New to fish and weighing my options..

[Pareeeee]

Originally Posted by Norm66

I recommend highly against under-gravel filters. The whole tank needs to be torn down to clean them and if you don't they "store" waste and un-eaten food creating way more nitrates than you want.

I would have to disagree since I've found under-gravel filters are excellent myself. I wouldn't think of having a tank without one. I've had one in my tank for probably 9 or 10 years. I never cleaned it, never had a problem.. Actually, I think it's partly why my plants grew like crazy. I've had exceptional health with my fish in the past - and I often overstock heavily. (no 'inch-per-gallon rule' for me, lol.) Overstocking is not recommended for beginner fish owners.

IMO the UGF must have a powerhead attached to it, NOT a bubbler. I think a bubbler is a huge mistake people make with these. Also, a UGF should not be the sole filter on the tank.

I also think that they work best along with live plants, because of the fact that there is some decayed matter under there that the powerhead does not cycle through, it then becomes fertilizer for the plants instead of just rot.

[Norm66]

I agree that a UGF can be a good option as long as 1) it's used with a powerhead or two, 2) The tank is heavily planted to use up the nitrates they put off, and 3) the fish (over-stocked or not) aren't over-fed.

In short, I don't think they're a good idea for beginning aquarists. There's too many ways for them to go bad. It's my opinion that they're more trouble than they're worth. The best filtration IMO for a small tank is a good power-filter (HOB, backpack, whatever) and/or a canister. I use both.

If you've had a UGF running for 10 years I suggest if you were to look I'd almost guarantee there's a huge build-up of mulm (sludge) down there. The fact that your tanks are heavily planted is most likely what's keeping the system in good balance. It would be interesting to know your nitrate readings. I don't have any experience with planted tanks and it would be neat to see how much of the nitrates they utilize.

My most recently put up tank (125 gallon) has a under-gravel jet system and an FX-5. The UGJs blow waste off the sand and the FX-5 sucks it up. The sand keeps waste on top of it rather than letting it go down under and rot. It's the nearest to a perfect system I've ever had filter-wise.

Really, as long as the tanks are filtered properly one way or another it's all good. I just think that my way is better for a beginner.

[millertime89]

I need to look and see what kind of UGF I got with my latest tank. 20 bucks for a 55 with gravel, UGF, hood, and lights.

[insignia100]

I tried, and HATED, under gravel filters. However, on one tank I did use one long term, but with a twist. Instead of pulling water down through the gravel, I hooked the pump in reverse, and actually pushed water up through the gravel. The idea was that this would keep much of the waste suspended in the water column allowing it to be filtered out. I don't know if it really worked, but it was better than the normal way of using them.

I HIGHLY recommend using pool filter sand instead of aquarium gravel. Plus it looks better. The only downside is you need stir the sand occasionally.

[Trent]

Not a fan of undergravel filter for plants.Found the plant rooted in the plates and was a pain for tank cleaning.If you are going with cichlids.They really mess up it up.As the constant digging of most cichlids makes UGF work very poorly.The good ole aquaclear filters are hard to beat.As for the FX5..its AWESOME.