Under Gravel Filter Rant
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- Just a quick upload , talking about my success with undergravel filters and a catch up with Jen!
This video was inspired by Corey from aquarium Co-op, and also the recent video uploaded by Big fly media!
Worth checking these guys channels out! They go much more in depth with their experiences!
Finally! An advocate for the trusty Under Gravel Filter!
Thirty years ago, all we really had accessible was these and the plastic corner/box filters, and i swear by them. As a kid, I always over-stocked my tanks and had little knowledge of the nitrogen cycle of an aquarium, yet with an under gravel filter and a little box filter stuffed with cheap filter wool, I successfully maintained these tanks for years!
Now, getting back into the hobby after a long break, I'm amazed by how few people use these filters and by the comments I receive when I tell people what I'm doing.
I've just bought an Aqua One Lifestyle 190, and the top/trickle filter looks as good as useless with little means available to beef it up. So, I'm using an undergravel filter beneath a high-bio substrate and a sponge filter in the corner for good measure. Stocked slowly allowing time for the tank to mature, this filtration will be as good as any.
Too many people have fallen into the trap of using disposable cartridge filters because they're "easy" to maintain, at least with these filters you wont throw away your entire cycle in one round of maintenance :)
@@sjarvis4839 Amazon
Me Too! 30 years ago I started with a 55 and UGF, All these years ive keep tanks going and just started looking and nobody uses them, I didn't know the went out of style, I just had a guy at the fish store telling me how they dont work, Ha ha......dumb asses.
Same pinch...20 years back in India .. filter was undergravel by default...plus maybe additional sponge... .it is like Jeep...hardy ..never knew about nitrogen cycle...but most of my fish were healthy...no issues faced
Fantastic video. Thanks for sharing your collection with us. I'm based over in the UK. Currently using an old Algarde U/G filter that was manufactured back in 1984!
Excellent video!!! I have a 125 and I have an UGF, 6 tubes going up for aeration and if any one goes out I do have back with the other 5. Great to see people still using them.
I love heavily planted tanks and i heard that Undergravel filters are the way to go especially since substrate loses it's nutrients etc. overtime and i also heard that the waste passing underneath an UG filter actually helps plants root better and keep them healthy. Will be trying this method soon and i'll be running it with a Box Filter as well for my fish
Ugf, in combination with hob filter makes an excellent tank, crystal clear water after the cycle, tried and true !!!
I've been raising fish for over 40 years and I run undergravel myself, I do use powerheads with mine as air tubes get clogged over time.
I also use over flow filters for the extra benefits and they help clear up the water.
All my chemical levels are always stable and I can't remember the last time I even owned a test kit.
My fish never get sick and I just clean out my filters and vacuum the tank once in awhile. Not bi weekly either. I don't get any of the problems I here about all the time either.
There's a lot of mis information out there. It's nice to see someone talk about this.
I still use undergravel filters in my tank. Considered "old skool" by many, but always found them efficient, they do the job well. They are not that easy to find, nowadays. I prefer the old style plates, not those new style that clip together.
I think your idea (for those who worry about mulm accumulation under the plates) of attaching the syphon tube to the lift tube is an excellent one - I hadn't thought of that before.
I had a turtle for many years and I always struggled to keep the water clean without a lot of maintenance until I set up a 55 gallon aquarium with using a UGF with lava rock for the bottom media. The tank used power heads attached to the UGF tubes and and it also had an off the back filter. I had to leave for college and eventually the Navy but to my surprise the water was always crystal clear and clean even though my mother never did any water changes. The only water that it ever got was from evaporation which would make the off the back filter stop working because the water level would go below the intake and my mother didn’t always fill it back up before I’d visit. Whenever I’d check on the tank, the water was always impeccably clean aside from some algae growing on the glass. The turtle lived with a few goldfish and some crayfish as well as some ghost shrimp. I discovered baby crayfish living underneath the UGF plates, so I never cleaned them out because I didn’t want to disturb their environment. I think that the lava rock combined with the UGF increased it’s efficiency by creating an excellent media for bacteria to grow while also allowing things to pass inbetween the rocks and get underneath the filter where the baby crayfish lived. I probably didn’t have to clean the rocks because the power heads were pretty strong. I imagine that they kept excessive particles from building up underneath the UGF as they would pass back into the water through the power heads where the off the back filter could polish it out. The turtle eventually outgrew the tank and I stopped using it after I built him a pond an put him in the backyard along with the fish.
a tip : watch series at flixzone. Been using them for watching loads of movies recently.
