Co2 Settup Idea for a 125 Gallon Tank

[nwfish]

I want to do a heavily planted aquarium stocked with fish. I am thinking of putting in a reverse flow undergravel filter with a low output and then run my Co2 and fertilizers through the filter. That will allow more time for the gas to disolve in the water as it works its way through the substrate and gravel. I would think this would also help to replenish the substrate. If the plants pick up Co2 both through their roots and leaves this would give them more of an opportunity to absorb what they need.

Do most plants tolerate undergravel filters?

Has anyone seen this type of set up? Will this work well?

Please advise.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Moved to the Planted Tank forum.

 

[zacusmaximus]

Sounds like an interesting idea! I could imagine using a smaller UGF, rather than one the full size of your tank. Just pipe the CO2 to the venturi intake of a PH set up for reverse flow. I bet you'd get pretty close to total absorbtion. I don't know if the plants would be bothered by reverse flow, but I could see how it might limit the use of fert tabs in the area of the UGF. I guess you could always just aquascape around that area with plants that don't require tabs, or maybe place the UGF under some rock/wood decor so that there'd be minimal roots in the area to begin with. If you toy with the idea, please be sure to share your experiments with all of us. I might have to tinker with the idea myself.

 

[Purrbox]

I'm not real familiar with RUGF. Here's a couple things to consider if you decide to procede.

1. In a UGF setup, you have to tear the tank apart about once a year to be able to clean under the plates and get all the junk out from under them. If this is also the case with RUGF then you will be damaging any of the plants that have grown roots throught the plates.
2. Any time that you decide to move a plant that has grown roots through the plates, you will do a greater amount of damage to it and it will take longer than normal to recover.
3. The RUGF has to potential to interfere with the Mulm settling into the substrate to nurish the plants through their roots.

 

[nwfish]

Does anyone know if you have to clean a reverse flow undergravel filter once a year like a regular UGF?

I still plan on doing this and will give you a full up date of how things are going.

I did not think about roots growing into the RUGF. I would think I could do something like lanscapers fabric over the RUGF to keep junk out of it including the roots. I will have to experiment to see how water flows through landscape fabric.

 

[Scottm]

why ugf if you don't mind me asking? its an effective filtration system but for ease of use a canister or hob works much better and is just as effective if not moreso. Not to mention a canister or hob only has the burden of changing out filter floss every now and then and not having to be a complete teardown every year. Not to mention I have heard that the oxygen next to the plants roots may stunt the plants growth.

 

[Alshain]

Also with a UGF, you would be limited to avoiding some types of plants like Crypts which don't like being moved.

 

[nwfish]

Actually I was thinking of using the RUGF as the best means to get Co2 and fertilizer to the plants rather than just injecting it into the water column. I would use a canaster as the main filtration and any filtration that the RUGF provided would be secondary to its main purpose. The RUGF would be powered by a pump that pumped low amounts of water maybe 60gph if I could find one.

The more feedback I am getting the more it sounds like this is not optimal. What about a small perforated pipe that ran the length of the tank under the gravel that I could pump gass and fertilizer through?

How well does doing it the regular way work?