What are your experiences? I currently have one on my 92 gal with a cannister and a HOB filter. Do they work against other filters? Do they just make my tank messier?
I would like everybodys views on UGF's
- Thread starter JacksontoKobe
- Start date
i had one of my 60 gallon, and all i ever had was high nitrates.
Then when i tore my 60 gallon down, there was some nasty brown debris under it...i know why i had high nitrates, and i'll never use UGF's again...my 135 doesnt have any UGF and i'm much happier
Then when i tore my 60 gallon down, there was some nasty brown debris under it...i know why i had high nitrates, and i'll never use UGF's again...my 135 doesnt have any UGF and i'm much happier
My tank (currently on its way to storage, long story...) is set up in a very similar fashion. I think the ugf is great for the biology of the tank, but never as a stand-alone unit. It does make for decent backup (as a holdover) in the event one of your other filters fails, but I wouldn't count on it doing too much for the cleanliness of your tank. It just pulls all of the gunk down under the gravel where it's out of your way. A word to the wise, though; if you have plants or cichlids, the thing isn't doing you a bit of good. Plant roots get knotted up in it, clogging the holes in the grating, and cichlids dig holes in the gravel, leaving dead spots in the filtration. Other than that, they are okay, on the whole. (They are not the messiahs of the aquarium world that the industry made them out to be a few years ago, though...hassle-free tank, my butt...)
Like the Queen said old school . Low tech, big mess, just chuck it. The only place maybe is in a growout tank for fry. But then a small aquaclear with a sponge in the intake tube does a much better job
OCSupertones - In a freshwater setup, _any_ filter will produce nitrates (except nitrate eliminating filters). Producing nitrates is a sign that the filter (be it a HOB, canister, UGF, RUGF, etc. etc.) is working as a biological filter. Thats why most of us do water changes... to reduce the amount of nitrates present in the water due to the nitrogen cycle. If my filters weren't producing nitrates, I would be worried. I believe its different in SW setups, as a deep sand bed and live rock convert nitrates to nitrogen gas. I'm not too familiar with that, so I'll leave it to a SW person to explain.
As for using a UGF as filtration, I really see no problems with one. They have been used for who knows how long in the world of aquaria. They work great as biological filtration, and if large enough powerheads are used, they are also very good mechanical filters. The only problem with these types of filters is that quite a few users do not maintain them properly (through good gravel vacs). Without proper maintainence, gunk eventually builds up under the gravel plates, slows down the UGF, and eventually renders it useless. A solution to this is to use a RUGF (reverse under gravel filter). Certain powerheads have the ability to go into reverse flow. Instead of pulling water from the top of the gravel down, water is pushed from the bottom up. By putting a sponge over the intake of the powerhead, you essentially prevent any gunk from collecting under the plates.
However, as pinballqueen has said, UGFs (or RUGFs) will not work in some cases. Cichlids being one of them. If a hole is to be dug in the substrate, that would also render the filter nearly useless.
That said, I'm not a fan of UGFs. I have nothing against them, but I feel that there are several better methods of filtration out there, that can contain more surface area than a gravel bed.
If you have a working UGF on your tank and maintain it properly, all the more power for you. Overfiltration is always better than underfiltration =)
Check this link out for more info on those types of filters.
HTH
-Richer
As for using a UGF as filtration, I really see no problems with one. They have been used for who knows how long in the world of aquaria. They work great as biological filtration, and if large enough powerheads are used, they are also very good mechanical filters. The only problem with these types of filters is that quite a few users do not maintain them properly (through good gravel vacs). Without proper maintainence, gunk eventually builds up under the gravel plates, slows down the UGF, and eventually renders it useless. A solution to this is to use a RUGF (reverse under gravel filter). Certain powerheads have the ability to go into reverse flow. Instead of pulling water from the top of the gravel down, water is pushed from the bottom up. By putting a sponge over the intake of the powerhead, you essentially prevent any gunk from collecting under the plates.
However, as pinballqueen has said, UGFs (or RUGFs) will not work in some cases. Cichlids being one of them. If a hole is to be dug in the substrate, that would also render the filter nearly useless.
