Undergravel filters?

[itiwhetu]

I love my UGF wouldn't be without it on a planted tank. It turns the whole base of the tank into a biological filter. The system I use is here pages 3....... I never clean the filter or vacuum the tank

Here I go again 150 gallon reset.

After 5 years it is time to set up my 150g tank again. The tank is 190x60x55cm but the water height will be at about 50. This thread will be a journal of its progress. At this stage the tank will be planted with Carnivorous plants and things at each end. The tank has built in shelves to...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Mikeyboy123]

I used Ugf back in the day. They worked well for me. You do need to vacuum the gravel but that can just be done when you do the water changes - And I need to vac the gravel just as much with my current tank which has a mini internal filter, so there’s not much difference there really. Main difference for me is with the plants. If you’re just growing floaters or epiphytes then it’s No problem, but they aren’t great with plants rooted in the substrate, although you could use pots to get around that. And other filters give you more options to play around with filter media.

 

[Alice B]

Welcome to TFF

Yes, UGFs aren't used much anymore, there are much better options that are easier to maintain

I'd like to know what those are? I am looking at this bag of sand and I put some in a 10, but how the heck do you prevent anaerobic processing of fish waste producing hydrogen sulfide in the aquarium, or do you just vacuum up all the sand and dump it and replace it every month? week? I'm starting a thread

 

[Rocky998]

I'd like to know what those are? I am looking at this bag of sand and I put some in a 10, but how the heck do you prevent anaerobic processing of fish waste producing hydrogen sulfide in the aquarium, or do you just vacuum up all the sand and dump it and replace it every month? week? I'm starting a thread

NOOOO... You never really replace all the sand! If you do its just way to much work and does more harm than good

 

[Alice B]

But it's dirty.

 

[Colin_T]

But it's dirty.

use a gravel cleaner like the one in the following link

Aquarium Cleaning Made Easy

Aquarium cleaning should take 30 minutes every two weeks. Learn how the professionals do it in 18 easy steps.

www.about-goldfish.com

 

[Alice B]

use a gravel cleaner like the one in the following link

Aquarium Cleaning Made Easy

Aquarium cleaning should take 30 minutes every two weeks. Learn how the professionals do it in 18 easy steps.

www.about-goldfish.com

I have those, I have a short one, one on a 25 ft hose, and one on a 100 ft hose (yes there's a fitting in the middle). but I am going to remove the sand with them.

 

[Rocky998]

I have those, I have a short one, one on a 25 ft hose, and one on a 100 ft hose (yes there's a fitting in the middle). but I am going to remove the sand with them.

Why do you need to remove the sand?

 

[GaryE]

But it's dirty.

If you think your sand is dirty, you should see what's at the bottom of the rivers and lakes our fish come from.

Overly clean tanks kill fish. Overfeeding does too, but that's the only real problem that could make it necessary to change a substrate. If you feed correctly (ie, sparingly) you never change your sand.
Unless it's pink or fluorescent green. Then you change it.

 

[Back in the fold]

@GaryE JEHMCO still sells the venerable under gravel filter. Now , time for me to climb up on my soapbox. Hear Ye ! Hear Ye ! Hearken unto my words all Ye of little historical knowledge. There is absolutely nothing at all wrong with the Great Undergravel Filter. Everything you have heard about them in a negative way is wrong. Hear me now and believe me later when I tell you that once having used one you will throw rocks at your old filters. I have spoken.

 

[Alice B]

I think right now I have a quarter inch of clean sand in a hospital tank with 2 corydoras and it's very clean because I rinsed and added it today but I think if I siphon that tank I'm going to end up with no sand anyway, because the siphon will pick it up. I won't run deep sand. I've killed fish with deep sand you never need to clean. I try not to make the same mistake twice

 

[Back in the fold]

@Alice B I'm curious about your statement of deep sand killing fish. Did you inadvertently produce a noxious gas pocket ? I had that happen once and will never forget that smell.

 

[Alice B]

@Alice B I'm curious about your statement of deep sand killing fish. Did you inadvertently produce a noxious gas pocket ? I had that happen once and will never forget that smell.

I believe I did. It was a 29 gallon marine tank I had been running undergravel using marble chips for gravel, I got talked into going to whatever marine sand was fashionable at the time. I am pretty sure I got a noxious gas pocket about 2 months after the change over, I also had much poorer filtration despite having a hot magnum and sponge filter and I don't remember what else on it.

Yes everyone laugh I ran a 55 gallon reef with a really weak homemade protein skimmer and a hot magnum, overstocked for 6 years and I lost very few fish.

 

[Back in the fold]

@Alice B I'm not laughing. I've been in this hobby off and on since 1965 and have seen plenty of setups that shouldn't have worked but did work and worked really well. There are so many little variables to a successful aquarium and when someone who knows what they're doing does their thing you just may see something awesome.

 

[davros]

I confess, I used my 1/2 of old UG in a small tank I just set up.Now it has a very modest airstream, so I'll call it a plenum if you call me out