Undergravel Filter any good ?

[bsmith]

soon i am going to need a new filter, i have one that is ok and it works, but i want something a littler newer. i was wondering what you thought about undergravel filters, right now i have a 40-60 gallon whisper filter, and its alright but kinda loud and doesnt work that great. i have an undergravel bubble stone and a bubble stone that sticks to the wall, if i got an undergravel filter will i have suffecient filteration? thanks

[bsmith]

sorry that was confusing, i ment can i take out my 40-60gallon filter and use an UG Filter instead ?

[fishboy]

if you are will to buy a UG filter i'd set them both up together if you can live with the sound of your whisper filter (just be glad you don't have a cascade)

[margo]

I prefer the old fashioned filters. None of this fancy stuff.

[Scuba Kid]

undergravel filters aren't such a good idea. they produce a lot of nitrates and dont do a very good job.

[Ownager2004]

My HOB is extremely quiet as long as i fill my tank up enough. Have you tried filling your tank fuller?

[bsmith]

yea it isnt the fill line, it is that the actual machine is loud.
so the consenus is that the UG filters do not do as much as a regular filter ?

[fish_doc]

I use ugfs in my smaller tanks and they work fine. The reason so many people talk bad about them is because they dont remove the waste. It just creates a larger area for biological filtration. The problem with adding one after a tank is established is that you have to remove all the gravel and disturb it possibly loosing some of the bacteria that has developed.

[TheOldSalt]

Oh, I dunno...if you're careful, you can save considerably more than enough bacteria to get the tank fully cycled again in a week. It just makes a huge mess, physically and chemically, while you're waiting.

I like UGF's, and they work great in that they do exactly what they're supposed to do, which is detox the waste and polish the water. Of course, the idea is that they'll be heavily maintained, and therin lies the problem; who wants to siphon the gravel these days?

Outside filters don't remove the waste from the water any more than UGFs do, ( for that you need a skimmer ) but they are easier to clean, so they usually get cleaned more regularly. I like to run HOB and UGF filters together in most tanks. It's pretty much foolprooof. The ugf does it's thing, rarely disturbed, while I clean the HOBs regularly. I use big gravel so it can go a long time between cleanings, leaving the HOBs to do the actual mechanical filtering job.

[MyraVan]

All my tanks are planted, so UGFs are out for me. The HOBs I use are pretty much silent, as I keep the output well below the surface of the water and don't use the Venturi attachments. I find the HOBs pretty easy to clean: just take out the foam, rinse in old tank water, reassemble. I suppose if I get a larger tank (biggest so far is 20 gallon) I'll have to look into cannister filters, but for now ordinary HOBs work fine for me.

[Damon]

UGFs are bar none one of the best means for bio-filtration. But as stated are a PITA to clean. You could run it as a Reverse UGF (RUGF) with a good filter (HOB but cannister perferred). You truly get the best of both worlds.

[euRasian32]

If you do decide to go UGF, run it with 1 high gph powerhead or 2 lower gph powerheads. I second and third the notion of keeping your power filter along with the UGF, and fix it.

If your main question was to replace you're HOB with an UGF, I wouldn't recommend it. Only if you have other means of mechanical and chemical filtration.

I've used an UGF in my first salt tank, with 2 powerheads (penguin 1140 and 660), a skilter 400, aquamaster 600, and 50lbs of crushed coral. Bare minimun for salt fish, but inadequate for live rock and corals.