That said, I'm not a fan of UGFs. I have nothing against them, but I feel that there are several better methods of filtration out there, that can contain more surface area than a gravel bed.
If you have a working UGF on your tank and maintain it properly, all the more power for you. Overfiltration is always better than underfiltration =)
Check this link out for more info on those types of filters.
HTH
-Richer
I think UGF is outdated because now we have so many outside filters to choose from. UGF is so hard to clean that it is only practical for small tank with small non-messy fish like tetra. I keep cichlids and it takes no time to clog it up. IMO, the air lift, UGF works better than the power head UGF by creating a slow flow that takes longer to clog up and possibly (?) creating a deep denitrification zone. But for digging cichlid, no UGF of any types will work.
By maintaining good water current, a thin substrate will function as an over-gravel-filter. An OGF provides as effective mechanical and biological filtration as many expansive filters provided that it is vacuumed regularly to remove the solid waste and restore the porosity.
By maintaining good water current, a thin substrate will function as an over-gravel-filter. An OGF provides as effective mechanical and biological filtration as many expansive filters provided that it is vacuumed regularly to remove the solid waste and restore the porosity.
UGF filters were for a long time the standard and like all things that are older it will be the people who grew up with them that defend them and those new who will shoot them down. Do not get me wrong I see nothing wrong with it just that it is the same in any situation like this. It is like the difference in trusting the internet, the older the person the less the trust. Having said all of that there is nothing out there that can do what an UGF was designed to do any better or simpler. It is a model of simplicity and efficiency. They are awesome biological filters, and with proper maintanence are pretty much trouble free. They re-start after power outages, will not die quickly with no flow rate, break down waste quickly and effieciently and they never need a lot of work. To maintain one all you need to do is vacuum the gravel from the top down and underneath. To get underneath you use a small diameter hose and run it down the uplift, you will get much of what is under there. I have run a tank for 10 years with a UGF and never had any problems. They do have limitations though as mentioned with plants and cichlids. Now having defended them so vigorously I will admit that my personal filter choice is the humble sponge filter. As the saying goes though for your situation, If it ain't broke don't fix it.
I'm fairly new to this hobby and I didn't shoot them down 
I am convinced they are good filters if kept properly... I kept a black arowana in a very large tank (200 gallons I think) for years with only an UGF and a couple of AC500s. After quitting the hobby for a few years after the arowana jumped out and died, I have to admit I was rather confused at why so many ppl didn't like UGFs... and how many ppl complained about how gunk would collect under the plates so easily. I recall very little gunk under the plates when I tore that tank down. After reading a bit, I realized that most ppl never maintained their UGFs properly and thus the UGF earned their bad name.
Once again, maintained properly, UGFs are great filters. However, I would never use them as my sole filters... coupling them with canisters, HOB filters, sponge filters, etc. is suggested (as with most tank setups UGF or not).
HTH
-Richer
I am convinced they are good filters if kept properly... I kept a black arowana in a very large tank (200 gallons I think) for years with only an UGF and a couple of AC500s. After quitting the hobby for a few years after the arowana jumped out and died, I have to admit I was rather confused at why so many ppl didn't like UGFs... and how many ppl complained about how gunk would collect under the plates so easily. I recall very little gunk under the plates when I tore that tank down. After reading a bit, I realized that most ppl never maintained their UGFs properly and thus the UGF earned their bad name.
Once again, maintained properly, UGFs are great filters. However, I would never use them as my sole filters... coupling them with canisters, HOB filters, sponge filters, etc. is suggested (as with most tank setups UGF or not).
HTH
-Richer
I wasn't necessarily shooting them down, either. I was just stating that they aren't the best filter available. They don't offer nearly as many options as a canister or H.O.B. filter, but they do work when maintained properly. They will do what they are designed to do if you put forth the effort involved in keeping them spotlessly clean. All I was saying is that while they used to be the best option out there, they aren't anymore and additional filtration is worth the investment.
Now, on a 3 gallon betta tank or something, they would suffice on their own, just not on a bigger tank...
Now, on a 3 gallon betta tank or something, they would suffice on their own, just not on a bigger tank...
