Rozski Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 :-? I read far too much and came across this: http://www.bestfish.com/ug.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 Very interesting. I am an advocate of UGF in small tanks (2ft or less) cos they are cheap and easy. I have never had any adverse problems while using one, nor have I had a tank 'crash', nor have I ever had to strip an ugf due to clogging - never had one clog. They have been used successfully for many many years and there is a place for them, I believe, in aquarium keeping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damiana Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 I agree. All the major disasters I've had over the years occurred before I switched away from UGs. Canister filter or hang on back all the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keri Anne Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 Never had in issue with UG filters... in fact I got my first one to fix an issue due to another type of filter not pulling its weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozski Posted July 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 Heh a yes a no and a yes. It seems that when maintained right they are fine. Dad wants me to put one in the 30L tank I want to get, but you need a thick layer of substrate and it'll take up an unproportional amount of tank. I'm still tossing up between UG and hang on haha. Stupid pros and cons... *mumbles* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 I had UGF for my goldfish.. not that good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ludakris Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 all my tanks have ug filters running in conjunction with hob's or internals and have never had any probs (runs and touches nearest wood) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 20, 2006 Report Share Posted July 20, 2006 You do not want a thick layer of substrate. It is too much substrate than can cause problems. 5cm thick is enough for the filter and for plants to grow well. Goldfish and ugf's do not mix. Nor do any other fish that like to burrow in the substrate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venustus Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 My husband had kept fish years ago and I bought the 1st tank to respark his interest (he needed a hobby!) but it backfired and I caught the bug! :lol: The LFS said UGF's were "old technology" and no longer needed. Hubby argued they may be "old school" but still very beneficial. I've tried just power filters several times and had to admit "hubby was right" the water just doesn't stay as clear. I actually use both, I run UGF's in all my tanks (except salt) I've had power heads die and the UGF works until I notice and fix it and vice versa. They do require a little more work, but if you are looking for "maintenance free" buy a screen saver! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Using both is a good idea but I disagree with you saying UGFs need more work. I had a tank set up for over 5 years with just an UGF and never had to touch it. Canister filters need cleaning out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted July 25, 2006 Report Share Posted July 25, 2006 Using both is a good idea but I disagree with you saying UGFs need more work. I had a tank set up for over 5 years with just an UGF and never had to touch it. Canister filters need cleaning out. But dont you vacuum your gravel evey week when using UGF?? I know I would. It's possible to not do this using other types of filters, so you aren't distrubing plants all the time. Cannisters can go months without cleaning depending on the load and how they are setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joze Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 I hardly ever vaccum gravel with ugf, I do however run the uptake from an external filter for a couple of day once every six months or so to pick up solid waste. Many years ago I had a large 10ft tank with a slat glass ugf system built in, it was designed to be vaccumed from the uptakes and never be messed with. Very efficient, always clean, plants loved it and the fish bred like rabbits in it. Basically you put the garden hose in one end and siphoned from the other. No mess no fuss no upset fish. Unfortunately we lost it in a moving house trailer accident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Suphew - No I rarely do water changes but vacuum the gravel when I do. They would get water changes once every 2 or 3 months if they were lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keri Anne Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Rozski - my platty grow out tank is quite highly stocked as you saw when you came over. It has a UGF over 1/2 of the base and no other filtration and only gets water changes every 2-3 weeks. *It should be noted that all the tanks in my fish room are run off of a really strong pump. All of my UGF tanks have high water movement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venustus Posted July 26, 2006 Report Share Posted July 26, 2006 Wok, Yeah, the goldies poop a lot!!! :lol: Caryl, I've never tried cannisters (expense & plumbing :-? ), I use HOB. I do water changes every other week and vacuum when I do. Not that big a deal. It just sounded like some were looking for a way to not have to do maintenance. :-? Suphew, I've never had any luck with plants (w or w/o UGF), can't afford lighting & co2. So plants aren't an issue for me, I use silk for decoration and chuck them when they get funky :lol: Joze, Wish I could find a setup like that! Keri Ann, Right you are, high water movement is a must, pretty much no matter what type filter is used. :bounce: 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.