UnderGravel Filtration

[nighthawk2207]

What is your(anyone) opinion on undergravel
filtration systems? I added one to my 75 .
(havnt bought the powerheads yet tho)

Just looking for an overall opinion on them.

 

[Juxtaroberto]

Oh, no...

See, most people are ferociously divided between loving them and hating them. Those who love them claim that they are amazing at holding beneficial bacteria, etc, and those who hate them claim that they get dirty too quickly, hold detritus beneath them, and aren't that great for beneficial bacteria.

I just hope this doesn't turn into another awkward argument.

 

[Knowdafish]

They work excellent with powerheads as long as you don't want a planted tank.

 

[Toby_H]

I made the following post in this thread just a dcouple of days ago...

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260432

It's worth reading existing posts



I remember back in the 80s when the old school guys used to say that HOB filters weren't worth it and wouldn't catch on... no disrespect to 'old school' but I think they were wrong...

UGF prevents you from using sand as a substrate, which I prefer. I also feel that a lot of my fish prefer it, although I can't get them to commit to that in writting.

Water seeks the path of least resistance... therefore the water will flow the heaviest where the gravel is the thinnest... thus it is very important to keep the gravel flat, despite the Cichlids desire to make it everything but flat... So far my fish have more free time to move substrate than I do...

UGFs use gravel as media. Therefore the substrate/gravel will always be stuffed with waste. A thorough gravel vac therefore becomes necessary very frequently. This makes my weekly maintenance much more of a chore. Also, tons of waste will get trapped under the plates and cleaning under the plates is a massive ordeal I don't want to deal with... and not dealing with it causes other burdens I do not want to deal with...

For keeping low waste fish, such as livebreeders and such... UGFs are an acceptible form of filtration, although I would personally use something else...

For high waste producing fish, UGFs are simply impractical as he!! and create far more work than they are worth...


Sponge filters are a far more effective and easy to maintain source of filtration than UGFs...

I threw away my last UGF in the early 90s...

 

[KaiserSousay]

I also feel that a lot of my fish prefer it, although I can't get them to commit to that in writting.

So far my fish have more free time to move substrate than I do...

Along with the above..great answer.

 

[tcarswell]

I use them on any of my tanks 55 or less. I use a high suction power on my python and I believe it lifts any detritus from under the plates. If not once a month I pop one of the extra caps off and suck out any debris (There hardly ever is any. They are a great bio filter but require frequent vacuuming.

Just FYI This is and has been a heated debate for quite some time here id recommend doing some searching because there are quite a few 13 -15 page threads about this topic .

 

[Sab_Fan]

Sponge filters are a far more effective and easy to maintain source of filtration than UGFs...

I threw away my last UGF in the early 90s...

x2 . . .

 

[nighthawk2207]

so if you do a reverse flow kit with a sponge filter an high flow powerhead
that wont do a good job?

 

[tcarswell]

so if you do a reverse flow kit with a sponge filter an high flow powerhead
that wont do a good job?

That would be a good job in my book. A reverse flow alone is a cool thing

 

[Oddball]

I've had great success in using UGFs over the years. I use a technique developed by Dr. Spotte. It calls for placing bonded filter pad material between the UG plate and substrate. The pad can hold a bacteria population up to 800 times that of gravel substrate alone. The pad also prevents clogging of the plate vents, allows a firm rooting medium for plants, and prevents detritus buildup under the plate.
I ran a 240 full of large preds (mostly Polypterus with a few mid and upper layer swimmers) for almost 3 years on such a setup, utilizing 4 powerheads, with minimum (twice a month) gravel washes/water changes. When the tank was broken down to relocate, the pad came out nearly spotless, the plant root bundles were massive and the plants had to be cut out of the pad, and there wasn't a speck of debris under the plates.