No pump!

[akkitten]

I just purchased a Marineland 20 gallon kit with LED lighting (with really cool blue 'night light'), a 100w heater and a 150 penguin bio wheel. What I also added an UGF to it. Upon setting it up I realized I am missing one thing, a pump. Any recommendations for a pump or will 'any ole' one do?

 

[glassbird]

By "pump" do you mean an air pump? I would not run a UGF with an air pump. You can do it, but it is a waste of time and money. A much better choice would be a power head...much more pulling power, and you can usually aim the outflow in such a way that you can ensure increased flow of water around the tank, hence fewer dead spots.

As to size and brand, I will have to defer to others as I only have experience with a UGF on much bigger tanks.

 

[akkitten]

Yes, sorry an air pump. I currently have an UGF on an whisper air pump on my 10 gallon tank and it seems to be doing ok. This 10gallon is turning out to be my huge learning curve so I want to do it right for the 20.

 

[uscamaro]

Do you have a Python or other kind of siphon/gravel vac? I would get rid of the UGF and just do PWC using the siphon to get rid of the "leftovers". It's amazing how effective they are when you stir up the gravel.

 

[glassbird]

Yes, opinions on UGfs vary. Some people hate them, others like to use them as an additional filter type. I would never use one all by itself, and always in the past have combined them with a hang-on-back filter. Whether you use a UGF or not, a Python (or some other gravel cleaner) is a VERY important part of tank maintenance.

Having said that, IF the OP goes with his UGF I would absolutely suggest a powerhead. An air pump might do an "ok" job, but with a UGF you need a "better than ok" job. A powerhead will pull crud into the gravel much faster, and do a VASTLY much better job of preventing a buildup of crud underneath the plate. That buildup is one of the reasons that people who do not like UGFs do not like UGFs!

 

[akkitten]

Yes, I have a gravel vac, not that I have used it yet, but I own one. My tank is still cycling and I am fighting ick at the same time. Yes, I have a hang of the back type filter. I will look into a powerhead, thank you for the feedback. I'm getting ready to start a 2nd tank, (20 g) and to cycle it right this time. The learning curve on this hobby sucks.

 

[glassbird]

re: the learning curve...I know what you mean! Be greatful for forums like this. 90% of my knowledge was learned by trial and error, and I am still learning stuff that I wish I had known about a long time ago!

 

[akkitten]

It is so nice to find this place and read about the trials and errors of others hopefully before I dsicover the same ones. Do you ever stop learning with this hobby?

 

[BigJim]

There's always something to learn. Once you learn to keep your fish alive and healthy, you can branch out into live plants and breeding fish. Many species of fish have never been bred in aquariums, so there's a lot of learning left to be done.