I HAVE A UNDERGRAVEL FILTER IN MY FISHTANK AND I DONT KNOW WHATS IT FOR.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A UNDERGRAVEL FILTER ?????
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A UNDERGRAVEL FILTER ?????
undergravel filter
- Thread starter thefishmaster1
- Start date
well to answer your question, the purpose is the same as any other filter. It simply the idea that being under the gravel as opposed to a HOB or canister filter, will pull debris and sediment through the gravel for filtration. Unfortunately they do not work very well IMO.
thefishmaster1;4286302; said:
The undergravel filter (UGF) works by forcing the water to flow down the gravel. The gravel serves as the filter media and that's where the bacteria grows.
Although many people says that it's not a good filter it does provide some interesting advantage.
It is very very cheap.
easy to set up.
can be operated by power head or air lift.
provides a large area for beneficial bacteria
It is so effective at trapping debris that it makes your water crystal clean, really really crystal clean. really.
it isn't much of an eyesore like the other filters.
The reason why this is becoming obsolete is that there is a very darkside in using the UGF. You see by the way that it works that all debris will be trapped in the gravel and the eventually find it's way under the filter plates. That were the problem occurs. That place is pretty much inaccessible. So in order to remove them, you have to clean the entire tank. That means that the nitrogen cycle will be reset. This major tank cleaning is usually done once a year. Another disadvantage is that the filter plates should be covered entirely for it to work. This is not good for tanks with cichlids that love to dig!
So do away with this type of filtration unless you really know what you are doing.
a good way to do undergravel is with a revers flow undergravel if done properly it wont have the problems as for fish digging plastic screen works wonderfluly and revers flow makes your tank easyer to clean
Unless I am using sand, I always use an undergravel filter (w/power heads) along with my canisters. They can make your entire substrate a biological bed.
It is an old technology, but that doesn't make it bad.
It is an old technology, but that doesn't make it bad.
i use one on my non monster fish community tank (ok..so its where the breeders are for feeders for my monsters haha) The only problem Ive ever heard of, and it makes sence in theory is you have to vacuum it more than normal. The waste gets trapped underneath the filter and is constantly moving. Therefor it has no chance to break down and release toxins (ammonia mainly). So when you go to vacuum its more likely to then settle and release a massive amount of toxin. Never had it happen to me, but I Vacuum it a lot. Like I said, in theory it does sound right though.