Opinions on Under Gravel Filters

[Goosedub]

Ya. I saw Corey’s video, which got me thinking about it. I have learned not to take anyone’s opinion as gospel, but all of the feedback here has been really helpful. I think I am going to have to try one.

[Tanked]

I have been using UGFs with powerheads for decades, and now use a UGF in the planted tank.  Yes there is going to be "gunk" underneath.  When moving my 75 gallon, I removed and cleaned only one plate, leaving the other intact.  after restarting, a brown cloud blotted out everything.  3 hours later the water was mostly clear. 5 hours later the water was perfect.  The new non UGF tank took 1 week to clear up.

I prefer using a powerhead over an air pump.  There is no way to know how much water an air pump is actually moving thru the filter.  The powerheads are quieter and provide greater circulation and oxygenation.  You can shorten the lift tube and hide the powerhead behind a plant or rock.  They also prevent my Nerites from vacationing in the UGF. The UGF will limit you to a coarse substrate. Dirt and sand will probably clog it.  Maintenance is usually no more than a deep gravel vac.  If you want to go deeper, a siphon hose in the lift tube or one of the other access points will remove extra  gunk, mulm, poo, etc.

My planted 29 gallon tank has an air driven UGF and a side mounted HOB.  A power head in this tank was too much for the small fish.  The HOB provides flow across the tank as well as filtration.  I have very hard water, and thanks to the air stones, this is the only tank that I have a problem with scale and mineral buildup on the sides and top.

 

[Andy's Fish Den]

When I first started in the hobby 30+ years ago, UGF were what everyone used unless the tank was bare bottom, then it was box or sponge filters. I used them in all my tanks that had substrate, including my 180 gallon that I had planted heavily and kept wild discus and angelfish in. This was before all the technology we have now, lighting was four foot shop lights with T8 bulbs, UGF, fertilizer was fish poop only. I pulled jungle val out every month and took to club meetings to give away because it grew so fast and thick, in addition to sword plants and crypts. I've often thought about putting one in a tank now, and trying it out again, and I just might as I recently was given a box of a bunch of aquarium supplies from someone getting out of the hobby and there was UGF plates for a 55 gallon. 

[Celly Rasbora]

1 hour ago, Tanked said:

… Yes there is going to be "gunk" underneath …

 

I know, but maybe it didn't come through in my posts, my reaction to the gunk is an emotional one. I'm sold on the filtration system, but the worry that I get from it ("Am I doing this right?") just doesn't seem worth it to me. Also, the Fish Doctor in Providence (my fish guru before yootoobles) taught me to use a lot of gravel with the UG and very little substrate without. Currently, I have barely an inch of substrate in my current tank, and I like it. It does make for a challenge to get plants to stay planted though.

[Anita]

@Goosedub Haha, you must have been reading my mind! I recently did a UGF mod and shared the photo gallery in a post Under-Gravel Filter (UGF) mod.

[Brian]

Yes I have been using them for over 50 years.

Don’t fix what isn’t broken.  In a seasoned (not cycled) tank, what more can you ask for?  Look up from the bottom of a tank with UGF-you can see all the roots.....happy roots

[Goosedub]

16 minutes ago, Anita said:

@Goosedub Haha, you must have been reading my mind! I recently did a UGF mod and shared the photo gallery in a post Under-Gravel Filter (UGF) mod.

Really interesting!

[L.W. Wetarm]

21 hours ago, Anita said:

https://aquariumscience.org/ has quite a bit of information on under-gravel filters (UGF), including efficiency ratings of various types of filters. The website author, a chemist, cites articles from peer-reviewed academic/scientific journals. He presents the information in a tiered format—from Aquariums for Dummies to Bill Nye the Science Guy. As a former lab tech, I appreciate the inclusion of scientific papers, although admittedly I do not feel the urge to slog through them myself.  Zzzzzz..... Thankfully, the author has done this for me. 😍

Be prepared to read some controversial notions. The author unabashedly accepts the labels, "contrarian" and "chip on his shoulder." From his intro page:

 

 

The first paragraph from the Review of Aquarium Filters page gives you an idea of website's tone:

 

Have fun! 🤓

OMG!!🤦🏼‍♂️ I clicked on your link around 8am this morning and ended up spending the whole day reading all of it. I won’t go off topic and talk about all the controversial things he wrote except to say, I’d have to throw away a lot of Biohome and Seachem products if I buy into all of what he’s selling. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Anita]

3 hours ago, L.W. Wetarm said:

...I won’t go off topic and talk about all the controversial things he wrote...

I did try to warn you. 👻The same thing happened to me, haha! At any rate, it does make you think. 🧐 As @CT_ mentioned, your mileage may vary.