UGs are awesome filters and I'm really happy to see that people are coming back to them. I've built plenty of them and have never been disappointed. Thanks for the upload!
No problem 👍 I'm planning to make next video on how to setup this tank step by step, already working on it. This method is works much better than traditional one from my experience, I would recommend you to try it too.
I think it’s a lot of work and possibly money to get this filter going but I love how it becomes part of the hard scape and or the overall look of tank. I love it. I have neos and this video made me put the big boy boots on and take that next step into caradinias. I’m so scared 😱 I gotta get a ro unit.
Yes I do normally add some bacterial products when I start the tank, I going to make another video in the near feature when I'm going to show you step by step how I'm setting up new tank using this method.
how many air pumps does it take for these kind of tanks? In your videos it seems you have a airpump for the underground filter as well as the sponge filter. So do you use 2 seperate air pumps to make this work?
This is Awsome moss for doing moss walls, with. Shirmplets love to live in in it. Taiwan as moss wall and Flame on stone or wood growing erect seams to be the favorit moss for shrimplets to live and grow in.
You know I actually tried it before but didn't get much success with PH buffering. I just put active soil in canister filter between sponges. Theoretically it should work maybe I just wasn't lucky. The only thing you need to do is to reduce the flow. Strong flow will drain and break down soil very quickly.
Have you found you still need to keep sponge filters? I kept sponge filters with my UGF because I feel nervous. But I have to set up a rack system and not sure if I want to run both built in UGF and sponge.
great video, one question, I love the diy ug filter box, what dimensions do you recommend for which size aquariums? trying to calculate what would work for my approx 10g aquariums, thx!
Hey Ray, I'm using 1 box in 50L tanks and two in 90L. For 10G 1 is more than enough. You'll save a lot of soil if you use this method! Thanks for your interest.
Ray, I found them by searching 'acrylic box' on Ebay and then I asked the sellers if they can make custom sizes and I found one guy who can make any sizes for the same price they sell it. I paid £11.99 (about £15) per box I just asked to make them 15x15x11cm, the seller also offered me to engrave my logo for an extra £5 and I ordered 2 boxes with 'shrimp mania' logo. Before I found that guy I found a standard size box 15x15x15cm and then I cut them with angle grinder to make it shorter.
Thanks for the vids. It's really helpful for beginner like me. Just wondering what step should I take if the media is used for more than a year. Should I set up a second one or just change what the media will do? Do I need to run it for a month or something. I greatly appreciate the advice
If you mean aqua soil then yes it's better to change once a year or two because it expiring and lose the benefits. But you do it only if you keep caridina shrimp. Neocaridina don't benefit from aqua soil. If you mean your filter media then you don't need to change it at all
I'm using 1 ugf box (around 1,3L) for up to 40L tanks and for bigger tanks I'm using 2 boxes. In one of the tank I run this box with hang on filter, I guess you can run it with external filter as well.
What you are making is similar to a gigantic corner box filter. You can get the same effect by filling up a big corner filter with the same media, though yours appears to be much larger than you can buy.
Thanks for your all advices🙏 i want to ask you something. İ have 2 tanks and every tank has 3 chamber. One of these tank is 80 lt and other one is 60 lt. First tank's every chamber approximately is 30lt, the other tank's every chamber approximately is 20 lt. And there is a water passage from each chamber to the next one. So, if i use 15x15x12 cm acrlic box, how much soil do i need to put every chamber?
I would use 2 filter boxes in 80L tank and 1 box with 60L. It should be enough to buffer PH. You can put filter boxes in any section as long as they connected.
@@ShrimpMania thanks for your return. So, if i use every chamber one box, will it cause any problems? İ mean if i use 3 boxes in 60 lt tank, will it cause a problem other than money ☺️
Hi, wanna ask. I just made the same type of ugf like yours. Currently in 1 week cycling, i am having trouble with the air pump not strong enough to make strong current to push water out of the top. May i ask your air pump litre per hour ? I upgraded to strong one which is an overkill from a 4.5 litre per hour. I am also thingking about cutting the air tube shorter because the height is too high but im not a good sawer. I worry i might ruin the filter media. Also how long do you reccomend cycling for an impatient guy. I stared into an empty cycling tank for hours, my gf even have to tell me to stop. Haha. Love your contents big hearts from Malaysia.
