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| So I was reading a fairly old article in a certain fish mag(2005) about the pros and cons of the undergravel filter. I know they have lost favor in alot of hobbyists eyes and some may think that they are just for beginers. I found the article interesting in that I found some useful information about UG filters that I never knew that could help overcome some of those shortcomings such as Anerobic areas and using chemical media. fact is that I found it interesting to know that you can add chemical media such as carbon or zeolite to a filter bag and clear away some of the substrate and place it on top of the UG plate. or the tip about stringing small tubing down the lift tubes to siphon the guhnk that tends to collect under the plates. I would like to hear what everyone thinks about UG's and if anyone still uses these and has any tips to pass along. UG's have the advantage of supporting a huge amount of nitrifying bacteria plus they are inexpensive and easy to use. might be interesting to come up with improvements and inovations to make them better. Bri
I Never met a fish I did not like, especially wrapped in seaweed and a little soy sauce.
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brianp (10/10/2011)
So I was reading a fairly old article in a certain fish mag(2005) about the pros and cons of the undergravel filter. I know they have lost favor in alot of hobbyists eyes and some may think that they are just for beginers. I found the article interesting in that I found some useful information about UG filters that I never knew that could help overcome some of those shortcomings such as Anerobic areas and using chemical media. fact is that I found it interesting to know that you can add chemical media such as carbon or zeolite to a filter bag and clear away some of the substrate and place it on top of the UG plate. or the tip about stringing small tubing down the lift tubes to siphon the guhnk that tends to collect under the plates. I would like to hear what everyone thinks about UG's and if anyone still uses these and has any tips to pass along. UG's have the advantage of supporting a huge amount of nitrifying bacteria plus they are inexpensive and easy to use. might be interesting to come up with improvements and inovations to make them better.Bri I can give you some answers as I have UGF(under gravel filters) on all 7 of my tanks and 5 of my girlfriends tanks. I have used UGF since the early 80's and have had no problems. I experimented for a few yrs and came up with what works for me. I place a layer of gravel(UGF do not work with sand) just enough to cover the filter plate,over top of this I place a layer of foam filter pading,then I add 2.5" to 3" of gravel. I use hang on the back filters to power the UGF or power heads.Do not use the airstones for powering the UGF as they really do not have sufficient strength to do the job properly.Some people say not to use UGF with plants,but all my tanks are well planted(and no probs) in fact the constant flow of water(with the nutriebts it carries) seems to work well in keeping the roots well fed. A must to remeber though is this"no plants,over feeding,lack of water changes" are going to do a tank in no matter what or how powerful a filter system you use
Shakespere says...to be or not to be?Fish hobbiests say....To buy or not to buy! 
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| do you ever have issues with using the filter pads such as clogging or anything? I think one of the keys with indergravel filters(any setup for that matter) is being careful on feeding and performing regular maintenance such as vaccuming the gravel. I like the idea of using a hang on back filter for powering the lift tubes. Bri
I Never met a fish I did not like, especially wrapped in seaweed and a little soy sauce.
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brianp (10/10/2011)
do you ever have issues with using the filter pads such as clogging or anything? I think one of the keys with indergravel filters(any setup for that matter) is being careful on feeding and performing regular maintenance such as vaccuming the gravel. I like the idea of using a hang on back filter for powering the lift tubes. Bri I and my girlfriend have not had any probs at all with our setups,her 5 and my 7. If I am willing to trust my discus in a tank with this setup you can be sure I tested it thourghly before the discus went in my tanks are all doing well and my plants grow like bad weeds, and the fish are all happy;well it looks like smiles on their faces
Shakespere says...to be or not to be?Fish hobbiests say....To buy or not to buy!
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There is absolutely nothing wrong with an UGF if it is properly installed, maintained and the user understands, as with any filter, the benefits and limitations.
They really got a bad reputation after some company back in the late 1960's and early 1970's advertised their use would maintain crystal clear water and completely eliminate water changes. Well, that turned out to be less than 'accurate.'
I have successfully used them from time to time and they work well if like any filter, they are properly installed and maintained. Again, just make sure you understand how they work, their benefits and limitations and just keep up with the maintenance. Hope this helps! SGN
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Stephen G. Noble (10/10/2011)
There is absolutely nothing wrong with an UGF if it is properly installed, maintained and the user understands, as with any filter, the benefits and limitations.
They really got a bad reputation after some company back in the late 1960's and early 1970's advertised their use would maintain crystal clear water and completely eliminate water changes. Well, that turned out to be less than 'accurate.'
I have successfully used them from time to time and they work well if like any filter, they are properly installed and maintained. Again, just make sure you understand how they work, their benefits and limitations and just keep up with the maintenance. Hope this helps! SGN I have used them for years with pretty much no problems. I was curious to hear from folks as to why they have fallen out of favor or to get some new useful tips. it was interesting to hear you tell about the incident of a company saying they would eliminate water changes. Thanks Bri
I Never met a fish I did not like, especially wrapped in seaweed and a little soy sauce.
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| Oh yeah, it was a great 1960's marketing tool. But I think it also was a contributing factor to the extraordinarily high, aquarium hobby drop out rate we experienced in this country. I moved to Germany in the late 1960's and was introduced to a funny looking sponge thing they were using in their aquariums and discovered astonishing success with my aquarium. The very patient shop owner also explained beneficial bacteria. I tried the UGF again in the 80's after picking one up at a yard sale and played around with it. FAMA Magazine articles discussed the proper use and I began experimenting with it and other brands with different design features. I tried reverse flow and all sorts of substrates and variations. They work well if you do it right. The bottom line is UGF's are dirt cheap to operate and virtually last forever. I must say that I am not running one now but might do so in a small display tank one day. Thanks for this very interesting topic! SGN
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I used to have UG filters for my tanks long ago and never had the slightest problems with water clarity/conditions. I never got into the powerheads and just used plain old airpumps and airstones.
The main reasons why I gave up using them was just for aesthetics and convenience. I got too lazy with vacuum-cleaning gravel all the time and just prefer the 'non-wet' replacement of filter pads on HOB filters. This could be a reason why they aren't used as much now.
Have to admit though that sometimes I miss watching those bubbles traveling up the tubes.
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bettasrcool (10/13/2011)
I used to have UG filters for my tanks long ago and never had the slightest problems with water clarity/conditions. I never got into the powerheads and just used plain old airpumps and airstones.
The main reasons why I gave up using them was just for aesthetics and convenience. I got too lazy with vacuum-cleaning gravel all the time and just prefer the 'non-wet' replacement of filter pads on HOB filters. This could be a reason why they aren't used as much now.
Have to admit though that sometimes I miss watching those bubbles traveling up the tubes.
good point. I think there is more that can be done about the aesthetics of the riser tubes. tow ideas come to mind. first is bulid up your background to hide the majority of the tube. the second is to accentuate the bubbles with colored lights such as what has been done recently with airstones and ornaments in the aquarium. Bri
I Never met a fish I did not like, especially wrapped in seaweed and a little soy sauce.
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| Good ideas! I think there are many innovations like yours just waiting for this filter. One filter maker (I seem to recall it might have been Eheim) actually had an adaption kit allowing the connection of their canister filter to UGF. Your post is actually motivating me to set up one more tank and play around with UGF again. The problem is where to put another tank! SGN
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