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under gravel filter

2K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  scotty61 
#1 ·
hi i want to know where to get an undergravel filter, petco doesent have it on its website but does it have it in stores? if not where can i get one??!!??

i have a 29 gallon tank and my lfs doesent have them in stock and more because they are slowly going out of buisness:-( while petco is far from me i can manage the drive

i would like to know soon, i hate having to constatly clean my gravel! this will help me out so much!
i also have no idea how they work. plz get back to me!
 
#2 ·
My advice, would be not to buy a UGF.
Do you have a good hang on the back filter or canister filter?
If you think your gravel is dirty now, wait till you see it after installing a UGF! Most of the dirt will be trapped in your gravel instead of in the filter, where the trapped dirt can easily be removed.
 
#3 ·
I still like using UGFs. My 55gal has used one for the last 18 years. However, I just added a canister filter to the tank a year ago. They work by creating a flow of water through the gravel and back up the tubes. The gravel then acts as the biological filter. Whenever you do a water change which should be once every week or every other week, you need to vacuum the gravel to allow the water to flow through the gravel fairly freely. All that gravel vacumming can disturb the root of plants. That's why most people with live plants don't recommend UGFs. Petco, Pet Smart, Dr Foster/Smith should all carry them I would think. You'll need an air pump and tubing as well.

I'm not necessarily promoting the use of UGFs. But they do work. But if you're getting to have "clean gravel", you'll probably want the HOB recommended above. What are you using now?
 
#4 ·
Instead of removing my UGF, I coverted it to reverse flow. For me, it has made water changes so much easier. Before reverse flow, I had to remove 50% of the water to get most of the trapped dirt out of the gravel during my weekly water changes. Now the dirt, for the most part, is pushed towards the filter. Gravel cleaning days go so much faster.
 
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