UGF,SYSTEMS OPINION!

[nastyfish]

Hey guys need some input on (ugf systems) my friend just got a 240gal
the place he got it has convinced him that a ugf is the way to go? i say
a couple of fx5" or maybe a sump would be good but he says he is old school. has been around aquarium's since back in the 70s the place he got the tank from i guess is old school all there tanks have gravel 3" to4"
thick in them. appreciate your thoughts on this,i myself have heard bad things about ufg's in long term black crap at the bottom all that stuff.

 

[BPags52]

I thought UGFs were for small tanks? /shrug, I don't have any experience with them myself.

If I were settting up a 240 and money wasn't really a concern, I'd probably go with a couple Eheim canister filters (based on all the good things i've heard about them on MFK....I also have no experience with canister filters). Or a couple Fx5s seems another good way to go...

 

[Toby_H]

I remember back in the 80s when the old school guys used to say that HOB filters weren't worth it and wouldn't catch on... no disrespect to 'old school' but I think they were wrong...

UGF prevents you from using sand as a substrate, which I prefer. I also feel that a lot of my fish prefer it, although I can't get them to commit to that in writting.

Water seeks the path of least resistance... therefore the water will flow the heaviest where the gravel is the thinnest... thus it is very important to keep the gravel flat, despite the Cichlids desire to make it everything but flat... So far my fish have more free time to move substrate than I do...

UGFs use gravel as media. Therefore the substrate/gravel will always be stuffed with waste. A thorough gravel vac therefore becomes necessary very frequently. This makes my weekly maintenance much more of a chore. Also, tons of waste will get trapped under the plates and cleaning under the plates is a massive ordeal I don't want to deal with... and not dealing with it causes other burdens I do not want to deal with...

For keeping low waste fish, such as livebreeders and such... UGFs are an acceptible form of filtration, although I would personally use something else...

For high waste producing fish, UGFs are simply impractical as he!! and create far more work than they are worth...


Sponge filters are a far more effective and easy to maintain source of filtration than UGFs...

I threw away my last UGF in the early 90s...

 

[cichlaguapote]

UGF freakin sucks.

 

[sizors]

I remember back in the 80s when the old school guys used to say that HOB filters weren't worth it and wouldn't catch on... no disrespect to 'old school' but I think they were wrong...

UGF prevents you from using sand as a substrate, which I prefer. I also feel that a lot of my fish prefer it, although I can't get them to commit to that in writting.

Water seeks the path of least resistance... therefore the water will flow the heaviest where the gravel is the thinnest... thus it is very important to keep the gravel flat, despite the Cichlids desire to make it everything but flat... So far my fish have more free time to move substrate than I do...

UGFs use gravel as media. Therefore the substrate/gravel will always be stuffed with waste. A thorough gravel vac therefore becomes necessary very frequently. This makes my weekly maintenance much more of a chore. Also, tons of waste will get trapped under the plates and cleaning under the plates is a massive ordeal I don't want to deal with... and not dealing with it causes other burdens I do not want to deal with...

For keeping low waste fish, such as livebreeders and such... UGFs are an acceptible form of filtration, although I would personally use something else...

For high waste producing fish, UGFs are simply impractical as he!! and create far more work than they are worth...


Sponge filters are a far more effective and easy to maintain source of filtration than UGFs...

I threw away my last UGF in the early 90s...

 

[fish_master2000]

 

[Sab_Fan]

I haven't used UGF in years, and the only person I know personally who uses UGF is my brother; he has multiple tanks, but none larger than 55G and none of them are planted. the water is crystal clear and the fish are healthy

that being said, I really can't think of any good reason to start with UGF, and there are probably several good reasons not to. they can be harder to clean, they aren't considered "planted-tank" friendly, and they limit your ability to use some of the specialized media that exist in the hobby

I would not say UGF sucks, but I do think canisters and HOB offer way more power and flexibility, and ease of use . . .

 

[KaiserSousay]

I also feel that a lot of my fish prefer it, although I can't get them to commit to that in writting.

So far my fish have more free time to move substrate than I do...

Great answer!