UnderGravel Filtration

[nighthawk2207]

cool so inbetween the gravel an plates got it i will give it a try it couldnt hurt anything anywways

 

[BigDaddyMagnum]

I Myself am on the fence.. i have used them with great success and also great failure..... i guess with most filters , like car engines.... its all in the preference lol.... some people like A K20 some like a E46 and some like a 429 Cobra Jet... Some like H.O.B some like UGF and some like Canister/Sump lol... all preference

 

[nighthawk2207]

well i have a rena xp3 on my 75g an im looking for some additional/ cheap support, an I myself rather have a 572 blown but atleast you know i like motors that dont consume rice! lol just giving a forign motor guy a hard time you prolly get it all the time.

 

[Toby_H]

well i have a rena xp3 on my 75g an im looking for some additional/ cheap support

What kind of "support" are you looking for?

Does the tank have more waste/debris laying around than desired? If so I'd suggest an HOB...

Do you commonly have an ammonia/nitrite reading? If so then add a canister (although I've never had this issue on a mature tank and I would suspect the problem had to do with something besides insufficient filtration)...

Do you feel your tank simply needs more water movement? If so add a powerhead...


Based on years of experience with UGFs as well as many/most other forms of filtration... I'd highly suggest adding sponge filters before a UGF...

 

[tcarswell]

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.

Thanks for sharing that is really interesting. What kind of a bonded filter pad material did you use?