Undergravel Filter.....feel A Bit Embarassed!

[Tiger Tiger]

Hi

I have never used an undergravel filter before , always external but want to give it a go.
Bought a powerhead and the tray with pipes galore.
Now i have worked out how to put the powerhead together.
but i now have this tray with pipes here and there with collar bits of plastic etc etc.

How do you connect the motor to the trays?
I thought it was straight forward but why have i got an airstone with the tray?

Has someone got a undergravel set up diagram for idiots

regards

 

[Rooster]

Tray goes UNDER the GRAVEL ! LOL (its in the title!) then an uplift pipe comes from the plate(s) vertically... to just below the surface of the water, where traditionally an airpump fed air to an airstone pushed down the uplift pipe - nearly to the bottom.
Air rises up the uplift pipe, bringing water with it, the water comes from underneith the gravel, so drawing water through the gravel (while becomes loaded with the good bacteria)
A later innovation was to add a power head to draw the water up the uplift tube - doing away with the need for an air pump, also created a larger flow... which was bad for live plants, which is probably why the UGF became extinct.

Hope this helps in visualizing the thing... dont forget you NEED pea gravel, sand will not work, and as deep a bed as you can manage, certainly more than 2 inches.

Good luck, please let us know how you fair ?

 

[Tiger Tiger]

Just managed to get it.
the theory was easy but i just did not get why air stone etc etc, but .......

Well thanks.

 

[Rooster]

The air moving up the tubes carries water upwards... its trapped in between the bubbles, an airstone spreads the air out (smaller bubbles) hence moves more water...