markc Posted December 12, 2003 Report Share Posted December 12, 2003 Hi I have an UG filter and heard that it can't be just turned off. Is this true and if it is whats the reason? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midas Posted December 12, 2003 Report Share Posted December 12, 2003 I have always been told that it is not a good idea to turn off undergravel filtration as there is always some muck left under the plate. This is ok when the filter is running as it breaks down aerobically, but turn off the flow and it has the potential to turn into a big anaerobic dead spot, polluting the tank. I am actually planning on removing the UG filter from one of my tanks but I am not looking forward to it as it will involve moving the fish temporarily, stripping the tank contents, cleaning out all the muck and then putting the tank back together minus the UG filter plate. FUN! :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 12, 2003 Report Share Posted December 12, 2003 It is not a good idea to turn them off. They turn the whole substrate into a large filter and it is necessary to have that flow through it to keep the bacteria alive. Turning the filter off kills the bacteria which then pollutes the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted December 12, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2003 Thanks for the information I have one more question. Is there a safe way to turn it off because I'm going away for 2 weeks and don't want the pump on the whole time? I have another filter in the tank and want to leave just that one on while away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 12, 2003 Report Share Posted December 12, 2003 Why don't you want the pump on the whole time? I assume it's an airpump driving UGF? It's not going to hurt the pump being on the whole time, it should be on all the time anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 12, 2003 Report Share Posted December 12, 2003 yeah, what Ira said You haven't been turning your UGF on and off have you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted December 12, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2003 Thanks Ira, my brother, who is an electrician, thought the pump might overheat left for that time because it gets a little hot. I will just get the person feeding my fish to check whether it's hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted December 12, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2003 No, I got given another tank recently that had the pump with it. The pump after being on for a few days feels warmish. I was going to turn the pump off but remembered somewhere saying not to, so I came to ask here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 12, 2003 Report Share Posted December 12, 2003 Most of them get fairly warm, it's normal. If it's getting hot enough to burn you, that's a problem, but other than making sure it's got a bit of air space around it to cool it there's nothing to worry about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted December 12, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2003 I will leave it on I was just a bit nervous because the other one i was given overheated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted December 13, 2003 Report Share Posted December 13, 2003 Don't worry about it, pumps get hot, lots of friction. I have an IWAKI pump in my tank that gets so hot you could easily burn yourself. I looked at the manifacturer web site and it says "you should be able to put you hand on the pump for at least 5 seconds without being burned, this is normal..." . Nice one, if you get burnt eairy its failing, if you get burnt late its normal.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.