Remove UGF.

[njparton]

I have a tank:

http/fish.orbust.net/forums/index.php?sh...showtopic=21033

from which I would like to remove the UGF components, add an additional external filter and do a general spring clean. I get nitrite spikes after every water change which I have now traced to excess organic matter/detritus in the gravel. Every time I clean the gravel, practically a thick brown sludge comes out! (there are seperate threads about curing my nitrite spike problems so please don't reply about that here, thanks ).

Now I'm guessing to do all this I need to temporarily re-house the fish and plants somewhere and transfer them back when complete?

Assuming I can find somewhere to keep them for a few hours, how do I accomplish the UGF removal and thorough gravel cleaning without removing too many of the beneficial bacteria in the gravel and my current external filter?

I intend to run the new additional external filter for 2 weeks prior to the UGF removal to minimise the chance of new tank syndrome...

 

[njparton]

Has no-one undertaken such an operation?

 

[tpl7370]

I removed my ugf from both my 10 gallons. One I did it with no fish in the tank and the other while the fish were in there. I do not know what size tank you have, and that will make a big difference, but I found that leaving the fish in there was easier on me. My tank in my sig with the platties is the one I did with the fish in the tank.

Be prepared for a big mess. I don't know how long you have had your ugf, but I had mine in for a little over 8 or nine months. On both tanks after removing the ugf I let the hob filter catch as much gunk as possible. I still pull stuff from both tanks when vacuuming the gravel.

As for the procedure, I just grabbed the lift tubes and gently rocked the ugf filter until it broke lose. Then I just slid the gravel off the plates and threw it in the trash.

Good luck,
Philip

 

[guppymonkey]

Its going to be a mess to clean up after taking out the UGF. If you are running external power filters the nitrite shouldn't spike too badly during the process as long as the filters are cycled. Since you said that you are putting in a second filter I would suggest running that one for two or three weeks before starting the operation. That way both filters can be cycled. If you use biowheels on your filters that would be even better as they have something like ten times the biological filtration as UGF. The worst part is going to be the muck that is stirred up. I don't know what to tell you about that except you can try to syphon as much up as possible and let your filters do the rest. Its going to be a long project!

 

[tpl7370]

Thanks Guppy, I forgot to mention letting the new filters run. That is very important. If you have a bio-wheel that and let it run for a couple of weeks you will not see any amonia spikes, but you will see nitrite spikes. The reason for this is that the bacteria that eats nitrites lives only in low oxygen areas because too much oxygen is toxic to them. When you stir up the gravel you will lose some of this bacteria. I recomend the bio-wheel.

On another note, do have extra filter media for the next couple of days.

Philip

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

why not jusy remove the uplift tube and leave the plates where they are, that way theres no mess and you have the new filter with bacteria already in the tank.

 

[njparton]

why not jusy remove the uplift tube and leave the plates where they are, that way theres no mess and you have the new filter with bacteria already in the tank.

Because I think there's a heavy accumulation of organic debris underneath.

Thanks everyone for the help

 

[guppymonkey]

why not jusy remove the uplift tube and leave the plates where they are, that way theres no mess and you have the new filter with bacteria already in the tank.

Anaerobic bacteria would start developing under the UGF plate. After the uplift tubes were taken out the anaerobic bacteria would take over the space. The next time a plant is put in or a bottom feeder digs a little too deep the bacteria would be released into the tank and would kill all the fish. So its best to take the UGF plate out.

 

[missyintx_99]

I've been doing this myself lately. Fortunately, I have more than one tank and with some rearranging I was able to do this in 2 of my tanks without the fish in it. I removed the fish, then took out all the gravel I could. I did not rinse the gravel. I wanted to try and save some of the bacteria in them to limit the chances of totally recycling the tank. After things settled, I used my gravel cleaner to try and suck up as much of the gunk as possible. Then I added more water, removed the UGF plates and let the gunk settle back down again. Once the water had cleared up, I again sucked up the gunk on the bottom. If theres a lot of it and you can't get it in a bucket or two worth of suctioning, then you might want to add yet some more water. After you get done getting the gunk out, you can put your gravel back in, decorate, and then test your water to see what your levels are at. I wait a couple of days and retest just to make sure nothing spikes and the tank isn't starting to cycle and then I move the fish back in.

The tank that I couldn't move the fish out of I did the same way, I just had my Jaguar and pleco to try and get out of my way. And the Jag is more tolerant of the water than some other types of fish are. That should be considered too.
I add EasyBalance and StressCoat to my water at every water change and used both of them in these clean-up missions. What you use is your choice, this is just what has worked for me so far. And not a single fish has been lost in this mission!

Good luck. It is a lot of work and a yucky job too.

 

[plecoguy]

im in the process of removing my gravel and ugf from my soon to be discus tank. All i can say is that its a mess. The reason you are getting nitrite spikes everytime you change the water is that you are sucking out all the bateria from the gravel and ugf.... anyways, be prepared with a gravel cleaner to suck out all the sludge from under the ugf...it is a mess...big mess. there is no easy way of doing this. I have done half the gravel, and will do the other half when the tank restablizes

 

[suemack]

thanks for all the timely tips guys.....am in the process of mentally preparing myself to take the ugf out of my 3ft tank and would rather not take the fish out as well. Tank has been set up for a few months and am hoping there won't be too much gunk under the plate. Have 2 hob filters currently running on the tank so should be plenty of bacteria residing in there already

sue

 

[RYO]

when you do a water change run your syphone tube down your lift tube and syphone a lot of gunk out that way(try not to get any in yer mouth its rank )

 

[njparton]

Anaerobic bacteria would start developing under the UGF plate. After the uplift tubes were taken out the anaerobic bacteria would take over the space. The next time a plant is put in or a bottom feeder digs a little too deep the bacteria would be released into the tank and would kill all the fish. So its best to take the UGF plate out.

That's one of the reasons I'm asking for advice in this thread - I intend to remove it all

 

[njparton]

when you do a water change run your syphone tube down your lift tube and syphone a lot of gunk out that way(try not to get any in yer mouth its rank )

Hey - that sounds like a good idea - now why didn't I think of that

 

[tpl7370]

when you do a water change run your syphone tube down your lift tube and syphone a lot of gunk out that way(try not to get any in yer mouth its rank )

I have tried that, but I never had wany success.