oscar to small?

[Chockful O Phail]

Ugf is fine, just need to keep the gravel vacced. If I remember correctly pops uses one in his oscar tank.

 

[Frank Castle]

What are your thoughts on undergravel filtration?

Cichlids dig constantly rendering undergravel filtration useless unless connected to a sump.

Don't set it up traditionally....modify it so that everything that passes through it goes through tubes into a sump w/ filter pad, bio-media, filter wool etc ........2 Powerheads can be used to do this or 1 Powerhead and an Overflow.

 

[duanes]

I agree with Frank, the small water changes someone suggested above are a big reason why we see too many hole in the head riddled, stunted, and gill deformed oscars turned in to pet shops.

 

[pops]

My 180 has reversed UG system, its bottom drilled. on each end, running 2 pumps. gravel is about 5" deep, with a layer of small course gravel, then larger course in top. digging can be an issue. The tank use to be a marine reef tank, the reason for running it revers is so the water is pushed up through the gravel rather than down through it.I have large sponges on the intakes. I do not advocate using one but as the tank came setup for that I went with it. I still run other filters on the tank also. I have had no issues in the past 5 years and my gravel stays pretty clean.

 

[Vampire fish]

this is highly inaccurate.

If you're only doing 20-25% WCs every 3-4 weeks you might as well not even do them at all. This type of maintenance schedule stunts growth, allows sediment to build as well as ammonia, and nitrates.....they may not register in the test because they are trapped in pockets in the gravel and under décor then when they get stirred up it becomes toxic

I have an undergravel filter so i get no trapped pockets old tanks I havnt changed water in half a year and everything remains 0 so you need to come up with something else. It is most ideal to change small amounts of water consistently to keep a consistent medium but this isnt always ideal for the average fish keeper

 

[Frank Castle]

I have an undergravel filter so i get no trapped pockets old tanks I havnt changed in half a year and everything remains 0 so you need to come up with something else

I don't need to do anything. Few people use UGFs, so really no point arguing

 

[dan518]

I have an undergravel filter so i get no trapped pockets old tanks I havnt changed water in half a year and everything remains 0 so you need to come up with something else. It is most ideal to change small amounts of water consistently to keep a consistent medium but this isnt always ideal for the average fish keeper

Am I reading this right, you haven't done a waterchange in 6 month and claiming all your parmiters are fine?

 

[Frank Castle]

Am I reading this right, you haven't done a waterchange in 6 month and claiming all your parmiters are fine?

 

[Stanzzzz7]

Conventional undergravel filters work just fine in cichlid tanks if you use a gravel tidy to seperate the substrate to two layers.


6 months between water changes and no readings?
What are you keeping?a guppy in a forest.

 

[Vampire fish]

I've kept all kinds of fish and its more than one fish tank. 55 75 125. I have fish that are from 6-10 years old. And Iv probably gone longer than half a year.