This is a new idea to me. I haven't had a tank in quite some time but when I did I just bought a standard undergravel plate with a reverse direction powerhead. I thought the idea of that was to distribute the water evenly under all of the tank?
DIY RUGF -- Need a lesson in water flow dynamics
- Thread starter amhodge
- Start date
ExPeNsIvE HoBbY
Formerly ExPeNsIvE AdDiCtIoN on MFK
What is the purpose of running a RUGF? I mean I know how they work and the principals behind them and reasons for using them but what is your specific goal with this type of unit? What are you trying to achieve? Just trying a cheap DIY for the first time and that caught your eye? Or did u have an UGF that became impacted and wanted to try the other gravel filter option?
The OP hasn't been on since past March 
Anyways, in general I regard RUGFs as one of the best filtration systems for the cost.
Anyways, in general I regard RUGFs as one of the best filtration systems for the cost.
Hehehehe..yes, I have not been around much. I started with the idea of rugf shortly after I started into the hobby. My first tank had an undergravel filter and, being the lazy soul that I am, I soon realized that I didn't like cleaning the gravel so often. I soon gravitated to the HOB (hang on the back) filters, which made cleaning easier. As is the story with many of us, I soon realized that as soon as I cleaned one of the media bags in the HOBf, there was a short time when the water was not as clean as before - needed time to seed fresh bacteria. Also, during that time I had to travel 3 or 4 days a week and didn't have the option of daily aquarium attention/maintenance. My solution to that - even before I read about RUGF (this was in 1990) was to include a RUGF with the HOB. I also discovered the benefit of not overstocking a tank, as well as using an automatic feeder for flakes - precise control on how much food is being put in so it is less likely to over feed the fish and add strain on the filtering system.
In summary, in the past I have used a RUGF as a safety net, to help in case a fish dies and lies hidden in the tank for a couple of days, or to help out when fresh media is added. I have never done precise water checks or analysis, but since that time, I have never lost a fish because of "mysterious" reasons and my fish have always stayed colorfu and healthyl. You can call this overfiltration. I am going to set up a tank in my apartment in China here soon and am seriously thinking of buying a UPS to plug my powerhead and airpump into, so that if I ever loose electricity the ph and air pump will continue to work for several hours.
In summary, in the past I have used a RUGF as a safety net, to help in case a fish dies and lies hidden in the tank for a couple of days, or to help out when fresh media is added. I have never done precise water checks or analysis, but since that time, I have never lost a fish because of "mysterious" reasons and my fish have always stayed colorfu and healthyl. You can call this overfiltration. I am going to set up a tank in my apartment in China here soon and am seriously thinking of buying a UPS to plug my powerhead and airpump into, so that if I ever loose electricity the ph and air pump will continue to work for several hours.
Do UGF and RUGF work with sand? Do they eliminate the need to vacuum your substrate? The 14g I have gathers lots of crud in its gravel and I was considering an UGF but don't know much about them? Would they be best used in addition to hanging filter?
