Under Gravel Filters

[jimolds8862]

i use ugf in my 185 tank with 2 power heads i love them.

 

[kallmond]

UGF's were all there was for a LONG time. UGF's were top of the line aquarium technology for a decade or so.

Thats no longer the case, but its still a fine viable alternative, and it sure is cheap.

 

[Schneagle]

I used UG filters in the 80's and they worked great. Just like any filter, you have to maintain it. They work well and over the long run are very inexpensive. I also agree with the comments concerning water clarity.

 

[Red_Belly_Pacu]

The surface area of an undergravel filter is very large which makes it a good filter. The size of the filter is the size of your tank. I have an undergravel filter attached with powerheads on my 110 gallon, 80 gallon and 55 gallon.

 

[BadOleRoss]

I have used UGFs for years on everything from a 55G to a 380G and they have always worked fine. Build up under the plates in minimal unless the plate is not sitting flat on the bottom of the tank or you just dont do any maintenance. As far as reverse flow powerheads....I think they are junk. I have never had one that put out enough flow to be effective. I go with an UGF or bare bottom with a large sump.

 

[jpappy789]

The RUGF + HOB combo was the best filtration I have used.

 

[Knowdafish]

Not at all. The UGF does absolutely nothing that a plain ol sponge filter won't do.

Not true! There is more surface area in an oxygenated gravel bed than a sponge filter unless the aquarium is very small and the sponge filter is very big!

 

[bitteraspects]

Not true! There is more surface area in an oxygenated gravel bed than a sponge filter unless the aquarium is very small and the sponge filter is very big!

the surface area of a sponge is more than enough to hoUse the amount of bacteria necessary to convert ammonia into nitrates. surface area is only relevant to the bio-load of the tanks inhabitants.
you can have 100000000000000(xinfinity) square inches of "surface area", but unless you have that much ammonia, 99% of it is doing absolutely nothing.

 

[bitteraspects]

Sorry to poo poo on your parade, but it takes more that just a hole. There are a bazillion holes through the gravel already. The slits in the plate meter out the water so that a digger doesn't disrupt the flow in the proportions that you suggest.

youre partially right. if the jaguar were to just dig one small hole in the substrate, then it would have little effect on the overall "flow" of the UGF. but anyone who knows the first thing about jaguars (or CA cichlids in general) will gladly inform you that the chances of a jaguar digging just one small hole in the gravel are ridiculously slim

By the way, wasn't it discovered in that other thread that you didn't have any real experience with UGF's? It's always the people with little or no experience with them that are always adamantly bad mouthing them.

hahahah. you kids are hilarious.you keep going back to this assumption, yet have absolutely nothing to back it. feel free to go back and find any post where i said "i have no experience with UGF"/

#1 Yes I pretty much had to bring that to light last time he was trashing them He has been rather relentless in his pursuit of bashing these filters.

i offer you the same challenge as the other clown. feel free to go back and find a single post that backs up this rediculous claim that you like to post over and over again. i got money that says you never find one. because it never happened.

the facts are simple.

UGF, while a staple form of filtration DECADES ago, have little use in the aquaria world today. the advancements in consumer available filtration over the last couple of decades have rendered the UGF all but completely useless with filters that are much more effective and even some that are CHEAPER (as that seems to be the only selling point for people suggesting UGF).

a $5-10[retail] sponge (or box) filter will provide all the "benefits" of a $15-30[retail] UGF (providing ample room for your bacteria colony, and efficiently maintaining your water parameters), with NONE of the downfalls (like making your tank hard to properly clean, the inability to use sand substrate or live plants, just to name a few). unfortunately, like a UGF, a sponge or box filter, it will provide absolutely NO mechanical filtration.

fortunately, while HOB and Canister filters were expensive or unavailable DECADES ago, these days they are readily available at just about every LFS nationwide, and at reasonable prices. for very little more than a UGF, you can purchase a cheap HOB. not only will this provide the same bio-logical filtration as the UGF, but unlike the UGF, will also provide mechanical filtration (and chemical where applicable).

feel free to attempt to dispute any of these facts at the expense of wasting your breath.

so again.
the U.G.F. is a P.O.S.

T.H.E .E.N.D.

 

[jpappy789]

I find this hilarious...

A bunch of people, who have actually used them, claim they work well.

You, who apparently has never tried a UGF, claim they are a P.O.S.

I'm not saying that they are superior to the high end canisters or HOBs but they still hold their own in the hobby. I'd much rather be running some sort of UG system than the P.O.S. HOB that I purchased a while back for about the same price as an UG system. The thing was done after a month. I never had problems within the 2-3 years I was running a UGF/RUGF.

You list a few "cons" to UGFs. I had live plants and the tank was easy to clean...sure, sand could be an issue but I believe I have seen ways to get around that. It's not something I would bet my life on though so that may be one actual disappointment when it comes to these filters. For plants the only problems I could see would arise with plants such as swords or crypts that have large root systems. Even with crypts myself I never ran into problems.

As for mechanical filtration, there really is no need. Gunk gets trapped in the substrate and is vacuumed out weekly. Sure, loading up a canister with a bunch of floss and foam and other media is going to be better, but my tank was pretty well stocked it is was as clean as I could ever ask for.

UG systems may be "outdated" but there's certainly nothing wrong with using one. I would go even so far to say I trust them more than the higher end canisters to get the job done, within reason.