cleaning an ugf
- Thread starter sharpie
- Start date
yikes, the only way I could clean mine was to take out all the decorations, gravel, and fish and remove the plates. There was TONS of crap under the plates! It's a pain. That's why many folks now recommend a Reverse UGF which is modified such that the water is pushed UP out from under the gravel, thereby shooting all the waste into the water column, instead of trapping it under the plates. Then a HOB filter is often used to help strain out the floating particles 
I won't say that UGF's are junk, because the OP has forbidden such talk. So I will instead extol the many virtues of the humble UGF.
First of all, the UGF pulls everything down into the gravel. We know that. Any fish waste, uneaten food, etc works it way down through the gravel where it remains between the plates and the bottom glass - where you don't have to look at it.
As all of this matter lays there under the gravel, it continues to decompose, giving you wonderfully large amounts of ammonia - a definite boon for your beneficial bacteria - they'll never starve! This will increase their numbers, of course increasing nitrite, but then the next benefit comes along... another bacteria colony thrives! Yay! These guys produce tons of Nitrates, and this is where you come in...
The increased Nitrates will cause you to do more water changing. If you do your water changes with a bucket, you get a free workout, saving on gym fees! Cool!
Eventually, you will decide to clean out the UGF. Now the real fun begins. Since the plates are below the gravel, you get to remove everything from the tank... well, maybe not everything - just the decorations and stuff that is on top of the gravel. What a wonderful way to re-arrange your tank!
You could remove everything, gravel included and rinse the gunk from it, depending on how long the UGF has been running. But wait, where is the bacterial filter? Oh yes, IN the gravel. So, if you work really fast, and don't kill off too many of the bacteria, nothing much happens. But, if something does happen to the bacteria, you get the opportunity to start cycling your tank all over again! And this time, you get to do it with your full load of fish! Woo-hoo! That's gonna be fun with a capital "F" !!!
Yes, the UGF is a wonderful invention. Inexpensive to own and operate, with no filter media to change. Who could ask for more?
First of all, the UGF pulls everything down into the gravel. We know that. Any fish waste, uneaten food, etc works it way down through the gravel where it remains between the plates and the bottom glass - where you don't have to look at it.
As all of this matter lays there under the gravel, it continues to decompose, giving you wonderfully large amounts of ammonia - a definite boon for your beneficial bacteria - they'll never starve! This will increase their numbers, of course increasing nitrite, but then the next benefit comes along... another bacteria colony thrives! Yay! These guys produce tons of Nitrates, and this is where you come in...
The increased Nitrates will cause you to do more water changing. If you do your water changes with a bucket, you get a free workout, saving on gym fees! Cool!
Eventually, you will decide to clean out the UGF. Now the real fun begins. Since the plates are below the gravel, you get to remove everything from the tank... well, maybe not everything - just the decorations and stuff that is on top of the gravel. What a wonderful way to re-arrange your tank!
You could remove everything, gravel included and rinse the gunk from it, depending on how long the UGF has been running. But wait, where is the bacterial filter? Oh yes, IN the gravel. So, if you work really fast, and don't kill off too many of the bacteria, nothing much happens. But, if something does happen to the bacteria, you get the opportunity to start cycling your tank all over again! And this time, you get to do it with your full load of fish! Woo-hoo! That's gonna be fun with a capital "F" !!!
Yes, the UGF is a wonderful invention. Inexpensive to own and operate, with no filter media to change. Who could ask for more?
CaptnDan your a trip. you sure have a way with words,lol
Ok now there really is a much easier way to clean a UGF out. What you need is small airline tubing, You take the tubing and put it down through the UGF intake tubes. Make sure the tube is long enough, then start to suction the gunk out. It will not remove everthing but a good amount will get removed. Try to move the tubing around so that it hits the gunk under the plates and then sucks it through the tubing. Then just repeat on the other intake tubes connected to the UGF. This is alot easier then pulling everything out and creating a mini-cycle.
Ok now there really is a much easier way to clean a UGF out. What you need is small airline tubing, You take the tubing and put it down through the UGF intake tubes. Make sure the tube is long enough, then start to suction the gunk out. It will not remove everthing but a good amount will get removed. Try to move the tubing around so that it hits the gunk under the plates and then sucks it through the tubing. Then just repeat on the other intake tubes connected to the UGF. This is alot easier then pulling everything out and creating a mini-cycle.
Well, you know, I just like to try to look at things in a positive light.... Every algae bloom has a silver lining...
Run a modified UGF. Use an intake tube but stick the intake of your powerfilter there. If your powerfilter is reasonably powerful, it'll suck all the gunk up from under there anyways. I've even had live snails from under my UGF get sucked onto the powerfilter intake that way.
You also get the added benefit of not having the powerfilter eat the fins of your fish or sucking the weaker ones. Lets face it, those bio-wheels can be tricky to maintain if you have hard water. The limescale builds up and the wheel beings to turn more and more slowly...
UGF powered by a powerfilter + regular gravel cleanings get my vote.
You also get the added benefit of not having the powerfilter eat the fins of your fish or sucking the weaker ones. Lets face it, those bio-wheels can be tricky to maintain if you have hard water. The limescale builds up and the wheel beings to turn more and more slowly...
UGF powered by a powerfilter + regular gravel cleanings get my vote.
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if your gravel cleaner has strong suction, and you turn off the UGF while you are cleaning, you can get most of the gunk out by just moving the gravel with it and going over the plates slowly (i.e. moving a bit of gravel, sucking up the diterius, moving the gravel back and moving to the next spot). if your tank is small, you can look under the stand up at the tank to see where you need to clean up the junk. it might take a few water changes to complete, but you dont have to move any plates, fish or decor.
phrag will the idea of hooking the intake tube of my whisper 30-60 gallon filter work on one of the tubes of my ugf for my 30 gallon tank?
Loved the post Captain!
But as a devout UGF user for 30 plus years, I have never seen this massive problem of debri collection under the plates, that is constantly being referred to as their doom and destruction of your tank. Make sure you understand that is from my perspective that you routinely do not overstock, do not overfeed, and gravel vac like crazy. As jm1212 pointed out, turn off the lift action while doing the vacs.
Another option I do, is to put my diatom filter suction hose on the lift tube for quarterly cleanings.
I frequently moved every 3-4 yrs in my 22 yr Navy career and do not ever recall more than a couple of teaspoons of debri under the plates upon tank breakdown. No pH crashes or constant mini-cycles.
In fact, with RUGF, moving the debri into the water column so it can be removed by HOB or canister, kind of eliminates the issue period.
But as a devout UGF user for 30 plus years, I have never seen this massive problem of debri collection under the plates, that is constantly being referred to as their doom and destruction of your tank. Make sure you understand that is from my perspective that you routinely do not overstock, do not overfeed, and gravel vac like crazy. As jm1212 pointed out, turn off the lift action while doing the vacs.
Another option I do, is to put my diatom filter suction hose on the lift tube for quarterly cleanings.
I frequently moved every 3-4 yrs in my 22 yr Navy career and do not ever recall more than a couple of teaspoons of debri under the plates upon tank breakdown. No pH crashes or constant mini-cycles.
In fact, with RUGF, moving the debri into the water column so it can be removed by HOB or canister, kind of eliminates the issue period.
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