I have dutch tanks, tanks with
ugf and hybrid tanks that are half each..now with sand , river stones and plants on the non -plate side.(was gravel)
UGF is to stay in my small tanks. I prevent the mulm and bad stuff by suctioning through the uplift tube. And all those tanks are pristine
(Gases and slimne can hide in too deep a gravel too. You need a thin layer on UGF..that is why it sucks for plants. To be in that current of the filtration....)
With
UGF you CANNOT OVERSTOCK. Period. It only allows for maybe 4 more inches of fish than a dutch tank and allows for areation.
I am a dinosaur from the days they sold 5 gallon glass battery jars to hold goldfish (that doesn't mean SERIOUS keepers used em..even THEN) and only marine life warranteed REAL filtration systems (which there were very few commercially made). Heh!
But in tanks starting with my 40 that is where
UGF stinks. I may be better off dutch. I have kept a dutch healthy up to 80 gallons. Recently I kept my 18 dutch for a while.
Once I have a contaminate of some type of algae or bacterial bloom it hides in the and re introduces through the uplift. And the huge water changes to get rid of it becomes hard labor. It is too large a plate to properly clean out through the uplifts. Too much remains undone.
I know becuase it was Fiiiilthy in less than 3 weeks..I had to tear apart my tanks looking for a missing fish (it was in a decoration defect). What a horrible mess. I had to bag everyone and just start from scratch!
The clarity in that tank falls short a good half the time I have had it. Maybe if I had less fish.... I am sure if I was slightly understocked..it may not have been a problem. The water turnover for species that desire it is the biggest reason I am switching to a fluval. It is the only tank that ISNT full of current-hating labyrinth fish.
I may get a
HOB temporarily, but i think they are ugly, noisy and a pain. Plus you have to keep the water level pretty high if you dont want water that hits the bottom and stirs it up. I do not like the one tank with a
HOB. Plus small fish end up trapped in more often than you might think.. just cruise the boards with search for missing fish posts.
I think the
ugf keeps a healthier bacteria colony than
HOB and that wet/dry is the REAl shiznit. My water params NEVER vary but for two tanks. One is the
HOB with the chocolates and the other is the 40 (it has a nitrate reading now and then). But the water gets pretty murky after water change over sometimes with the
UGF filters.The pH stays lower than the tap with
UGF also.
Anyway point in mind is: if you like to stock to absolute maximum or more..and clarity is an issue...dump the
UGF. It isn't designed for it and will become a big PITA!