Air driven filtration in a planted tank.

[Pepere]

This tank is completely air driven filtration.

I have under gravel filter with the two center air lifts. The water flow diverters are half above water which allows bubbles to dissipate and pop in the hoods reducing surface agitation.  On the right rear corner I have an old school box filter with an inch of gravel in the bottom, nylon pot scrubbers and a bit of polyfill for mechanical filtration. This filter runs strong at night and gets throttled back during day time hours. On the left hand side I have an air driven double sponge filter with the right angle hood at the top about 1/3 out of the water to again reduce surface agitation.

The substrate is Safe T Sorb with mesh bags of ADA aquasoil Amazonia capped with a black coarse sand.

This tank has pressure CO2 set up now, but it has only been set up for a few days.  Before setting up the pressure tank I would dose 4 cups of seltzer water first thing in the morning over an hour of time. Hence my concern for reducing surface agitation in my air driven filtration.

 

The tank was put in to service maybe 2-3 months ago.

[Robert Keeney]

Nice!

Living in hurricane country, where it is not unusual to go for a week or two without power am almost one hundred percent air driven.

Can you describe your under gravel filter?

[Pepere]

On 12/19/2022 at 6:14 AM, Robert Keeney said:

Can you describe your under gravel filter

On 12/19/2022 at 6:14 AM, Robert Keeney said:

Can you describe your under gravel filter?

Penn plax undergravel filter plates.

 

only I chose to put the air risers ogether in the center  to keep the corners open for other items.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Plax-Premium-Gravel-Filter/dp/B005Q4900Q/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PCNIPXGAHPQ1&keywords=penn+plax+undergravel+filter+29+gallon&qid=1671458868&sprefix=penn+plax+undergravel+filter+29+gallon%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-1

 

[Pepere]

I wanted to go UGF on my first 29 gallon tank but didnt as I read online that you cant use them in planted tanks.

 

Later I read people dissagreeing.

 

I figured they are cheap enough.  Worst case if they interfere with plant growth I can pull the risers and cover the holes with gravel

So far they dont seem to be inhibiting plant growth….

They give you loads and loads of surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow. And if you lose power the gravel is still immersed in the water. I am willing to bet the beneficial bacteria would survive much much longer in a power outage onnsubstrate surfaces in a tank than in a HOB or Canister filter.

 

 Running an air pump intermittently would like give you  a very long time using minimal battery power.

 

3 watts for a simple air pump.

 

[Robert Keeney]

I have run many under gravel filters in the past and have some now. The only problem I had with plants and under gravel filters was getting the roots out of the filter if I had to break down the tank.

 

[Pepere]

On 12/19/2022 at 2:52 PM, Robert Keeney said:

The only problem I had with plants and under gravel filters was getting the roots out of the filter if I had to break down the tank.

Did you find that the root mass in the plates was enough to be impeding water flow?

[Robert Keeney]

On 12/19/2022 at 4:26 PM, Pepere said:

Did you find that the root mass in the plates was enough to be impeding water flow?

No, It did not seem to interfere with the water flow in any noticeable amount. More of a nuisance. 

 

[Patrick_G]

Nice looking tank! Those water lettuce roots look so good, I think it's my favorite floating plant. 

[rockfisher]

I love the UFG. I use some with air and two tanks with power heads. Mine made it through 2weeks of 2-3 hours of power during Hurricane Ian. I do think the plants made a difference. Your is a better set up I basically just use gravel. BDBS, and lava rock and one has a 1” course filter over the grate. I plant the plants in the filter material with a small slit. The roots tend to spread though the filter material and not in the plates. Do you have pics of the filter box before you planted or can you still see it well. @Pepere love the tank.

[Pepere]

On 12/19/2022 at 11:11 PM, rockfisher said:

Do you have pics of the filter box before you planted or can you still see it well.

it is in the back right hand corner of the tank.  I place a ceramic rock cave on the top of it to help make it dissapear.

 

I think between the plantings and rock hide it is not too noticeable.

 

 

[rockfisher]

Thank for the pics. Is there an advantage over just the plates noticeable. I have seen them done before, but never attempted one. I want to do one on a shrimp tank. 

[Pepere]

The advantage is mechanical filtration and water flow in the corner of the tank.

Yes if I shut it off the lack is noticeable in increased floaties.

I have suction cup dual sponge filter on the other side to again help with flow.

 

Edited December 20, 2022 by Pepere

[Pepere]

My box filter is a Lee’s triple flow.  Easy to find at multiple sites, just do an internet search.

 

These box filters were the only filter I knew growing up.  Undergravel filter plates were too expensive for my father who was footing the bill.

 

truth be told the consumables for the box filter surpassed the initial purchase price difference in short order.  Back in the day you would put in an inch of activated carbon and fill the rest with floss and toss everything at 2 weeks as it was grungy. In the process you discarded a load of beneficial bacteria, but I had never heard of the nitrogen cycle in the 70s.  I never heard of it until the late 90’s…

 

now I have gravel i  the bottom to weigh it down, nylon pot scrubbers to provide surface area for beneficial bacteria and a small amount of polyfill for polishing mechanical action.  
 

maybe once a month I swish the polyfill thoroughly in a container of tank water and replace it.  I rarely throw it away.

 

Box filters are sort of like sponge filters but they dont skough off the caltured detritus when you pull the  from the tank, and you can swap media as desired.  Ie, you can add crushed coral if you want for kh gh, you can use zeolite to pull ammonia in a quarantime tank with meds that you dont wish to water change, you can add purigen or activated carbon to pull meds, organic compounds from tank…

 

in a pinch you could fill it with cycled gravel in your tank and use it in an emergency quarantine tank…   Or do so after a cycle crash in a quarantine tank from meds…

They are sort of like an air driven small canister filter.

Like a canister filter, the beneficial bacteria will suffocate if ware flow ceases.  Its not like a sponge filter surrounded by oxygenated water…  

[rockfisher]

Thanks I have seen some videos on YouTube of them being made but never known or talking to someone that has one. Now if you even say anything about UGF a lot of people think your living in the past. I like them and think they are my  easiest tanks to care for. 

[Pepere]

On 12/20/2022 at 10:15 AM, rockfisher said:

Now if you even say anything about UGF a lot of people think your living in the past. I like them and think they are my  easiest tanks to care for. 

Well, I am happy with my under $20.00 under gravel filter plates that will last for decades after a canister filter gives out and uses less than 3 watts to run with energy to spare and doesnt need to be cleaned out like a canister filter and so long as you have check valves on the airline hose will never flood your house…

And from what I understand canister filters are kinda pricy…

 

ugf are cheap easy and they work…. Its ok if they are from the past.  At 57, so am I.

 

I also have a tube amplified record changer I re capacitated and disassembled cleaned and relubed the mechanicals to so it works well.

 

Nobody tracks how many times i listen to this or that song to try and figure out how to market to me…

Edited December 20, 2022 by Pepere

[rockfisher]

I’m a little younger but I stater with a UGF. I have lots to tanks so maintaining them is important and they are by far the easiest to maintain. I also feel that the do better than a canister. I have only had second hand ones but much more work and lesser water conditions. I agree if it works it doesn’t matter if it’s the new thing or a blast from the past. I have a 120 to set up and it’s going to have a UGF.