pamelakt

Just a quickie - on behalf of my dad who has now caught the fish bug!!!

Are undergravel filters hard to clean? They're meant to be the best aren't they?

Thx guys

Red1313

I don't know if they're the best. The best filter depends on the type and use of the tank that you have. I believe in general a canister filter is considered the "Best". UGF's are useful but they can also cause a lot of problems. What does he want to use them for?

Sophism

Personally I was debating on installing an UGF in my tank. However decided against it based on some of the various posts on this forum and google. Generally the benefits dont seem all that great. I prefer the two filters I have on my aquarium.

Lucy

That's great, a hobby you two can share.

I don't care for UGF. They can get really nasty underneath before you know it. You can't see it unless you look under the tank. Trying to clean under it is a pain because of the substrate.

I know I've said this before in another thread and other members have various opinions.

dalinturg

they work really well, but you have to keep them clean or you could run into problems. I dont use them cause they can me hard to keep clear and clean.

pamelakt

Oh right ok i will tell him. He doesn't kno what he's getting yet he's just caught the bug & is now looking things up & eyeing up tanks in shops He's gonna get quite a big tank I think... we've all gone fish mad!! haha

pamelakt

We've all fell in love with Hamish - he's having so much fun! Will he ever rest or sleep?! I'm exhausted for him! I really wasn't expecting him to be THAT lively after coming from a cup, he's been full of beans all day!

Lucy

MTS strikes again! lol

soldieroffortune1974

Look into the DIY section........most dad's need a project and would have fun building the systems and learning how they oprate (at least me and mine did) Being able to tell your friends "I did that" is a little more impressive than "I bought that"............................just a suggestion.

BUT, to answer the question,undergravel filters were designed for planted aquariums.They collect debris and detritus,to be used as fertiliser for plants,while pulling water into the gravel to oxygenate the bacterial colony.

They are great for that purpose,HOWEVER,they are a pain to clean,so much accumulates underneath the plates that unless you have really fast growing plants and lots of them to break down the wastes,after a while it causes nitrate spikes,ammonia spikes,etc that are seemingly unexplainable.Then you have to tear up the bottom to get it cleaned.big pain.

pamelakt

They sound nasty - I've told him. He won't be getting one. He's so funny, I'm going to scotland in a couple of weeks just for the weekend & he's really excited about coming over to feed Hamish for me haha. Bless.