UGF to canister mistake

[JDP]

So I’m an absolute idiot and am hoping that my mistake will be okay. I had a UGF and HOB and decided to switch to a canister. Pulled the lift tubes and HOB out, gravel vac’d etc, but in my moment of true idiocracy forgot about the plates below the 3” of substrate. Now I have the canister in, tank fully cycled, and fish thriving but am super concerned that because I forgot to pull those plates there’s gonna be an issue. Anyone ever been as dumb as me or had experience with just pulling the lift tubes and leaving the plates in place? 

Edited October 6 by JDP

[JMC]

There is no significant issue in my opinion. The dead space under the under gravel filter is insufficient. I have run tanks like this before with no problems. 
 

If you are really concerned, then in a few months when you are going to vacuum the gravel again just pull the plates then. 

[ARMYVET]

You could always hook the cannister intake to the UGF and have a powered under gravel filter.  I have done that for years without any issues and you keep the gravel bed as additional beneficial bacteria for when you clean the cannister you stay cycled. JMO

[ARMYVET]

I also remember doing a reversed powered UGF where the the output of the cannister is pumped to the UGF and the water flows from under the gravel, thru the gravel and into the tank.  If I remember correctly it cut down on alot of gravel cleaning because very little accumulated in the gravel that way. I probably would not do this with a planted tank because that debris is fert for the plants but hey YMMV of course but thats what is so great with this hobby.  Experimentation.  

[Pepere]

I run a canister filter and I run UGF with Easy Flow kits adapted to the UGF risers.  If it looks like power outage is going to last for longer than 6 hours I shut down the canister filters and put the media in buckets with air stones and then just power up those and the air pumps to the ugf. 
 

Air pumps use a lot less electricity than the canister filters do.

 

Also, if the canister filter accidentally gets shut off, the bacteria depletes the oxygen in the water in the filter fairly quickly… the bacteria dies off.   
 

Aside from power failures, canister filters are awfully nice but they have lots of parts that can fail.  Impellers, hoses, orings valves.  Any one of them failing and you might have to order parts and wait for them to arrive..

 

With UGF running all the time with simple air drive, just shut off the canister filter, stop the ability to siphon, and relax till the parts come in.  Your UGF will keep everything heathy until then.

 

 

It is nice to have the UGF running to maintain a second store of beneficial bacteria….

Edited October 7 by Pepere