undergravel filter?

[Unphased]

should i use an under gravel filter with my mbuna? i am right now taking out the rocks and cleaning out the tank cause i am making a switch from "pet store fish" to mbuna. should i leave the UGF in or take it out?

 

[yhbae]

You shouldn't use UGF, especially for mbuna, which likes sand and they also dig alot. Try more common power filters, canister or even sponge filters depending on your needs.

 

[Angry_Platy]

UGFs are evil....I removed mine from the 30gal a while back and OMG....the crap that came up from the gravel was horrendous....it turned the water black!!!

Luckily the fish weren't in there

 

[semper fi]

ugf's are pretty much outdated and obsolete. if you like the idea of using one, look into getting a fluidized bed filter or fbf

 

[Unphased]

well i took mine out last night and cleaned the tank out. i am going to go with whiteish sand

 

[nzmbunaz]

definitely a vg choice
undergravel filters were thought of as good when they came out but now they are a thing of the past

 

[asdf]

Well the if an UFG is bad and canister filters are overpriced and power filters MEdia is pricey then wat filtetr do u recomend for a Sand Tank?

 

[yhbae]

Well the if an UFG is bad and canister filters are overpriced and power filters MEdia is pricey then wat filtetr do u recomend for a Sand Tank?

Canister filters aren't cheap in general, but power filters aren't expensive at all. Look at the prices in places such as petsolutions.com or bigalsonline.com - Aqua Clear and Emperior filters are priced quite cheap considering the amount of filtration they are capable of providing.

Personally, I have AC300 in my mbuna tank, along with a little AC Mini, which will soon be replaced by another AC300 or Emperior 280. This tank uses sand as substrates and so far, I have had absolutely no issues.

If you can afford a canister, go for it, otherwise, power filters is the way to go, IMO...