Undergravel Filter in a Planted Tank?

[gcis]

hello everyone,

I am going to be taking several steps over the next couple of days to improve the tank that I have for some new low light plants that I have ordered. I am going to drain my tank and evacuate my livestock for a couple of hours and wash out my current substrate to remove any excess detritus. Then I plan on rinsing out some flourite and layering the bottom of the tank and then placing my larger pebble substrate on top of it.

My question is: I have an undergravel setup for this tank that I had used before but then took out because it was unnecessary. Should I take the opportunity to replace the undergravel filter before putting the flourite on top of it? Is there any type of material I should put down over the plates to ensure that they don't get clogged? Let me know what you think. Thanks.

 

[jmontee]

The vast majority of planted tanks and I think most regular tank hobbyists no longer use the under gravel filter. As dettritus accumulates and the flourite breaks down I think it will cause more problems than it will help. As long as you have a good filter with biomedia it should not be necessary to use the UG filter. I have a 55g high light planted tank and a goldfish tank with no plants and neither have a UG filter. For the goldfish I just do a good gravel vac every one to two weeks when I do water changes.

 

[Star_Rider]

usually not recommended to have an ugf in a planted tank. in this case I would agree. that the flourite may cause issues.
but that said it is done and can be done with careful considerations and the use of floss or mats to keep the substrate from accumulating under the plates and to block roots from forming under the plates.

 

[gcis]

Ok...so no ugf......that's fine.....one quick question though......How often should I replace the flourite?

 

[Star_Rider]

I've had min in the tank for 2 years
never thought about replacing it

 

[Rbishop]

run all the planted tanks you want with UGF but preferably with RUGF.

I would love to see some pics of tanks that failed with the use of UGF/RUGF and have some input from folks that have actually done them with plants, vice just plain not recommending it.

 

[bushwhacker]

UGF i have seen.. but what does an RugF look like? does it have a power head pointing down the tube?
seems that would blow any plants out of the substrate

 

[gcis]

The powerheads I have for my UGF can run in either direction. When running in the RUGF mode it just helps blow debris off the bottom of the floor and up into the filters.

 

[Jiva]

The following is how I set up my heavily planted tanks with active a fish community. No CO2 is needed and a small regular dose of fert/mirco nutrients.

I lay down a UGF and silicone/seal it to the bottom. On top of the UGF is the garden cloth to prevent weed growth. This lets the water through and keeps everything else out. This sheet is also integrated into the above silicone seal to keep all intact. Next comes an inch deep layer combining Sphagnum Moss (25%), Flourite (25%), Worm Castings (40%), Eco Complete (10%). On top of that layer is a minimum of 1-1/2 inch of small/fine pebble. The UGF has power heads, which are on a 24-hour timer and run for 15 minutes every twelve hours. Tank main filtration is via a canister filter. I have never had a problem with this set up and it will work fine for about five years.

 

[galen]

well i have usually run my tanks with the undergravel filter. if you maintain it and use, as bishop said, rugf, the filter is really nice. if your plants have roots they will entangle themselves through the plate, but those roots also reach into that detritus that accumulates under the tank too. to me, unless you plan on setting up a system of cultivating plants for sale, it should be fine to have a plate in operation in a planted tank.

pics with rugf? here are pics of my tanks over the years with rugf in operation. 2nd pic may not look it, but the pump and intake pipe are hidden in the far right corner behind the sword.