under gravel filter question

[wvera05]

quick question ive had my 55 running for about 2 weeks now everything is looking good now im planning on getting everything else i need asin decorations and such but before i put the rocks in how im portant is an undergravel filter if i alreay have a gravel vacuum or do i need both to keep everything in check ???

if i do get an undergravel filter i thinking of getting the air flow which makes a current in my tank or would that stress my fish out there are all pretty young well let me know laterz

 

[haynchinook334]

underground filters (i think) are obsolete. might want to go with canister filters.
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but to answer your question, a power head would be ok for your tank, but will kick up all the crud that is under your underground filter.
are you going to use a HOB filter, or just the underground filter?

 

[DragonKeeper]

Do they even still sell Under Gravel Filters?

I would get canister filter or a HOB for best results.

 

[CHOMPERS]

UGF's are an excellent souce of biofiltration and respectable at mechanical filtration. They are not obsolete, they just don't have the bling or expense of a canister filter. They are very economical in both start up cost and operation. The most economical way of powering them is by an air pump and air stones. However by using reversable power heads, you can alternate from UGF to RUGF (reverse flow UGF) simply by moving a lever on the power head.

 

[justin guest]

UGF's are an excellent souce of biofiltration and respectable at mechanical filtration. They are not obsolete, they just don't have the bling or expense of a canister filter. They are very economical in both start up cost and operation.

A lot of people believe new means better. I´ve seen a lot of ´new´ filters fall by the wayside. If an undergravel isn´t for you don´t use one. They have stood the test of time however.
j<><

 

[freshwater freak]

the only thing that they are good for is if you get a power head with reverse flow and it will push all of the left overs in the gravel to the top and your filter will get it then you will need to vacum the gravel like once every one to two months

 

[CHOMPERS]

UGF's are an excellent souce of biofiltration and respectable at mechanical filtration. They are not obsolete, they just don't have the bling or expense of a canister filter. They are very economical in both start up cost and operation. The most economical way of powering them is by an air pump and air stones. However by using reversable power heads, you can alternate from UGF to RUGF (reverse flow UGF) simply by moving a lever on the power head.

I forgot to add the most important reason why to use them. They prevent the production of hydrogen sulfide. It is very toxic and has been attributed to many fish kills.

To illustrate the toxicity of hydrogen sulfide, when my swimming pool was my koi pond I had suffered a bad fish kill from it. The filter was shut down and had gone anaerobic. The filter is about 60-70 gallons and the pool is 13,500 gallons; do the math. When I turned the system on it had killed all of the fish (around 300).

 

[wvera05]

so then it is a good idea to use an under gravel fliter im not using a canister fliter went with the cheapo and got me a whisper so it probably is best to get it to help even more let me know if u have any more advice please thankz

 

[pcfriedrich]

another tried and true (and cheap) method of filtration is the sponge filter, attached to a powerhead.

undergravels serve their purpose.

whichever way you go, a powerhead is a better way (than airstone) to power your filter.