Undergravel Filter
- Thread starter Cloudk
- Start date
Of course producing nitrate is part of the nitrogen cycle, so all filters are essentially "nitrate factories". The thing is that the amount of nitrate produced depends on how soon the physical waste is removed from the water column, and that is the big difference between various styles of filtration. I doubt you could ever clean a 3"+ bed of gravel in a tank with a UGF as thoroughly as you could a filter sock, nor would you do it as often, there for you are going to end up with more waste decomposing in the water with the UGF and subsequently more nitrates. Yes there are ways to manage this (plants, etc), but they are equally as applicable to other methods of filtration.
I use box filters on almost all of my tanks (with air), although I connected powerheads to them before. They work great...and I know this because they're brown and full of stuff in no time. Box filters are great because changing out the mechanical media is quick and easy - Just pull them out, open them up, discard and refill - 30 secs tops.
I clean box filters every week or two in most tanks (more often on heavily stocked tanks) to reduce the amount of waste in the tanks (that bacteria in the tanks would ultimately break down into nitrate). I also use a thin layer of PFS as substrate to ease maintenance and minimize the amount of waste trapped in the substrate that could produce nitrate.
What you describe is nearly the opposite.
Are you saying that the gravel - the hardest to thoroughly clean part - is the mechanical media in this system?
Matt
I clean box filters every week or two in most tanks (more often on heavily stocked tanks) to reduce the amount of waste in the tanks (that bacteria in the tanks would ultimately break down into nitrate). I also use a thin layer of PFS as substrate to ease maintenance and minimize the amount of waste trapped in the substrate that could produce nitrate.
What you describe is nearly the opposite.
Are you saying that the gravel - the hardest to thoroughly clean part - is the mechanical media in this system?
Matt
I see. You neglected to actually read the thread. I said the bonded pad provides 800 times the surface area for BB than the gravel alone (Per Dr. Stephen Spotte). And as far as mechanical media, ...back then all that was available was gravel, crushed lava rock, and used carbon. There were a few of us trying out a new idea called a wet/dry filter using the aforementioned media along with green toy soldiers, barrel-o-monkies pieces, pleated and sewn bonded filter pads, crushed terracotta pottery, etc.
I read what you posted...but my question is: If the poop, uneaten food and everything else that mechanical filtration would otherwise collect is not on the bonded filter pad, then where is it? Stuck in the gravel (which is better than stuck under the UGF plate) but still a PITA to clean thoroughly (vs. discarding some fluff or rinsing a filter sock).
Biological filtration is different than mechanical.
Matt
Biological filtration is different than mechanical.
Matt
Interesting to read. Do you have a link to Dr Spottes technique by chance? I've always been fascinated by the "old school" ways of filtering aquariums. I've only been in the hobby for about 10 years now, but I when I came into the hobby I think UGF's were pretty much falling completely out of favor to better systems and never really understood why.
Do you run all your tanks with an UGF and powerheads? Why not an air pump instead of powerheads? What substrate do you run in your tanks that are filtered by your UGF's?