@Karsyn Mayson definitely, been using Flixzone for since december myself =)
@Karsyn Mayson Yea, have been using flixzone for since december myself :)
I agree 100%. The undergravel is an excellent filtration system if it is set up correctly and with a low flow will complete the full nitrogen cycle breaking up even nitrates to nitrogen gas. We need more videos like this to educate hobbyists. Great video. 👍👌👏👏👏
it is. cause of the oxygen moves through the ground. thats where the poop is.
It's a good video, everyone satanizes the plate filters or under gravel but they are the most efficient thing for tropical fish aquariums,
They are the classic car that most want when they see it restored, the new generations seek only the newest and most practical, surprise! in aquarianism, the more risky it is, remember, you have the life of your fish in your hands. Greetings
New does not mean best.
Great video! I never thought of siphoning from a lift tube!
My airpump was built in 1977 and still works!!
Fucker, Ive had to replace mine once a year for 20+ YEARS!
Damn. Does it rattle?
Which one is it?
I worked in a pet shop in the late 70's UGF was all there was or the plastic corner filters. Both worked really well.
Why people hate undergravel filters is beyond me. Undergravel filters are basically set it and forget it. Water changes every 15 days and you are good. they keep water super clean and gravel has some much surface area that no HOB and canister filter will ever match.
I kept fish 20 years ago and under gravel filters were The best thing going, the water was Crystal clear and the fish thrived, i’ve just returned to the hobby and I think after doing research on all the many different types of filters I’m going to go back to the under gravel type, your fish looks absolutely beautiful so you must be doing something right, i’ve watched many of the videos regarding the big fish keepers/ fish rooms, I’m not mentioning no names here but I do feel they are more biased to sell the product and get ratings for their channel, it’s become too commercialised to believe some statements about a certain products, and gullible people get sucked in all the hype, so it’s a pleasure to watch someone who enjoys his hobby, Great video thanks for sharing
UGF with an airpump working all the time. Plus, instead of using a siphon, put a water head connected to one of the tubes, to make water changes and that's all. I've used UGF for 28 years, without tests and had many kinds of fishes ok. African cichlids were the only that I couldn't keep: when I returned from work, the UGF was floating on the surface...🙄
I always used 3 inches of gravel.
Good video! 🐟👍🏻
nice idea for water changes
Maintained properly, undergravel filters will out perform most filters
Ian Ferguson I 100% agree!!
@Tragic trauma biological and mechanical filtration is more important than chemical filtration
Awesome video and very interesting thank you Kurt. I think maybe undergravel filters have been pushed aside by the propaganda of aquarium supply shops and manufacturing companies who want to sell more expensive pumps and filtration systems
Hi what type of gravel and what size do you reccomend for an undergravel filter? Im between 3- 4mm and one thats like 1mm or smaller which is better?
We used them back in the 70s and 80s and I used to neglect mine but it still worked.
Dr. Novak's plenum system works great. Same concept but the water is moved very slowly. The uplift tube is cut to the height of the substrate.
Hey Kurt,.......Looks Like you have Australia's biggest collection of Mint condition UG Filter boxes, Super video Buddy, Well done and Well explained, Subbed :)
colinbarsby thank you ! One day I might do an unboxing on them :) but it's hard to find the time :D
Also Great to meet another Aussie who is also an UG enthusiast, where abouts are you?
I don't think there are many of us left! I'm in NSW :)
I'm guessing you did watch the Majestic Aquariums video?
Yeah I keep up to date with most of the videos they put up :)
I know this video is old, but I am getting ready to covert a 46 gallon bow front back to a UGF and am gonna plant it heavily
Brilliant, thank you!
I just went from an fx5 ( that recently busted) to a huge under gravel filter in my 125gal tank. Literally just made the switch last night tank looked like butt cheeks last night and this morning the water was crystal clear.
I believe a lot of people over maintain their tanks I've done that myself.
I just use an air stone and gravel with a air line and a air pump and that’s it in my 5 gallon tank with 15 fish
The UGF I use is the slotted pipes, not the plates. Have you used that type?
For 40 years I’ve used under gravel with power heads, they are so much better than air flow period
You'll also be told that you can't grow plants with an under gravel filter. Wrong. I ran a 55 gal with angels that were constantly laying eggs and tons of plants. No problems ever.
