undergravel filters

[ToeJam]

yes I would expect it from a smaller and not so educated store but not this place. They have a large layout and do a lot of tank raised corals and frags. so it seems strange for the to say it's good for his tank.

It's a very old thing to use UGF. And here is some info I got for you. As you can see it leaves no room for upgrading for future. You are pretty much stuck with what you get once you go this route. And the article even said that if you plan on going deeper into the hobby only thing salvageable is the aquarium. I believe it's what it said in the summary.

This UGF is dinosaur age Marine setup... And the list of Cons makes me cringe. I put in BOLD the things that are red flags in my book. its far more trouble to have than anything else...

PROS:
-Cost, entry level investment
-Ease of setup
-Ease to build as a DIY project.
-Low tech or beginner technology
-Little to no additional equipment needed, (this excludes a protein skimmer, which is a 100% recommended part of the setup)
CONS:
-Low available oxygen levels
-Salt creep from the lift tubes
-Detritus trap, (wastes collect in the gravel requiring frequent cleaning).
-Carbon dioxide poisoning, (builds up near the bottom requiring additional airstones to export out of the aquarium causing even more salt creep).
-Low bioload handling
-Prone to NTS, (new tank syndrome)
-No upgrade available to advance to more delicate fish and inverts.
-Non-reef compatible, (fish only)
-Unstable pH requiring constant buffering, (acids and Co-2 build up causing a depression of pH)
-Live rock not recommended with this filter, (not enough O-2 again)
-Frequent water changes to export accumulated nitrates and phenol oils, etc.


Source: http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/filtration/a/aa032699_2.htm

 

[Ace25]

yes I would expect it from a smaller and not so educated store but not this place. They have a large layout and do a lot of tank raised corals and frags. so it seems strange for the to say it's good for his tank.

Actually, from looking at the site, I would definately expect them to be using UG filters. That site is TERRIBLE. Looks like a Geocities site right out of the mid 90's. I have a migrane just from the 20 seconds of staring at that page. LOL. In their Equipment area all they sell is Odyssea pumps and lights.. really crap items.

 

[ToeJam]

Actually, from looking at the site, I would definately expect them to be using UG filters. That site is TERRIBLE. Looks like a Geocities site right out of the mid 90's. I have a migrane just from the 20 seconds of staring at that page. LOL. In their Equipment area all they sell is Odyssea pumps and lights.. really crap items.

HAH if the majority of products are Jeebo aka Odyssea turn around and run.

Shoot this is scary to read... Makes me wonder if they have the dreaded red bugs.

 

[xsdbs]

you know the story behind this place is that the guys started out as a hobby and then started selling frags. they put up a pole barn outside their house and that is their store. I have been there once and I thought that the prices were a little unreasonable. I thought that maybe it was just me thinking the place was stuffed and not real professional. I sent this thread to my friend to read and I am sure it will help. thanks again for all your help.

 

[Miss my puffer]

I go to this place every chance I get. They have been around for a long time and the place has a huge selection of fish that are in better shape than most small fish stores. They have no clue on building a web site, but I don't go there for their web site, I go for fish and corals. They do sell the cheap equipment, I would not buy equipment from there. They do have undergravel filters in the small tanks, thats the way they have been doing in for like 30 or 40 yrs (I'm not saying its right or wrong, personally I won't use an UGF). When I was there last they were suggesting live sand for my tank. Unfortunately each person that works there has their own opinion on how tanks should be run and what fish should go with what, its not the best place for advice all the time. I also agree that they think the coral frags are gold or something. The one frag I was looking at they wanted $50 per polyp (there was 10 small polyps on the frag, the whole thing was probably an inch and a half to two inches at its widest point)! The fish and inverts are well priced (my friend bought 5 peppermint shrimp for $15, the other lfs wanted $10 a pc and they were smaller). All and all its at least worth the time to stop and check out, they have some pretty cool stuff.

 

[xsdbs]

I go to this place every chance I get. They have been around for a long time and the place has a huge selection of fish that are in better shape than most small fish stores. They have no clue on building a web site, but I don't go there for their web site, I go for fish and corals. They do sell the cheap equipment, I would not buy equipment from there. They do have undergravel filters in the small tanks, thats the way they have been doing in for like 30 or 40 yrs (I'm not saying its right or wrong, personally I won't use an UGF). When I was there last they were suggesting live sand for my tank. Unfortunately each person that works there has their own opinion on how tanks should be run and what fish should go with what, its not the best place for advice all the time. I also agree that they think the coral frags are gold or something. The one frag I was looking at they wanted $50 per polyp (there was 10 small polyps on the frag, the whole thing was probably an inch and a half to two inches at its widest point)! The fish and inverts are well priced (my friend bought 5 peppermint shrimp for $15, the other lfs wanted $10 a pc and they were smaller). All and all its at least worth the time to stop and check out, they have some pretty cool stuff.

it's been about 2 1/2 yrs since I was last there, maybe the place has changed some. I work out that way, perhaps I'll take a minute and drop back in and take a look again. as you mentioned they each seem to have different opinions and this makes it a little hard to trust what is said. when I was last in there it was way before I found this forum and being able to ask questions and get great answers and advice from people in the hobby without trying to be sold for profit margins is extremely valuable.

 

[Miss my puffer]

I don't think it has changed a whole lot in 2 1/2 years, but the coral tanks they have are amazing to look at. People who are not into aquariums seem to like the shark tanks (my wife likes the sharks). They do have some really well priced good livestock, but like many stores some things are way overpriced.

 

[xsdbs]

well like you say it was nice to look at, just have to know what your looking for and do some reading yourself before you buy. It is difficult sometimes for people because you would think that "hey they do this for a living, they must know what they are talking about" ( and I don't just mean this place ). I was always told that if you want something done to have a person who does it for a living do it but at the lfs this isn't always true. I like the place that I go to now much better than many others that I have been to in the past, the guy doesn't try to oversell you and has always given me good information. I do however ask questions here sometimes to compare the answers. I feel that this site has a lot of caring and knowledgeable people on it with a lot of experience. This has been very helpful to me. Thanks