UGF w/Plants Any experience?

SMinNC

SMinNC

What you give
Feb 23, 2009
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Its too late to be asking to avoid it for me. But I thought I'd ask to see if anyone else runs an aquarium with an UGF and Plants.

If so...
1. Did you have any problems or reasons why you wouldn't do it again?

2. What you like about it?

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Here are a few reasons why I went that route.

Clean look.
Uses the gravel for bio-filter. No need for a canister for bio.
Sucks the crap down to the roots, where they need it.
Keeps the water everywhere in the tank at the same temp.

Here's a pic of the tank.
Picture108AC1.jpg


Also a small thread started for it over here - - > http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194312
(Needs updated and is the same link as in my sig)

I didn't put much info on it yet anywhere. And it was all converted over in one day. As in, removed fish. Removed sand substrate while removing water. Took it outside for a quick cleaning, and back painting. Two tone - bottom half black, top have blue. More or less. Tried a couple of other painting variants/technichs. But was being somewhat safe about the experiment, sense I did't have the time to fix it, if it totally went wrong/ugly.

I wasn't thinking pics atm. :(

I'll be removing the Magnum 350 set-up(running the UGF on the right side). And replacing it with a PH.
I'll make time to take pics of the UG set-up when I do.

I'll get back here today with a drawing of how the UG/PH/CO2 diffuser/spray bar thing is set up.
 
IME the only problem was removing the plates a few months ago when I switched them out. My cryptocorynes' roots got pretty tangled up in the grates and had to be trimmed off. But before that I never had an issue with the filtration or the plants.
 
Heres the basic look of the the left side UGF/etcs...

55gUGF.jpg


Water goes through plate
up lift tube to PH
CO2 mixed in ventrui
through a RF kit (this - -> http://www.bigalsonline.com/StoreCa...ow_kit?&query=reverse+flow&queryType=0&offset= )

down a (UGF lift)tube
Into another kit as above
into a DIY spray bar.

===================================

Sorry about the small diagram. I don't know how to change the start size in the paint program. (your typical "paint" in windows)

If anyone knows, it'd be appreciated. And help for the future. ; )
 
Cool. Thats plenty long. Well,compared to what I've heard about the high dollar dirt loosing its good stuff and needing replaced or something. Thats what I've got from reading about it, anyway.

You run it reverse flow with plants?
 
I used UGF for many (20+) years. Like pappy said roots can clog the plates & makes moving them more difficult. I took my last 1 out a few years ago.

You need to be very dilligent with syphoning out under the plates down the lift tubes to avoid lots of waste build up. That can lead to "Old Tank Syndrome" with very high TDS, low pH & high nitrates. Less a problem for plants but fish can be harmed by large water changes & the drastic change if that is allowed to happen. New fish will not adapt well either, not having the gradual change of the "old fish".

I wish I'd have tried reverse UGF but the roots would still cause trouble. & lift tubes are ugly.
 
I had a 75g 20-25 yrs ago, that I've mentioned a couple of times here in the forum. That had 70 something fish it in after about the second year. Added a couple or few here an there. I still have the little upside down cat(around 10" now) in an indoor pond now(around 179g). Just moved him, 5 Balas and 2 clown loaches to it from this 55. Added 3 more really small clowns the other day(to the pond). It also has a chocolate pleco that I never looked for a scientific name for. Looks like a regular ol' pleco, but won't get as big. He's the same 20 something yrs old as the cat and was in the 75. And around a foot long. Oh yea, and black now. Maybe because of getting old and being in the black pond for a couple of yrs?

Anyway, back to the UGF stuff.
For the 5 yrs+ of 75g running. I had an UGF. 2 plates with 1 170 gph PH running each. And a 350 magnum that usually got the carbon and filter material changed once a week.
I was messing around under it(inside the stand). And noticed the build up, below the UGF. Got it cleaned up and kept it that way, pretty easily really.

For the last year and a half or so before dissmanteling and moving it. I had an Apongeton growing from one of them bulbs in the little packages at the fish stores. It took up close to a third of the tank. And I found that the roots had covered about 2/3 of the tank. It was fairly close to the corner. Or I'm sure it would have covered the whole tank with roots, if it was in the center.

So basically just that experience, is what let me try the UGF with alot of plants.

And now thought I'd ask in here to see if I missed, thinking, of something.
So far it all sounds ok. :)

Lift tubes!
I just stumbled onto the fact that they don't have to be ugly anymore!!! :)
Make them out of Acrylic. And they all but dissapear!

In the pic above.
Well all I can find on the left side is the PH. And some air tubing. Gonna have to find some really small acrylic tubing to fix that. ;)

But on the right side. I see the tank in person(and set it up) and have to look hard to find it, in the pic. But...
There are 2 Acrylic (up-lift sized) tubes running from top to bottom.
See the Charcoal Grey Magnum 350 intake tube... It's inside of an acrylic up-lift tube that extends to about half an inch above the water, down to the UGF plate.
Now see the peice of air line tubing to the left of that. Its stuck into a hole in another (same up-lift sized acrylic) tube. :)

Cool huh!?

The right side will be changed to the same set-up as the left, sometime soon. Sense the magnim isn't doing much for cleaning anymore anyway.

I'll probably do a good gravel vac once a month or more if needed, with it. Along with the planned weekly 20-30% water change/vac.

As far as root trouble. I'm hopeing for the "itsa root... the water will go around it. And maybe keep the gravel from packing", thing. :huh:

Its good to hear that other people are/have run UGF's with plants. I was affraid I would be the only one crazy enough to do it. ;)
 
I did reverse for a little while and never noticed any problems with plants...but theres a huge difference between 20 years and less than one. My "final verdict" is that I wouldn't necessarily recommend them for heavily planted tanks, but at the same time I wouldn't urge you to reconsider. How's that for decisive? :D
 
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