DIY Combined Gravel Filter + Bio Filter

[Gilcano]

I'm confused now

Then why bother.

Gilbert

[Graham]

There are no magical filters....they all need to be cleaned and the water needs to be changed and the more the better

[Mick B]

Hi Chaps,

Let me clarify, this is NOT going to reduce the amount of Water changes, but it does allow me, to only do maintenance (cleaning) once a week.

UG's are 'Old-Hat' but who said old is bad?

In isolation, with an air-stone to power it, not brilliant, but connect your external cannister (sealed filter-box with pump) to the up-lift tube and the UG becomes a pre-filter for the cannister (think if it as a large strainer, on the inlet).

Yes food gets drawn into the gravel (as it does into a sponge or filter-box),
I use approx 4 to 6" deep river-washed gravel (1/4" to 1/2") and this is colonised by turbo-snails (conical meat eaters, malaysan, I think?)
The snails keep the gravel 'loose' as they dig through to find that trapped food, which is then "not rotting" in the gravel.

Once a week, a few hundred snails are culled with the Vac session, effectivly removing the excess food

I think 2 things make this Old-Hat variation work;

1, High flow from pump, draws the UG plates much cleaner than an air-stone (My large tank, uses a 3500 ltr/hr pond-pump).

2, Utalising the snails, prevents food from rotting in the gravel, but allows you to remove it periodically, once a week or so (not every 5 mins with a tube!)

HTH, Cheers, Mick B
PS Heres the 300 gallon tank (With UG, 250 Kgs of Gravel)
Tank.jpg

[Gilcano]

Well, thanks Mick. I think I'll stay put with my tropical cichlid for now, but i'm very interested in build one of those UG's in the pictures for my tank. I have one question; This UG runs 24/7 or only when you want to clean the tank?

Thanks

Gilbert

[Mick B]

Hi Gilbert,

IMO/E 24/7 allways! (even when I'm cleaning the tank! (unless the pump fails)

It acts as a pre-filter but also 'houses' zillions of nitrifying bacteria (large surface area), so best to keep it moving to ensure oxygen gets into the UG and minimises/prevents anorobic (oxygenless) activity.

HTH, Cheers, Mick B

[pete321]

In my opinion for a non bare bottom tank. an UGF if about the best filter providing the gravell is deep enough. What makes it even better is if you have the bottom of your tank drilled and insert a bulk head with a drain valve so that for water changes you can drain all the gunk that collects under the plates. If this setup that you show with the canister filter was connected up via a hole in the bottom of the tank and had a prefilter just before the cannister, then this work well in my opinion.

Pete

[korbi_doc]

Hey guys, like the idea when used with bulkhead as Pete proposed to empty the detritus on the bottom, but:

have you seen the under-gravel jet system shown on cichlid-forum.com? I like this idea & am going to try to set this one up in a tank one of these days.....has anyone tried it?

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ug_jets.php