why sand? Why no undergravel?

[REC]

You are right, the statement is to sweeping, I too have known a couple very good LFS that used them, a more correct statement would be that most LFS, especially those that rely on high turn around, don't use them. Mea Culpa.

The only reason LFS use UGF's is because they are the cheapest.......Any LFS will tell you that. If you are going to keep little fish in a small aquarium then you are already on a budget so UGF's work well for you but if you plan on keeping monsters in large tank UGF's are a disaster. I think some of you forget this is MONSTERFISHKEEPERS, tired of these tiny ass guppy tank talks. Save it for aquariacentral.........

 

[softturtle]

If you aren't a lazy ass, you can keep any size fish in a tank with a UGF. I do enough W/C that I really don't need filters. I just need something to put some oxygen in the water and create a little current. UGFs do that and keep a large bed of bacteria living.

I think a lot of us use filters the wrong way. Filters don't really clean your water, they just convert toxins in to less harmful toxins. It is the water changes and cleaning out mechanical filration that keep your tanks water clean, not just running a big filter.

 

[guppy]

UGF's really aren't a practical choice for aquarium/pet shops or wholesalers. Tanks get broken down often, thus the bacterial bed is destroyed.

Exactly.
Still, I like the in conjunction with something that provides more water movement and some mechanical filtration.
Also, people don't clean them (ugfs) right, you should only surface vac most of them, and gravel vac no more than 1/3 per week, or you can disrupt the colony so that it crashes. this is the only kind of crash I have seen except for protracted power outages and the people with hang ons and canistered were even worse off.

 

[REC]

If you aren't a lazy ass, you can keep any size fish in a tank with a UGF. I do enough W/C that I really don't need filters. I just need something to put some oxygen in the water and create a little current. UGFs do that and keep a large bed of bacteria living.

I think a lot of us use filters the wrong way. Filters don't really clean your water, they just convert toxins in to less harmful toxins. It is the water changes and cleaning out mechanical filration that keep your tanks water clean, not just running a big filter.

Show me a big tank full of monsters with UGF..............Your full of ****.....It won't be you, all you have is small ****......

 

[Brooklynella]

Show me a big tank full of monsters with UGF..............Your full of ****.....It won't be you, all you have is small ****......

UGF's are only for girlie fish, huh?
The bigger the fish, the smaller the...

 

[softturtle]

Show me a big tank full of monsters with UGF..............Your full of ****.....It won't be you, all you have is small ****......

What... are you the UGF nazi? No need to get all harsh bro. I'm sorry if you think I insulted you by saying UGFs can work good.

And what do you know about what I have ? I gotta pull out the waders when I'm cleaning my ****.

Anyways, you think we are the first people to keep big fish? People have been keeping big fish forever(longer than you or I have been alive). And a lot of those were using UGFs. A lot of them with no filters. It can be done. Like I was saying, its about the maintenance, not your filters. They do help, but IMO, are for holding off on the inevitable- WC.

Once again, sorry if I made you that mad that you had to attack my "small ****".

 

[FishSkins]

wet drys are best there is no comparison

 

[softturtle]

UGF's are only for girlie fish, huh?
The bigger the fish, the smaller the...

the bigger the fish the bigger the ego

 

[RadleyMiller]

wet drys are best there is no comparison

thanks for getting things back on track FS

Wet/Drys are a more advanced UGF in my personal opinion

What do UGFs do? Draw water over the biomedia and trap detritus.

What do w/d's do? Draw water over the biomedia and trap detrius..

What do w/d's do that UGFs don't? More turnover, more aeration, more surface area, more gallonage, hides the heater, make water changes easier, allow you to have sand, can be customized to fit your needs and modified if need be, allow you to grow out small fish, allow you to grow plants to help fight nitrates, and make the tank look "clean" because other than the overflow and return, you don't see anything with it.

Just my $.02, no more fighting, everyone

 

[guppy]

Show me a big tank full of monsters with UGF..............Your full of ****.....It won't be you, all you have is small ****......

Be civil or be deleted, I know of a 350g that is UGF only, The biggest I have kept was a 150g that used a canister rater for 150g, a hang onrated to 100g max, and 3 55g ugf, it stay stable through a couple power outages.
You can disagree with each other, or me but you keep getting rude and i will delete you.