Hey, I've checked my flow and my filter fill up 0,5L jar in 12 seconds its approximately 150 L of water per hour. It doesnt need to be strong especially if you have a second filter like sponge filter. I prefer when water runs out to the surface, less splashing and less noise. I cycle my tanks for approximately 6 weeks. You can check your ammonia when it's drop to 0 that's mean it's finish. Simple test if you have liquid ammonia in the bottle just add 2ml per 50l and it should converted to nitrate in 24-48hours
Hi. Thank you for this tutorial. How quickly the PH should drop when using soil? After 24 hours PH is 6.5. My RO water has 7.0 PH. I use near 1 liter of soil in the external filter ( Akadama Ibaraki Extra-Hart 5,5 - 6.0 PH).
What PH test kit do you use to measures PH? I have API PH liquid kit that goes to 6 PH and Runbo test strips only goes to 6.4. I would like to measure below 6 PH. Thanks,
@@wanmuhddanial i have never used fluval soil so cant tell you which is better. Ada Amazonia soil is very good for caridina. Yes you can use media if you want but I believe its not necessary for shrimp in my opinion
For me i think the sponge filter is the best since this one cost more , take space, for me it don't look nice , i don't see how it could be better since its socking water from so many layers of soil .
Yes I agree - sponge filter is great and it does great job on filtration. UGF box filter is mostly designed to buffer your water and lower PH by passing the water through the active soil inside the box which makes the water ideal for high end caridina shrimp with little volume of soil inside the tank. If you keep simple shrimps like red crystals or golden bees then they are ok in higher PH and then you don't need this setup and they'll be ok with just a sponge filter.
UGs are awesome filters and I'm really happy to see that people are coming back to them. I've built plenty of them and have never been disappointed. Thanks for the upload!
Thank you sir, they are indeed awesome filters for buffer ph
Honeslty, this video makes me consider this option for my new shrimp rack. Thx for the great video
No problem 👍 I'm planning to make next video on how to setup this tank step by step, already working on it. This method is works much better than traditional one from my experience, I would recommend you to try it too.
OMG I didn't even know it was so simple!
I think it’s a lot of work and possibly money to get this filter going but I love how it becomes part of the hard scape and or the overall look of tank. I love it. I have neos and this video made me put the big boy boots on and take that next step into caradinias. I’m so scared 😱 I gotta get a ro unit.
You'll be alright, just start with simple Caridinas like crystal reds, they almost as hardy as neos. Thanks for watching!
Buy RO from a local Carwash/ gasstation bro.
Thanks for this video
What about any bacterial adds for start?
Yes I do normally add some bacterial products when I start the tank, I going to make another video in the near feature when I'm going to show you step by step how I'm setting up new tank using this method.
Very good vid !
Thanks my buddy....
Welcome sir
how many air pumps does it take for these kind of tanks? In your videos it seems you have a airpump for the underground filter as well as the sponge filter. So do you use 2 seperate air pumps to make this work?
what kind of moss is that at 0:04? it’s gorgeous!!
It's Taiwan moss. Very beautiful indeed and grow very fast.
This is Awsome moss for doing moss walls, with. Shirmplets love to live in in it. Taiwan as moss wall and Flame on stone or wood growing erect seams to be the favorit moss for shrimplets to live and grow in.
Very nice method👍 what the name of this soil? Thanks!
Thanks. It's called Ista Shrimp Soil pH 5.5
@@ShrimpMania Thank you!
Would the same concept work for a canister filter if you filled a fine mesh bag with buffering soil?
You know I actually tried it before but didn't get much success with PH buffering. I just put active soil in canister filter between sponges. Theoretically it should work maybe I just wasn't lucky. The only thing you need to do is to reduce the flow. Strong flow will drain and break down soil very quickly.
Love your setup !!!! What is the maker of the soil that buffers to 5.5ph
Ista soil
@@ShrimpMania Thanks ... I looked for Ista soil ... it must be a UK soil as I cannot find distributer in US
@@coachlewis5190 it’s probably Chinese one not very popular
Does this soil leak ammonia? Does it need to cycle before adding ?
Is Bioflow one filter suitable for shrimp ? I have a 70 Liter aquarium.
Have you found you still need to keep sponge filters? I kept sponge filters with my UGF because I feel nervous. But I have to set up a rack system and not sure if I want to run both built in UGF and sponge.
