I am curious to know anyone's opinion on undergravel filters. I am thinking of getting one, however, I have hear mixed reviews on them. I have a ten gallon ten that I would like to use one in. Thanks in advance for your help. :hi:
Undergravel Filters
- Thread starter mickeymacleod
- Start date
depends entirely on the bioload, the amount of maintence your friend is willing to do, and the types of fish.
They can and do work well in some cases, in others they are to be avoided.
They can and do work well in some cases, in others they are to be avoided.
I voted "it's your call." When well maintained, they can be just fine. That means you have to be willing to vacuum the gravel regularly. I'd avoid them with rooted plants and fish that dig.
Agreed with previous replies, The downfall of UGF's can always be traced back to maintenance in one way or another. Read this article
http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/rtrrfug.shtml
and print for your friend. I voted yes definately because I believe this is one of the best and most economical filters available, but they must be maintained to work long term.
The article covers far more than a standard UGF set-up, but has some good information for the basics as well. I personally seldom use anything but RFUG set-ups anymore.
http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/rtrrfug.shtml
and print for your friend. I voted yes definately because I believe this is one of the best and most economical filters available, but they must be maintained to work long term.
The article covers far more than a standard UGF set-up, but has some good information for the basics as well. I personally seldom use anything but RFUG set-ups anymore.
The way I look at it is that, there is a lot of maintenance that’s need to keep the junk from building under the plates. I had one in a 20 gall that had 6 guppies in it for 6 months. I did a gravel vacuum every week changing about 8 gallons of water. When I tore the tank apart I saw how much junk had built up under the plates. The normal gravel vacuum will never be bale to get the stuff from under the plates.
I'm an RFUG person (surprise, surprise!), but whether or not I use one depends on the tank set-up and what it is for. For brackish-water puffers and most cichlids, I wouldn't have anything else. For my planted catfish and rainbowfish tanks, I don't use them. So, I voted the waffle option - it is your call.
Most filtration techniques have their good and weak points, the trick is to match up the technique to the tank and fish.
Most folks do not, or will not, do the upkeep required for conventional flow UG, as well as over-sizing the powerheads used and frequently the gravel size as well - compounding their problems.
Most filtration techniques have their good and weak points, the trick is to match up the technique to the tank and fish.
Most folks do not, or will not, do the upkeep required for conventional flow UG, as well as over-sizing the powerheads used and frequently the gravel size as well - compounding their problems.
Thank you everyone that replied. I think I will just stick with what I have for now. I wanted less work, not more. 
like most people said it depends on lots of factors. i use them on small fish with small tanks. i dont think maintenence is too high i just stick an airline in the upflow tube dealie and just siphone everything out from under the plates, it works pretty well.
