Caryl Posted January 5, 2003 Report Share Posted January 5, 2003 Aqua said the plate covered 2/3 of the base of the tank. That is enough for the white clouds in my opinion although I agree the more covered the better. When I have had UGs running I have not used any other filters in conjunction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted January 5, 2003 Report Share Posted January 5, 2003 Yeah, when I upgrade to a 600*300*300 tank, I'll definately get an u/g filter that covers the entirety of the tank floor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted January 5, 2003 Report Share Posted January 5, 2003 Hiya john1. LOL it is me who has the u/g filters and external filters LOL. I tend to err on side of caution. I too believe that the u/g filter should cover as much area as it can. I too have cut up the plates to ensure the maximum coverage that I could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted January 6, 2003 Report Share Posted January 6, 2003 In reply to John's Post: It takes 2-3 months for a filter to fully mature (if it has high surface area bio media in it) but will start being effective immediately. The bigger the filter the longer it will take. After 2-3 months the filter will have reached a stage where it is stable. 10 times an hour is ok, I have several tanks running this turnover. 2-6 times is all you really need depending on how mucky the fish are (2x for fish that don't make much mess and 6x or greater for the messy ones). The flow through an undergravel depends on many factors. How much air is bubbling up the tube, how far down the tube the bubbler is and how long the tube is. It will also depend on the drag from the undergravel plates and gravel and how much the outlet restricts the flow. Bill is right, all surfaces in an aquarium are places bacteria can and do colonise. They may not however thrive on all those surfaces. An undergravel filter has a relatively small area but it is still larger than the walls, ornaments, rocks, wood and plants in the rest of the tank. People spend $500+ on good filters because they are better than undergravel filters. The bio media has a much greater surface area, is easier to clean and usually has compartments for chemical filtration. Try reading the articles I wrote some time ago specifically about filtration and general tank-keeping. Hopefully they will help. Here are the links: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/aquarium-conditions.0.html http://www.fnzas.org.nz/filtration.0.html http://www.fnzas.org.nz/filtration-2.0.html http://www.fnzas.org.nz/filtration-3.0.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 6, 2003 Report Share Posted January 6, 2003 Hi Warren Read the second one. Must be older than the lastest filters. Regarding Hang on filter not being able to be used because of the flange. Right with the old type of filter, like TETRA etc. I just bought a twin Bio-Wheel Penguin filter Model 330. I went to the LFS and asked the guy to take it out to see if it fits that lip on the back. And it does. Just. Thats the reason I bought it and also it has baskets like cannister filters. So cheap to populate with whatever medium you like. According to the specs. it holds 30000 times more bacteria than conventional cannisters etc. John PS Interesting reading just the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted January 6, 2003 Report Share Posted January 6, 2003 Hi Warren, Bill is right, all surfaces in an aquarium are places bacteria can and do colonise. Don't think it was me that said this, but I believe it to be true. Hi John, In the world of Bacteria, this, According to the specs. it holds 30000 times more bacteria than conventional cannisters etc. ... is a relativly very small number, and even that figure to a power of ten is still very small It would be a good exercise to count the bacteria in an established UG filter, to that in an established other filter. Going by Warren's post, (which I agree with) the sub plate filter, plus just about everywhere else in the aquarium that contains bacteria, would far outweigh even the biggest cannister filter. Anyone own an abacus Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted January 6, 2003 Report Share Posted January 6, 2003 Hi Bill Apology I meant the bacteria, whatever amount is exposed to 30000 times more oxygen That should make more sense. 30000 bacteria would probably fit on the tip of a needle. Because it is a true wet/dry filter and the biowheel has an enormous surface area, it is exposed to more oxygen than a cannister filter. Sorry about the mix up. :oops: John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted January 6, 2003 Report Share Posted January 6, 2003 No prob John, I thought it was a bit strange that all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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