I have used Lee's for years i run all 4 pipes 2 with power heads and two air lift and i do have a hang on back cause there 125 gallon tanks water 💧 is crystal clear and always within parameters i have 4 tanks set up l8ke this and all been running for years no problems
Hi Kurt, comments are disabled on yr Aqua One Lifystyle video, would love to ask a question 😄 thanks
Hi shad , I have fixed this :)
Unfortunately the ignorant will always try to make things controversial when they've been mind wiped by marketing. Why spend $17 to $100 dollars on a product once and that "never" needs replaced (with the exception of air stones); when instead you can spend $200 to $1000 on a product that cost additional money to maintain, requires addon products, and breaks down completely over time. Behold the power of marketing.
💯 spot on sir.
Couldn't agree more.
When ever I want to polish up the water, I do a water change.
I’ve heard an argument against under water filters that the flow of water through the gravel over oxygenize the roots of live plants causing root rot. Anyone have an opinion on this?
it is a crazy thing to think that the air oxygenates only the roots, but oxygen is found in all the water that contains the fish tank, draw your own conclusions good day
Almost all aquatic plant farms use undergravel filtration.
I love this video
Darcys Pets thank you !
cheers Kurt
That looks like hornwort. That triggers my PSD.
I think it might actually be cabomba
vertical video syndrome
I don’t like that shit
When I started the hobby we didn’t have hanging on backs or canisters we had to stick with this shit
The good thing is the hobby evolved in not riding a 80s year old car they god obsolete that’s why I don’t want these filters anymore
I think there is only one reason they are controversial. it's the only fishtank filters you can get that's actually Made in America. The anti americanism is insane.
Is that legitimately the best explanation you can imagine?
@@VinylUnboxings So far it's better than the one you are offering. Show me your genius big boy! The reasons to be against them have proven to be irrational and not based in reality.
@@fraudsarentfriends4717 I didn't offer an alternative yet. First I would point out that you can buy Made In America sponge filters if you actually check. Second, it just seems like reductionist thinking to assume there's only one reason. The general shift from electronics manufacturing moving largely to Asia is much less about feelings towards America and much more about a capitalistic pursuit over lower labor costs.
It's really interesting to see someone use Anti-American victimization to explain something as simple as "people in China will make it for less money".
Is there _any_ other tangible evidence of anti-americanism?
@@VinylUnboxings It's interesting to see someone get so worked up about the comment. Must have hit the nail on the head.
Sorry, There's no such thing as capitalism in a country that lacks democracy. They must be pursuing something else besides capitalism.
I Haven't seen those made in U.S. sponge filters either. Certainly not at the LFS
@@fraudsarentfriends4717 You absolutely can have capitalism in a country with a democracy. For example, the USA is and has been a republic. What definition of capitalism are you using?
And well, you can always Google it my friend
Undergravel filters are the best the other filters are just to suck your wallet dry
5200%
Anyone filming a UA-cam video in portait mode isn't worth watching. You've got nothing to say.
It's funny how fan boyish People get over UGF... Here's my problem with them and why i will never use one again if your power head or air pump dies and you aren't around or don't realize in time fish will die in that ammonia death box. With a HOB or canister you get more time to see your filtration has stopped because you have taken the gunk out of the water, so for me a UGF is an unnecessary risk i won't take anymore plus cleaning them is more hassle.
So what filtration system does not depend on electricity?
Wouldn't the UGF be better in this situation? No loss of siphon, if the power goes out - the filtration will start immediately once the power goes back on. With an HOB filter nothing is going to happen until you get around to restarting the filter.
Your bacteria count is all in the gravel and that is huge compared to any canister, and it will restart when power is restored, The real reason i run one is because they are cost free to run, no canister crap to buy.
@@stclairstclair The bacteria is on every surface in your tank and filter not just your gravel but that's not the point i was making, The waste is in the bottom of your tank it isn't being removed even with a gravel vac eventually your plates will clog, not a problem i have to face with an easy to clean canister or HOB.
Lets be real if you can't afford to buy the proper equipment for your aquariums to keep your fish healthy you really shouldn't be in the hobby...
@@paulmasters8666I have glass on the bottom of my tank, I can just look to see if you're wrong.....yes you are wrong.
" if you can't afford to buy the proper equipment for your aquariums to keep your fish healthy you really shouldn't be in the hobby" signed a millennial who spends a thousand buck on each smart phone. what ever.