Under gravel filter

[LostFish]

Hey guys, i just bought a ugf for my 20L. i was wondering how much gravel is need to cover it for max efficency, i have about 3 inches of gravel on top now. The other thing was, how offten should i clean the whole thing? Would once every two weeks work? The tank will be a breeder for marble crayfish gonna have around 10 or less adults in there. i also have a fluva c2 filter on the tank as well. Do yall think that will be enough bio filtration for the tank, i can always add another filter i have laying around.

Thanks
LostFish

 

[EOD]

I don't think you will need to clean out the undergravel filter that often.

 

[aclockworkorange]

UGF debates aside, they make good bio filters. You will be fine. 3" of gravel is also fine.

Now to wait for the first person to bash UGF...

 

[ar0wan]

UGFs are all but extinct. I'd put the gravel as deep as you can
with powerheads running the returns if you really want to use it.
IMO - I'd scrap it and put up a canister, and the only time I can justify
a bare bottom is for a breeder.

 

[ar0wan]

1min

 

[aclockworkorange]

1min

XD

And UGF are nowhere near extinct, many many retail and wholesale fish stores run the majority of their tanks on UGF and/or sponge filters.

I personally wouldn't use one, but that doesn't mean they won't work.

 

[LostFish]

well my tank is on my top of my drawers, and there isn't a place for me to put a canister(would have gone with that if i had space). i have air stones runing it right now, would it be better i put in a powerhead?

 

[kdrun76]

Yes it would.

Youneed to to the same typical weekly gravel vac you always do, but you really only need to clean under the UGF about 1-2 times a year.

A real draw back to UGF filters (that only applies to some people) is the problems associated with power failure. Do you live in a part of the country that is prone to lengthy outages? If you , after 24 hours you have a problem as the sludge under the filter goes anaerobic. If you live in a more urban part of the world...that simply isn't a valid concern.

 

[drdrewr]

UGFs are like any other filter. Regardless of what the (mostly dated) books say about "it rarely requires any maintenance", it needs to be cleaned regularly like any other filter!!! The bad rap they get is that from "back in the day" (it is an "older" filtration technique) "before we knew what nitrates were", it was thought that once a year was good enough for cleaning. This was wrong then -- through our (or "my") collective ignorance -- and it is still wrong now.

Nothing will eliminate the need to clean your filters. Cannister, UGF, wet-dry... It does not matter. If you don't clean your filter(s) (whatever you choose), you are going to have some serious nitrate issues. Same thing goes for gravel substrate. If you don't clean the he$$ out of it "regularly", you are going to have a really tough time combating nitrate creep (hint, hint, -- use sand).

I use a UGF on my fry/feeder tank and learned my lesson the hard way. I spent all kinds of $$$ trying to address nitrates - to no avail. My mind was set on trying to find a shortcut / substitute for cleaning my filters -- plus -- I had bought into all the inaccurate stuff I had read about "this or that type of filter only needs to be clean every six months or so". IMHO, all of that is pure garbage!!! Unless you are going to spend every dime you have on the types of exotic filtration methods used in public aquariums, regular cleaning of your filters (cannister, UGF, whatever...) will be essential to the long-term care of your tank.

FWIW, I actually "like" my UGF and have no intention of replacing it. I don't power it via air, but, run cannisters with the intakes inserted into the uplift tubes. UGFs not only protect the fry, but, they also have the benefit of keeping the mulm from getting into the cannisters. I turn the cannisters off when I vacuum the gravel every one or two weeks -- and -- before turning the cannisters back on, I will disconnect the intake from one of the cannisters and let it run "unfiltered" into a bucket. In about five seconds, all of the mulm that is underneath the UGF plate will be siphoned into the bucket and all is clean. This maintenance regimen works extremely well for me and the test kits confirm the effectiveness of this.

I do "cheat" a little and have a Purigen factor in my filtration loop, but, I do plan to remove that eventually. I'm confident that my water parameters will remain consistent with what I am seeing these days.

 

[fishbum]

Same thing goes for gravel substrate. If you don't clean the he$$ out of it "regularly", you are going to have a really tough time combating nitrate creep (hint, hint, -- use sand).

Ever have a planted tank with a carpet? No substrate cleaning in those. The plants will not take care of all the nitrates either. It is good to vacuum the substrate,but nothing catastrophic will happen if you don't.