Removing UGF

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jbarr

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Aug 20, 2006
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335
Location
Hennepin, MN
Hi,

My aquarium has used an UGF for as long as I can remember, and (to my memory) it hasn't been changed or cleaned in years. The reason for this is it was my dad's and he recently passed it onto me, and I decided to just pick up a HOB.

I've read that UGFs contain a lot of vital bacteria and whatnot, but also are ammonia/nitrate factories, so I was just wondering,

How should I go about removing this? Should I even remove it?

My take has a goldfish, small tiger oscar, pleco and 3 unknown minnows.

It's a 30 gal.

Any help appreciated.
 
what i would do:

Run the HOB on the tank WITH the UGF inplace for at least 1 month. Afterwards, move the fish into a temporary container with the HOB running on it. Let it run for a few days to ensure that it has enough bacteria.

While doing this, slowly start to transfer some of the gravel from the tank to the holding container, rinsing in the tank water of the original tank to remove schmutz if needed.

get as much gravel as possible from the original tank. This is where the UFG contains most of it's beneficial bacteria.

move decorations also.

When you are done getting gravel out, take out the UGF. You are gonna probably see and smell something awful under it.

Take the tank outside, rinse with a hose to get the schmutz out

Re-fill, add HOB filter, gravel and decorations, wait an hour or two for the water to settle down, then move the fish back in.

Don't use any detergents on the tank when you clean it. just water and elbow grease.

good luck.
 
I use AC hob filters to run my UG filter plates. An AC 70, pumps 300 gph, would work very well on a 30. Just match up the lift tube with the filter intake, and the area under the plate will stay clear. Whatever gets through the gravel will be caught in the sponge cartridge.
The bad news is, both the Oscar and the goldfish will outgrow a 30, and sooner or later the minnows will be Oscar snacks.
 
Afterwards, move the fish into a temporary container with the HOB running on it. Let it run for a few days to ensure that it has enough bacteria.

You mean move the HOB to the temp. and let it run before-hand of putting the fish in there?

And toddnbecka, can the HOB run at the same time as the UGF, w/ a seperate intake?

I'm really not practiced in the ways of UGFs, I should just ask my dad myself, haha.
 
You can run the UG filter separately, I just find it works well with the hob. Is it currently run by a powerhead, or an air pump? Incidentally, UG filters don't produce ammonia/nitrite, they are the result of fish respiration (ammonia is excreted from their gills) and excess food/fish waste decaying in the water. Using a powerhead or hob to run the UG filter moves considerably more water through it than an air pump, and if the current is strong enough, prevents muck from accumulating under the plate/s. The end product of biological filtration is nitrate, which needs to be controlled with partial water changes. Whether or not you use the UG filter, the biological cycle works the same way. The UG filter simply makes the substrate a much more efficient bacteria bed for biological filtration. I've also noticed they keep the water crystal clear.
 
How often should one need to change the UGF filters? Do they use filters at all like HOBs do?
 
What UGF filters do you mean? A UG filter is simply a plastic plate that sits under the gravel bed. It is usually run by airstones or powerheads, to circulate water down through the gravel bed. The bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite/nitrate grow on the surface of the gravel, as well as everything else in the aquarium. Using a UG filter increases the efficiency of the gravel bed for biological filtration by constantly circulating oxygenated water through the gravel bed. The sponge or media bag in a hob filter does the same thing, provides surface area for bacteria to grow, and water is constantly circulated through. You should clean the UG filter by siphoning the gravel bed when doing partial water changes. (You should do that regardless of whether or not you use an UGF.)
 
Oh gees. That's awesome news. Thanks.

But shouldn't I need to clean under there? How often should I do that?
 
That's why I use a hob to run the UGF. A hob filter (or a powerhead) that turns over the tank volume 8-10x/hour circulates a strong enough current through the gravel to keep the area under the plate/s clean.
My 55 has 2 Aquaclear hob filters, one for each UF filter plate. The stand is an open 2x4 frame, so I can see the bottom of the tank. There's never any buildup of muck under the plates.
If you don't use a powerhead or hob filter to run the UGF, use a large-diameter (5/8" is good) siphon hose to siphon the muck out from under the plate/s when you do a partial water change.
You can use a large powerhead to pull the dirt out occaisonally, but it makes a mess of the water, and the hob filter will need to be cleaned after the water clears up. Some of the dirt will have been collected by the hob, the rest will settle back into the gravel.
 
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