Hello,ask for you air pump,how much power is it?
great video, one question, I love the diy ug filter box, what dimensions do you recommend for which size aquariums? trying to calculate what would work for my approx 10g aquariums, thx!
Hey Ray, I'm using 1 box in 50L tanks and two in 90L. For 10G 1 is more than enough. You'll save a lot of soil if you use this method! Thanks for your interest.
@@ShrimpMania thx for the reply! I don't have any diy skills, any suggestions where to purchase them
Ray, I found them by searching 'acrylic box' on Ebay and then I asked the sellers if they can make custom sizes and I found one guy who can make any sizes for the same price they sell it. I paid £11.99 (about £15) per box I just asked to make them 15x15x11cm, the seller also offered me to engrave my logo for an extra £5 and I ordered 2 boxes with 'shrimp mania' logo. Before I found that guy I found a standard size box 15x15x15cm and then I cut them with angle grinder to make it shorter.
Thanks for the vids. It's really helpful for beginner like me. Just wondering what step should I take if the media is used for more than a year. Should I set up a second one or just change what the media will do? Do I need to run it for a month or something. I greatly appreciate the advice
If you mean aqua soil then yes it's better to change once a year or two because it expiring and lose the benefits. But you do it only if you keep caridina shrimp. Neocaridina don't benefit from aqua soil. If you mean your filter media then you don't need to change it at all
@@ShrimpMania I have Cherry Shrimp. Yes, I meant the aqua soil. Thanks for the reply.
How much per litre is needed to buffer the water?
And could you run a external filter into one of these boxes?
I'm using 1 ugf box (around 1,3L) for up to 40L tanks and for bigger tanks I'm using 2 boxes. In one of the tank I run this box with hang on filter, I guess you can run it with external filter as well.
Why is there such a bubbling sound in the ugf outlet. I faced this too please give me tip
We're did you get your filter box thank you
I bought it on Ebay from local seller
What you are making is similar to a gigantic corner box filter. You can get the same effect by filling up a big corner filter with the same media, though yours appears to be much larger than you can buy.
Yes you right the same principle as corner or box filter
why not use pat mini filter with it ?
The soil will deplete much faster with it
@@ShrimpMania thanks for the Quick response 👍
We we realy need to use osmosis water for caradina shrimps can we keep them declorised tap water whit good soil like your ones
It depends on your tap water quality. Mine is very bad and super hard so I have to use RO water
@@ShrimpMania thanks alot
Do you have links for everything you purchased?
Nope but I’ll make another video on tank setup with ugf box and i will include all the links
Does it work for neocaridina?
Yes but it's better to use just a filter media in the box. They not benefit from aqua soil
@@ShrimpMania Thanks!
Thanks for your all advices🙏 i want to ask you something. İ have 2 tanks and every tank has 3 chamber. One of these tank is 80 lt and other one is 60 lt.
First tank's every chamber approximately is 30lt, the other tank's every chamber approximately is 20 lt. And there is a water passage from each chamber to the next one.
So, if i use 15x15x12 cm acrlic box, how much soil do i need to put every chamber?
I would use 2 filter boxes in 80L tank and 1 box with 60L. It should be enough to buffer PH. You can put filter boxes in any section as long as they connected.
@@ShrimpMania thanks for your return. So, if i use every chamber one box, will it cause any problems? İ mean if i use 3 boxes in 60 lt tank, will it cause a problem other than money ☺️
You can if you want, I don't see the problem. If I was you I wouldn't waist the soil, instead extra ugf boxes I would add more sponge filters.
where can i buy this complete?
How long does that soil last? I presume that you are using RO or RODI water.
Around 2 years
@@ShrimpMania Thanks.
Hi how long does your soil last for 60 litre tank , 1.3 liter soil . where im from soil is exteremely expensive .
Depending on the soil brand. With ADA Amazonia it should work just over 1 year.
These are from Taiwan right? Where can I buy them
Did you mean filters? I made them myself.
Hi, wanna ask. I just made the same type of ugf like yours. Currently in 1 week cycling, i am having trouble with the air pump not strong enough to make strong current to push water out of the top. May i ask your air pump litre per hour ? I upgraded to strong one which is an overkill from a 4.5 litre per hour. I am also thingking about cutting the air tube shorter because the height is too high but im not a good sawer. I worry i might ruin the filter media. Also how long do you reccomend cycling for an impatient guy. I stared into an empty cycling tank for hours, my gf even have to tell me to stop. Haha. Love your contents big hearts from Malaysia.
