Undergravel filter

[Rory the cat]

I am about to set up a second tank I have been given by a friend who is moving to a smaller house.

She has an undergravel filter unit, I have always used the sponge filters, but I'd like to try it out.

Anyway, I am going to set up the tank in my house this weekend. Do I need to buy anything to go underneath the filter grid (such as a sponge) or does it just go on the glass bottom & I pile the gravel on top?

How good are these filters considered to be?

Might seem like a daft question but I am a newbie to fish keeping. )

 

[thecichlidaddict]

All you need to do is place the filter plates on the bottom glass and then place the gravel on top.

They make really good biological filters. The problem with them is that they can't be cleaned, so over time a real mess builds up under those plates, and there as no mechanical filtration being accomplished in the tank. Over time this will cause a degradation in water quality. IMO other filters are a better way to go, but the UGF will get the job done.

 

[Stryker]

The problem I have with UGFs is its too easy to cock them up and then have them cause more harm than good... such as anerobic bacteria etc..... I think thats what earns them their dubious rep... whereas with mechanical filters you'd have to put in some considerable effort to cock them up and loose your fish.

 

[jams.alaskan]

If you have the funds, I'd skip the ugf and get another filter system in place...

ALASKA