need filter help, lots of ?

[mom2reds]

i have a 10 gal. tank currently i have a ugf and my water is just not staying clean looking so this am i bought a aqua clear 20 and my water has cleared up. My ? is do I still need the UGF for the bubble action and if not how do i go about removing the filter and plate .

My tank is 4 months old and has 6 neon tetras and 2 guppies and two live plants.

Thanks Tess

 

[sir_dudeguy]

No do not keep the filter. ugf's are crap if you ask me. too hard to clean them, and they dont work too great unless you have powerheads. I think you could probably just leave it in there? someone else help on that one tho, because that would probably cause your nitrates to build up after a while. Or you could just add lots more live plants and you'd be fine leaving it in there i would think, except it makes it hard for plants to grow...

 

[rich311k]

You can just disconnect the tubes and leave it where it is. If you ever decide to go with live plants you will want to remove it.

If it comes in two pieces you could do half the tank at a time. It will make a mess but that way you dont overturn the whole tank at once.

 

[mom2reds]

i do have live plants 2 of them

 

[rich311k]

I would take it out so you dont have to worry about it. It will be a mess but at least it will be over and done with. I would put the fish in a bucket, pull out the plate, do a 50% pwc rearrange the tank and put the fish back in. Since its a ten gallon it shouldn't be a huge production.

 

[Zagz]

It will be quite messy but it will be worth it to remove it IMO. I removed a UGF from my goldie tank and I couldn't even see the fish! Taking the fish out of the tank is a great idea. You may have to do a 75% pwc right off the bat depending on how bad the gunk was.

 

[mom2reds]

Thank all i think I will take the UGF out and just get rid of it. This would have been a lot easier if I had found you guys before i set up my tank I guess I will know better when i set up a 55 gallon tank I did not even know you had to cycle the tank till i found AA.

Very gratefull for the quick responses
Tess

 

[malkore]

UGF's aren't the worst filtration...it definitly has its place. But the majority of the time, a good HOB filter is gonna get the job done, and it's not a production to clean it. With UGF, you're supposed to pull the plates every 6 months and clean them, because they'll be full of detris and mulm, which slows/stops the flow of water through the plate openings.

 

[mom2cct]

Good to know because I have an ugf with a powerhead...