Hey, I've checked my flow and my filter fill up 0,5L jar in 12 seconds its approximately 150 L of water per hour. It doesnt need to be strong especially if you have a second filter like sponge filter. I prefer when water runs out to the surface, less splashing and less noise. I cycle my tanks for approximately 6 weeks. You can check your ammonia when it's drop to 0 that's mean it's finish. Simple test if you have liquid ammonia in the bottle just add 2ml per 50l and it should converted to nitrate in 24-48hours
I use 1200l/h airpomp on 6 tanks. You need much more then 4,5 !
@@Howitzer09 Works fine for me. If the flow is too high it will wear the soil quickly also cause it to break down from my experience.
why not a regular gravel?
Hi. Thank you for this tutorial. How quickly the PH should drop when using soil? After 24 hours PH is 6.5. My RO water has 7.0 PH. I use near 1 liter of soil in the external filter ( Akadama Ibaraki Extra-Hart 5,5 - 6.0 PH).
Depends on the soil. I used Akadama before and it didn't lower my PH below 6.5 so that's pretty normal in your case
What PH test kit do you use to measures PH? I have API PH liquid kit that goes to 6 PH and Runbo test strips only goes to 6.4. I would like to measure below 6 PH. Thanks,
I’m using PH pen i’ve got from Amazon
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01CP9Q192/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=AZMWK1JHSLOM2&psc=1
@@ShrimpMania thank you for the quick reply. Do you have calibrate it often?
@@Patrick-ij5gn I do it once a six months or so. If be honest I can't even remember when last time I've checked my PH, I don't do it too often
Ugf are the ancient and pretty "effective" filters there exist, for any life underwater animals. This is true.
I live in the netherlands, and cant find this filter.....
aliexpress heb ik ze gezien 6 euro
is the measurements 15x15x10cm ?
Yes the size of the box
I get the acrylic cut for free when I buy 1 Meter sq sheet cost 58 euro's in Ireland. Then use super glue to stick together.
Nice deal!
Can you link me to the ebay seller who makes the boxes, and the dimension you gave?
ua-cam.com/video/tZh9OO4jbMM/v-deo.html in description of this video
@@ShrimpMania Yeah sorry man it's me again lol. I subbed to your other channel as well.
@@noodles74 good stuff! Appreciate your support!
What type media that i can use for shrimp to maintain ph below 7?..
I use active soil - ADA Amazonia in my filter box to lower ph below 6
@@ShrimpMania will ph will be below 7 even i use media filter?
@@wanmuhddanial media wont lower ph you need to use an active soil
@@ShrimpMania when i put active soil..can i still use media filter? And between amazonia and fluval with one you recommend or can mix it together?
@@wanmuhddanial i have never used fluval soil so cant tell you which is better. Ada Amazonia soil is very good for caridina. Yes you can use media if you want but I believe its not necessary for shrimp in my opinion
Where can we buy this filter?
It all depends where you are but It very easy to make or order. I made them from glass and silicone or you can use acrylic glass
all my setup is from shrimp affairs...and easy to maintain...
It's a great setup indeed
How to order
I'm not selling anything
@@ShrimpMania you should complete one
For me i think the sponge filter is the best since this one cost more , take space, for me it don't look nice , i don't see how it could be better since its socking water from so many layers of soil .
Yes I agree - sponge filter is great and it does great job on filtration. UGF box filter is mostly designed to buffer your water and lower PH by passing the water through the active soil inside the box which makes the water ideal for high end caridina shrimp with little volume of soil inside the tank. If you keep simple shrimps like red crystals or golden bees then they are ok in higher PH and then you don't need this setup and they'll be ok with just a sponge filter.
Is sponge filter+aerator good enough?
Знакомый акцент. 💚
As undergravel?
Where can i buy these cubes? I am from Netherland.
I don't know if be honest, I bought mine on ebay here in the UK. Try to search them on google maybe someone sell them in Netherlands.
@@ShrimpMania I cant find 😞
@@Howitzer09 I'm going to make a video on how to make it from glass and silicone in the near future so maybe you can try to make it yourself
@@ShrimpMania I already do haha. The results are a little bit sad btw 🤣 But its still in beta version.
Does it kill off babys and do you think it would work with using one the covers the hole bottom
Where can I buy this filter box?
I can only recommend to look on google