sanford

@mynameisnobodyI had no clue that fish tape existed, Thanks for this revelation.

How long are your hoses? Mine is 50ft and I can't imagine how I would scrub it. Would love any advice on how to clean longer hoses (or hoses in general).

@Tommy VercettiDid not even consider the colour as a feature, but that makes perfect sense. & out of 10 is not too bad I suppose. Thanks for the insight.

Aquael Fan Filters use sponge as media. You can buy the sponges separately, they are relatively coarse and come pre-slit so that they fit on the sponge mounts.

Was the flexzilla hose chosen for a specific reason? Is it really kink free?

Thanks for all the replies. Seems the DIY route may not lead to better results. Is the recommendation to go commercial UG filter more of a lack of return on investment for DIY (too much time and trouble), or are there significant technical deficiencies with DIY UGF? I suppose the one thing that stands out is that the PVC tubes are not that attractive.

I've following the undergravel filter revival building on the Internet and was thinking of trying one out. While looking at the comparative advantages of the different types of UGF I came across the following DIY: https://sites.google.com/site/moashowmanyfish/tower-build Author discusses how the DIY version fixes an issue with uneven flow through the media. Wondering if anyone has any experience with this DIY, or can comment on the theoretical effectiveness of the design.

My daughter and I call it "dive bombing". Part of what makes keeping corydoras exciting.

Possible technique for adding the sand shown in the following video:

Thanks all. The gravel at the LFS is natural coloured with what appears to be a clear resin (Estes is the brand). In this case resin breakdown should not discolour the gravel and it seems that its viability as UGF media is not compromised. Huzzah!

The LFS in my area stocks Estes brand gravel that advertises an environment friendly resin coating on the gravel. I'm not sure what advantage resin provides, but I am even more curious about whether the resin coat reduces gravel porosity to a point where the gravel is less effective as bio-media for an under gravel filter. Anyone have any experience with this?

Pros and cons of overhead filters (commercial or DIY) and why are they so popular in Asia but not North America.

Full confession before I start, I have tried way too many aquarium filters than I would like to admit. I tried a Top Fin Pro 30 to replace a Sicce shark internal filter and I liked it enough to replace a Tidal 110 with a Pro 70 and a Marina Slim 20 with another Pro 30. So far so good. The aquarium with the 70 also had an Ehiem surface skimmer that I've retired thanks to the adequacy of the built in skimmer on the Top Fin. The intake on the 70 (I think they're all the same size) also conveniently accommodates the API Hydro filter sponge as well as the included sponge pre-filter.That makes it easy to seed your sponge filter with bacteria so you can set up a quarantine tank for new fish. The two cage design of the media basket means you can add filter floss or sponge earlier in the filtration process without it being crushed by some of the heavier biomedia. It also allows you to easily replace media in the lower cage if needed. I was at a local Petsmart the other day and the Pro HOBs were completely sold out (or they did not have time to restock the shelves). All that was left were the media kits. I got one of the media kits so I could use the sponge pre-filter on the intake of a fluval filter, it's a more elegant solution than the hollowed out block of foam I had before. There are some cons as well. First, because of how the top of the media basket is configured, the top 4th of the top cage is not immersed. You can "fix" this by adding extra media to the basket or spillway, but then you may get some bypass. Second, it's not self priming. That has not been an issue for me as I've used a timer to stop it for 30 min and restart, and the restart was problem free. I've also found that Eheim 16/22 hose fits into the top of the intake, so I suppose you can run it off an internal pump if you like. Third con, kinda ugly maybe? Another tip is that the black intake pipe of a Fluval C4 fits the Pro so that if you don't need the skimmer, you prefer a black intake and happen to have a spare C4 intake, you are good to go. Anyway, those are my casual observations so far, I guess the big question mark is longevity and serviceability. For that, only time will tell.

Can you please share any tips on how to modify? I'm assuming it would typically involve running a hose from the pump to the filter intake tube. Are there better or worse ways to do this?

Thanks Odd Duck. As you've had experience with that technique, are there any pitfalls, "gotchas" or other issues that might be difficult to predict unless you've tried it?