UGF OR NO UGF

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
p.s., i'm not saying you're a moron but i love hearing stories from old timers that talk about how they use to feed their fish hot dogs and raw chicken, used aged water and believed their fish would only grow to the size of their tanks (and they all lived 10+ years!) but are now extremely efficient fish keepers....why...because they took in new knowledge instead of being stuck in their ways
 
Jc1119;4846555; said:
I promise you that a canister packed with a good quality bio material will outperform a perfectly functioning ugf
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Exactly. Let's look at some real numbers. Plain gravel has a surface area of about 90/cu ft. Bio balls are about 160. Pot scrubbies, 370.

Now, let's go into some highly porous ceramic media. Take Seachem Matrix for example. 1 liter of Matrix has the surface area of 170 liters of bio balls. If bio balls have twice the surface area of plain gravel, and Matrix has 170x the surface area of bio balls, how is a UGF superior? Something's wrong with the math :wall:
 
Red_Belly_Pacu;4846523; said:
There are independent thinkers and dependent thinkers. You my friend, are a dependent thinker. Studies prove that independent thinkers are very sucessful on what they do, that is why I have been keeping fishes for over 15 years.
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Interesting. Wonder what that makes since I've kept fish for over 30 years and one of the first( and most important) things I learned was to lose my ugf, not because somebody told me to, but because I found them to be lousy filters compared to other forms based on my own trial and error....

Seems to me that the independent thinker would try all the options and then decide what is best for their senario.... the dependent thinker would be the one to become complacent and refuse to let go of the past....
 
Jc1119;4846555; said:
If it were me I'd lose it...

But, I have used reverse ugf's that worked pretty well. Purely a bio filter though so you'd still need to use something for mechanical..... subtrate stays clean but at the expense of floating detritus.....

And surface area of the floor if the tank is totally irrelevant. I promise you that a canister packed with a good quality bio material will outperform a perfectly functioning ugf... More surface area and consistent flow. Ugf's have tons of deadspots and the areas that get the most flow are the ones right next to the riser tubes.... substrate by the front glass will see very little flow. By design they work but are largely inefficient compared to a canister or hob....
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My 110 gallon tank is 60 inches by 18 inches, the size of the aquarium floor. It is a tank with a very heavy bioload. Water parameters are fine and I am using a UGF. I would not dare replace my UGF with the several Rena XP3s or my aquaclear 110s HOB, which I have. If I did and listened to you all, ammonia and nitrite will show up and I know better.

I pack my Rena XP3s with biomax, all of the trays.
 
Red_Belly_Pacu;4846625; said:
My 110 gallon tank is 60 inches by 18 inches, the size of the aquarium floor. It is a tank with a very heavy bioload. Water parameters are fine and I am using a UGF. I would not dare replace my UGF with the several Rena XP3s or my aquaclear 110s HOB, which I have. If I did and listened to you all, ammonia and nitrite will show up and I know better.

I pack my Rena XP3s with biomax, all of the trays.
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Why? You say you wouldn't dare replace them but fail to expain why. Ammonia and nitrites will show up? Why? That's certainly not the filters fault. A properly setup xp3 will support the load. 2 would be even better. 2 xp3's and an ac110 could support a much larger tank than you have....

It may appear that you have more surface area because the tanks footprint is large but it's just not the case. An xp3 packed with either Biomax, matrix or subsrtat pro will outperform your ugf. This is not an opinion. It's a fact. Lots of testing and research to prove this point.....

Canisters are not perfect, but they do solve many ugf issues..... Uneven flow, deadspots and poo under your substrate. You'll have none of that with a canister packed with bio and mech and a good maintenance schedule......

Your ugf works. That's not the point. A canister works better... That is the point......
 
aclockworkorange;4847124; said:
Oh nice we haven't had a good UGF rager in a while. :popcorn:
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A priceless quote, ACW. Too funny!:ROFL:

BTW ACW, where did you find you cool lookin' cat fish. Does it Purr?
 
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