I'm setting up a 180, that came with an under gravel filter, BUT, wasn't used. Should I set this up? or can I just rely on a sump, with an FX5?
Do you use Under gravel filter?
- Thread starter fishtician
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I think UGF's cause more harm then good. Just for the simple fact that all the poop, rotting food, poop, and rotting foodpoop is still stuck underneath the rocks/gravel/plastic and it's just sitting there. So me, I wouldn't use it. A sump and a FX5 would be good.
I asked this same question when I set up my 75. All answers came back as do not use a UGF. Appears to be 'old school' and causes more problems than it is supposed to solve.
UGF are a matter of personal choice. Some like them, some don't. I have sand, so they are out of the question for me.
i use one on my 150 gal with two fluval 404s i pump alot of air with long tubs and i have nothing collecting under the gravel. it is old school but it works and i have a very healy tank just dont turn off the air that is bad. i have one feather back and two tiretracks the clown is abot 12 inches still plenty of room.
I used to use them with great results, but never in a 180. You have to be able to clean underneath them every few months , which is a pain in a 30 gallon tank. It would be unimaginable in a 180.
Nobody has chimed in a reverse under gravel filter?...
you can run it in reverse so that the waterflow via Powerheads, pump water into those risers. The water flowing under the gravel effectively keeps the gravel from collecting crud and getting it up into the water colum where it can be filtered out by the sump and FX5...
you can run it in reverse so that the waterflow via Powerheads, pump water into those risers. The water flowing under the gravel effectively keeps the gravel from collecting crud and getting it up into the water colum where it can be filtered out by the sump and FX5...
I am sure that most of the answers on this thread cam from people with much far experience than myself, But i had it once in one of my smaller tanks and i saw what was building under it away of my sight, It was shocking to me to see that black dirty liquid under the UGF, So i am 100% against it
zennzzo;3990619; said:Nobody has chimed in a reverse under gravel filter?...
you can run it in reverse so that the waterflow via Powerheads, pump water into those risers. The water flowing under the gravel effectively keeps the gravel from collecting crud and getting it up into the water colum where it can be filtered out by the sump and FX5...
That is an UGJ, Under Gravel Jet. These appear to be the better option but not quite set up the same way.
Those are set up with pipe and outlets all over the bottom, the UGJ's are...cichlidude;3990639; said:
I'm talking about using the UGF plates just as the come, using Powerheads in the reverse direction... it flows water up through the gravel, not across the top of the gravel like UGJ's do...