, are these good to use? I think it looks so much better than having some thing sticking on the side of your tank

A powerfilter is considered better then a standard UGF. UGF can easily cause problems if they are not properly maintained and can lead to lots more wastes in the tank. Mainly because they have a design flaw. A reverse flow UGF with a prefilter is about equal to or better then a powerfilter IMO. Standard UGF suck stuff down INTO the gravel, it often gets stuck under the plastic plate and builds up causing issues. A reverse flow simply reverses the way water flows through the system. It pumps water down under the plate then OUT through the gravel encouraging waste to stay out from under the plate. Both systems though place extra importance on gravel vacuuming.

 

[Geordie1991]

The tank I'm getting has UG with a powerhead and at his house it's a spotless tank, moved the gravel around proper clean and looks so much better is it okay to use?

 

[Randi]

I have a UG filter in my 10 gal. I like it because it doesn't create any current, all the better for Burt the betta.

 

[Geordie1991]

Just the tank I'm getting tomorrow has a UG filter setup, so I don't need to change to a power filter?

 

[fluttermoth]

It depends really on what you're keeping. If it's something small and fairly clean, like a betta, they're alright. They do have a large surface area for the bacteria to live.

Where UGs are terrible is anything big and messy, like oscars or goldfish (I can remember when UGs were rountinely used for those fish!).

They're also especially bad for catfish like corydoras; apart from needing gravel to work (you can't use them with sand) they suck every piece of crud down into the gravel, where it rots and makes the catfish sick.

So, it depends on what you want to keep; they can be a nice cheap solution or they can be a nuisance.

If you do want to use UG, go for reverse flow if you can.