What Size Powerheads For Ugf?

I wasn't sure where to put this question. So if it needs moved, please do.

I run ugf on all my tanks. Some people hate them, I love them. I use regular filters too of course. Pretty much I find the ugf keeps the water from getting cloudy or murky. I always have used just airstones in the past on my other tanks, though the largest is 20 gallons, and they have worked great. However I woke up today to find the water in my newest tank slighty cloudy. Because now I have a 37 gallon tank and I don't think airstones are powerful enough for it. I have 2 uplift tubes, and want a powerhead on each. Can anyone tell me what gph of powerheads I need for this setup? Please and thanks!

 

Sponge filters have the same anti-cloud effect of a UGF and are much easier to maintain. You also don't run the risk of anaerobic bacteria growing in the substrate like you do with a UGF. Frankly, the use of UGFs is simply outdated as there are much more efficient methods of filtration available these days.

That said, the size of the powerhead you use if you choose to run one on a UGF depends on how much flow you want through it. Depending on the floor space in the tank, you would determine how many water rotations per hour you'd want for the tank and stock, and choose powerheads that support that.

 

I've been using ugf for a couple years and don't have problems with them. You just have to periodically "flush" them, so to speak, if they get build up. One of mine I need to do this to currently, and the others I don't. I just feel like the ugf is misunderstood and has a bad rep. Regardless of the merits of the ugf, is there a formula for calculating the size of pump I need?

 

In the one aquarium that I have a ug in I believe the power heads are 175 gph each.

 

In the one aquarium that I have a ug in I believe the power heads are 175 gph each.

I was thinking something similar from research I've done. There just isn't a lot of info out there on ugf. But I found 1 youtube vid with the same size tank as mine and they had one 330 gph powerhead. So I was thinking 2 of them from 160-180 gph, depending on what I can find from my fave ebay seller of aquarium supplies.

 

I've made the mistake of getting a powerhead that was too powerful. More powerful = bigger = heavier = harder to accomodate = more vibration = more flow.

Virtually anything on the market will seem turbocharged compared to an airstone.

My least powerful one is 130 us gallons per hour and it is adequate at one end of my 110 us gallon with another of double the capacity (and with a venturi) at the other end.

The fish reside at the end with the least powerful powerhead.

I spent some time experimenting and found that my fish sheltered/hid when the flow was over 8x the capacity so I would recommend staying under that.

 

I've made the mistake of getting a powerhead that was too powerful. More powerful = bigger = heavier = harder to accomodate = more vibration = more flow.

Virtually anything on the market will seem turbocharged compared to an airstone.

My least powerful one is 130 us gallons per hour and it is adequate at one end of my 110 us gallon with another of double the capacity (and with a venturi) at the other end.

The fish reside at the end with the least powerful powerhead.

I spent some time experimenting and found that my fish sheltered/hid when the flow was over 8x the capacity so I would recommend staying under that.

So I have an air pump that runs about 19 gph(not exactly, keep reading) split btwn 2 uplift tubes. If I add a 2nd pump of same power, that would be a total of 38 gph. My tank is 37 gal, so theoretically it would cycle the whole tank once per hour. I know that isn't exactly how it will work, thus my use of *theoretically*. I realize we are talking about pumping air volume vs pumping water volume and it is a little different. This doesn't need to be super scientific or exact. So for a general guideline I'm treating the air pump like a water pump and converted the cc per minute air flow rate to gph water flow rate. But that seems like it would be ok. I have the same strength of air pumps on my two 20 gallon tanks, which would be cycling them once per hour. And they are doing just fine. I may be off on this line of thinking, but it seems logical to me. Of course I was an art major, so this kind of calculating is not my forte. Lol!

 

If you don't need much water flow it will still operate your filtration. I want a river type flow for river fish.