Undergravel filters (Need advice and your thoughts)

[tcarswell]

I got a corrugated white under gravel filter today. I had to take out and clean and return my new 55gallon due to a hair line crack. So I got an undergravel filter and hooked up one side to a power head the other to a high powered air pump.
My question is how much gravel should I have over the UG filter and would you reccomend/ use one yourself ??

 

[I<3fish]

I got a corrugated white under gravel filter today. I had to take out and clean and return my new 55gallon due to a hair line crack. So I got an undergravel filter and hooked up one side to a power head the other to a high powered air pump.
My question is how much gravel should I have over the UG filter and would you reccomend/ use one yourself ??

Regarding your question tcars, I would not use one myself because of the cons.
* Cleaning and maintanence=PiTA
* Not as efficient as other filters.
* Needs to be cleaned every month.

 

[tcarswell]

How and where do you clean them?

 

[I<3fish]

You clean em by throwing them out the window. Lol not really but ok here I'll tell ya.
*Take off the top plastic things, scrub em off with new or non soaped sponge. (I have my own sponge for cleaning everything fish related which I never use soap with.) Rinse em off and make sure to get all the icky's out of bottom with a gravel vac as soon as you take the top off.

 

[tcarswell]

Bottom of the gravel or bottom of the undergravel filter?? Isnt that where the BB lives?!

 

[tcarswell]

and top plastic things you mean the water drawing ridgid clear plastic pipes that the airstones hook up to ?

 

[Bderick67]

Your UG set up will work fine. Go with about an 1" to 1 1/2" of gravel. Make sure you do a gravel vac every other week with water changes to keep it performing well.

 

[I<3fish]

But they get clogged up with crud on the return pipes brah.

 

[I<3fish]

But I hear you are getting an Eheim which will house enough BB on it's own without the need for extra maintanence for an UGF.

 

[I<3fish]

Oh, how is your luck going on finding gulper cat's btw? Post the details plz as I am looking for some as well. Also, I hear that if they swallow gravel it isn't very beneficial for them. I always use sand on my tanks to prevent that problem.