Does anyone use under gravel filters anymore???

[Magnum Man]

In reading a lot of the threads, it doesn't seem like many use under gravel filters anymore??? 15 years ago, every tank had one, & the newest thing I remember was reverse flow... blowing clean water in, under the gravel... I have always in the past ran under gravel, in combination with hang on the back, or hanging canister filters... when I restarted a few tanks, recently, I removed several of the under gravel filters, & am counting on my floss for beneficial bacteria, & most have live plants now to help

 

[BettaFishGirl]

I e never used a UGF before, I use my handy dandy HOB filters. They work like a charm.

 

[Byron]

I grew up in the age of undergravel filters and/or corner box filters. Water clarity is certainly good with an undergravel, because the particulate matter in the water is filtered out by the substrate. But beyond this, there are handicaps. I even had one in my 90g tank. It was very difficult to get the hose down the airlift tubes to vacuum all the detritus out...and there was a lot. There is conflicting data on the effect on plants rooted in the substrate. All things considered, I would never go with undergravel.

 

[GaryE]

I ran them for years. As they went out of fashion, they became expensive. I made a few and they worked well, but eventually I gave up. I was keeping Apistogramma back then and they dug too much.

I still use a lot of box filters with my killifish tanks.

 

[davros]

I had the parts so I use them, I'm surprised at the hate directed their way

 

[The603]

I removed one last year when I changed my 55 over to sand from gravel, as dirty as it was, that was the end of using them for me.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Outdated, hard to maintain and keep clean, and there's much better options nowadays.

 

[Magnum Man]

has anyone ever tried reverse flow on an under gravel filter... I did one in conjunction with a canister filter, just before I got out of fish 15 years ago... used the canister filter to pump clean water into the under gravel filter ( then it stays clean under there ) the BB still lives in the substrate ( doesn't work as well with planted live plants ) but it actually makes the fish waste stay on top of the gravel... I had a hang on tank cartridge filter that removed the actual fish waste... thinking about doing this again, on the next tank I set up ( will be a traditional 45 gallon )

 

[Blackghostknifekid]

I run one. A 55 gallon with 2 powerheads.

 

[Colin_T]

Outdated, hard to maintain and keep clean, and there's much better options nowadays.

If you use a gravel cleaner, you can suck the gunk out of the substrate and from under the filter plates. Do this each week when you do a water change. Much cleaner and easier to maintain than an external canister filter.

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has anyone ever tried reverse flow on an under gravel filter... I did one in conjunction with a canister filter, just before I got out of fish 15 years ago... used the canister filter to pump clean water into the under gravel filter ( then it stays clean under there ) the BB still lives in the substrate ( doesn't work as well with planted live plants ) but it actually makes the fish waste stay on top of the gravel... I had a hang on tank cartridge filter that removed the actual fish waste... thinking about doing this again, on the next tank I set up ( will be a traditional 45 gallon )

I have used normal and reverse flow ug filters. Never had a problem with either and worked great in the fish room because I ran a big pump, which provided air for every tank and filter. The reverse flow ug filter was in my 4x2x2 plant tank and I had a group of 20 Botia lohachata in there. They lived under the ug filter and came out one of the uplifts during feeding time. The reverse flow was done with an AquaClear powerhead that pumped water down one uplift.

I wouldn't bother with reverse flow ug filters now, just normal ug and if the tank is too small for a ug filter, an air operated corner sponge filter.

 

[Slaphppy7]

If you use a gravel cleaner, you can suck the gunk out of the substrate and from under the filter plates.

Not with sand substrate, which is all I'll ever use.

 

[Back in the fold]

Under gravel filters are - these days - an example of the thinking that old is obsolete . If you have a gravel substrate and low bio-load fish in a lightly stocked aquarium with mostly floating and rhizome type plants ( Java Fern ) then an under gravel filter will work great for you . @Byron once posted a beautiful picture of his aquarium and I asked about his filter which I saw to be a simple sponge . He responded to my query with the explanation that water circulation was his only concern and that his plants and water changes took care of the bulk of filtration . That is what a UGF can achieve under the right circumstances. I feel that one thing a UGF does that other filters do not is make for a clean and uncluttered look to an aquarium.

 

[GaryE]

This is an anecdote, but I bred some very delicate rainforest fish in UG filtered tanks - Satanoperca, and Apistogramma. I wondered if the oxygen flow through the substrate helped. I found them easy to clean, and reliable. I like a lot of water movement though, though that and fish digging doomed them here. I'd use one again.

It's an old technology, but one that uses less energy in a multiple tank set up if you have central air, and does a good job. There are more convenient options now, and options for those who use fine sand as opposed to pool sand type substrates. There's a good argument for every technique if we listen.

I have a liking for air driven filters made out of V-8 juice bottles and hardware store clear tubing, with an airline in and a little plumber's silicone tape. I'm calling high tech on those.

 

[Back in the fold]

@GaryE Not to get off topic too much but I like those homemade filters you are talking about and recently I’ve been reading up on plastic pollution and it is a good idea for everyone to recycle that stuff as much as possible whenever and wherever possible .

 

[raylove]

I dismantled a tank with an UG once and found 4 clown loaches that I'd 'lost' about a year earlier living there. They hadn't grown much but they were otherwise healthy so I assume they must've been coming out after dark to feed on snails.
They lived for years after I retrieved them though never grew above 3 inches after that slow start.