Under gravel filtration

[betac0de]

If I have a powered filter is there any good in having an undergravel filter?

 

[vantgE]

IMO, NO, just makes more stuff get stuck in your graveland is only usefull to help out with your biological filtration, so unless you want a cheap way to help hold the bio-load do not bother, I would never suggest one of these to anyone just really don't like my petcetera one

 

[barbiya]

You know, I'm kind of doing an experiment with that right now. I put an undergravel and HOB on one of my 10 gallon tanks, and also the 30 (because I got it with it). I figured "you can't have too much filtration", right? But, now I'm not sure that it was a great idea. When I go to siphon, there's not too much debris, shall we say, on the bottom of the tanks with ugf's. So, obviously, that gunk is getting sucked into the gravel to decompose in the tank. Yuck.

I'm thinking of changing one of the 10's around when I move the fry. I'll probably take out the ugf and change the substrate to sand. I just like to see the gunk go up the siphon when I do water changes, you know? Gross but true.

Don't know if that helps at all, but...

 

[luxum]

I hate UGF and will ~never~ use it again. The only tank i think it is appropriate for are very small betta bowls/tanks that don't have room for a better filter. In other words, it's better than nothing, but almost anything is preferable to it in my book. If you already have a power filter and want to run both, consider looking into reversing the flow. When you run a UGF backwards, the water rises through the gravel instead of being pulled down through it. That means the debris should end up in your power filter with the bacteria in the UGF staying nice and clean and not all gunked up.

 

[semper fi]

want to know where the gunk is? take a flashlight and look under the tank. you will find it there. ugf's are obsolete. you can still use the powerhead though. just disconnect the up lift tube and attach a sponge to it. also you need to make sure that the plates of the ugf are covered at all times. if not, you can get dead spots. bad with fish that like to dig

 

[Teelie]

Yeah, UGF's were as one guy I knew put it, top of the line in the 1950's. They're incredibly obsolete now and have little practical use IMO. I have one for my 10 gallon and got it long before I knew how useless they were but I haven't thrown it out yet. I think it could be useful for something though I haven't figured out what yet.