Undergravel Filter

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
If you must use an undergravel filter, ALWAYS use powerful reverse flow powerheads on the riser tubes. If you have the right substrate, and powerful reverse flow powerheads, it can work.

But that doesn't help your bubble loving fish.

Don't use regular flow UG filters. They are factories for all kinds of nasty things. Unless you gravel vac your tank regularly and effectively.
 
I've used UGF for decades. I never had to clean under the grating due to using Dr Spottes technique. Simply, I placed the plate(s) in the tank and covered the plate(s) with a layer of bonded filter padding (blue on one side/white on the other). Then, poured in the substrate. The bonded pad provided 800 times more BB surface area than the substrate alone, prevented gunk from being pulled under the plate, and offered a strong medium for my plants to root and anchor in. After running a 240 for over 2 years with an UGF and 4 powerheads I never had any ammonia spikes and the underside of the plates were clean as the day I set the tank up. Even the bonded pad was only slightly discolored after 2+ years. That tank had a large bio-load with 17 polys, an afaro, and a black aro as residents. The tank had no other filtration. Just routine water changes/gravel washes.
 
Oddball said:
I've used UGF for decades. I never had to clean under the grating due to using Dr Spottes technique. Simply, I placed the plate(s) in the tank and covered the plate(s) with a layer of bonded filter padding (blue on one side/white on the other). Then, poured in the substrate. The bonded pad provided 800 times more BB surface area than the substrate alone, prevented gunk from being pulled under the plate, and offered a strong medium for my plants to root and anchor in. After running a 240 for over 2 years with an UGF and 4 powerheads I never had any ammonia spikes and the underside of the plates were clean as the day I set the tank up. Even the bonded pad was only slightly discolored after 2+ years. That tank had a large bio-load with 17 polys, an afaro, and a black aro as residents. The tank had no other filtration. Just routine water changes/gravel washes.
Click to expand...

Hey oddball do you have a rough sketch for the said filtration? It would be a big help.
 
Oddball said:
I've used UGF for decades. I never had to clean under the grating due to using Dr Spottes technique. Simply, I placed the plate(s) in the tank and covered the plate(s) with a layer of bonded filter padding (blue on one side/white on the other). Then, poured in the substrate. The bonded pad provided 800 times more BB surface area than the substrate alone, prevented gunk from being pulled under the plate, and offered a strong medium for my plants to root and anchor in. After running a 240 for over 2 years with an UGF and 4 powerheads I never had any ammonia spikes and the underside of the plates were clean as the day I set the tank up. Even the bonded pad was only slightly discolored after 2+ years. That tank had a large bio-load with 17 polys, an afaro, and a black aro as residents. The tank had no other filtration. Just routine water changes/gravel washes.
Click to expand...

interesting. I wonder if you could use sand with that filter padding over the UGF plate. are you running conventional flow (gravel, plate, powerhead)? what's your substrate and cleaning method? are you vacuuming the gravel completely or just siphoning along the top?
did you make your own plate? I looked for one in my tank dimensions, also a 240G - 72" x 30" but the closest I found was for 125G.
 
Gill Blue said:
interesting. I wonder if you could use sand with that filter padding over the UGF plate. are you running conventional flow (gravel, plate, powerhead)? what's your substrate and cleaning method? are you vacuuming the gravel completely or just siphoning along the top?
did you make your own plate? I looked for one in my tank dimensions, also a 240G - 72" x 30" but the closest I found was for 125G.
Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking too. I wonder if we could keep deeper sand beds (4") if we used an UGF or reverse UGF like this. Gravel is certainly feasible using this method.
 
IMO sand will quickly work its way through the pad and fill in the underside of the plate.

I used a conventional setup. Not a reverse flow. I used 4 lift tubes with venturi power heads that each pushed about 300-350 GPH. I gravel washed by pressing through the substrate and pressing the bonded pad. Always got some detritus on each swipe but, nothing major.
 
Drstrangelove said:
This is what I was thinking too. I wonder if we could keep deeper sand beds (4") if we used an UGF or reverse UGF like this. Gravel is certainly feasible using this method.
Click to expand...

Sure deep beds would work, I managed an LFS that had a 400 with a heavy duty UGF with a 6" bed! Big pump as well and really heavy bio load and was heavily planted! It was a thing of beauty.


Sent from my iPad using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom