I used to do this in the 70's in my 55 gal. I was a kid, unplanted tank with standard gravel. I ran my canister's full output, split between the two stacks. Provided pleanty of flow and used the entire gravel base as a biological filter while keeping waste and food from settling in deeply, to be picked up by the intake. Never used any other filter, water changes were rarely needed and water was always crystal clear. Retired now and researching for a future fish room and breeding. Good to see that some folks have figured out what this dum kid did. Lol. And thanks for reminding me that it has benifits even in todays high tech tanks.
@@raisinggoldfishonabudget7058 Yes, you heard right, depending on the tank being planted or unplanted, it can run full strength on suction, or the slow reverse flow that I use.
LOL.......You are Too Kind,.......... it runs pretty well, I appreciate the complement. Do you watch Tropictank? those I think are the Best on the Internet.
Yes, this is a system Eheim were making and selling way back in the 1980's, a slow moving plenum. All I did was buy it, use it, and have never looked back 😊
Just found you... subbed etc. As an avid old school tropical guy (had to sell up my 3 large tanks after split with ex etc) I made my own custom under gravel plates, specifically designed for my tank and its driftwood and rocks that I spent 3 years perfecting. 6×2.5×2.5 tank...12mm glass was my main. I had 86 fish and a few invertebrates in that tank, 25 different species of fish, and a freshwater mud crab about 40mm across. Even under this load, I had bumble been gobies breading, and many others trying. I had 4 filters on the tank in summer, 3 in winter. Im in the sub tropics, so hot weather can be a pain. I acclimatised my tank to 26 to 28 degrees over time, and used sea salt to help with disease etc. I got it working well. Canister fluval fairly large, with a foam filter in one corner and rain bar outlet. Another foam filter with its outlet under the gravel to my designed plate...reverse flow. And a skimmer filter. My 4th was a ceramic and foam unit i added in summer, with an incorporated a cooling coil for really hot days. This lifted all debris up from the gravel, and the water circulation was made to bring it to the foam filters via wood and rock placement.
@@AussieAquatic ah...there you are. Lol. Yes. Water quality was extremely important. But what i enjoyed was giving each species a home amongst all the population
Zak Rafik I dont think so man. But I do get that every once in a while. Some guy called me Kyle a few months back and was convinced I was lying to him when I told him my name. Then he followed me around Wal-Mart hahaha true story .. What's up buddy
Opp! sorry. My bad. You remind me of a FB buddy of mine. Good day sir...... :-D He runs this awesome UA-cam channel. You should definitely check it out. ua-cam.com/channels/D89dCgwBI3GbEUjESOSD4g.html?&ab_channel=AQUANUT
It is an interesting subject. ADA are masters at growing live plants, and they do put substrate directly on the tank bottom, but, they also recommend adding "Power Sand" at the bottom. This is pumice, highly porous volcanic rock, to reduce compaction as clay substrates dissolve over time, and enable complex microbiota to flourish and keep the substrate healthy.
@@AussieAquatic yes plants can do very well in dirttanks but also with anoxic bottom and you can have a higher bioload plus anoxic conditions in substrate also reduse phosfates so lesser algae..I have learn a lot lissening to Kevin Novac on youtube re this subject
Hi Colin, I recently came across a forum post in which reverse UG filter is discussed. I’ll try to find the thread and post the link here. Btw, if one uses the ADA style of using pumice stones/lava rocks at the bottom and topped up with AquaSoil, this function almost close to a plenum. Of course the down side is, that system costs many times more.
I think a long term viable/healthy substrate is the foundation of a planted tank, and many great minds have given it a lot of thought. I loved those flowers too, they are New Guinea Impatiens. Glorious looking tropical plants. :)
Hi Colin, I am going after many years back to aquarist. I am very happy to find your video. You said that on the bottom of the pipe is just a few little holes. Do you need it to make this adjustment by your self? or this is how you buy it ready?
Hi, the original system as shown in the thumbnail picture, was designed and made by the Eheim company in Germany. I bought their canister filter and reverse flow Undergravel system back in the 1980's. Their system is modular and quite ingenious in design. They had a round plastic plug that fits perfectly into the bottom of the uplift tube. You then push out preformed dots, 1 hole per 10 gals of aquarium. That seals the base of the uplift tube and creates the very small water flow rate that will flow underneath your aquarium substrate. It is only a small amount, but it guarantees the substrate will never turn totally anaerobic and poisonous. In the years since, I now make my own very crude and simple copy of their design. I'm about to make another one, so I'll video it step by step and show you exactly.
Colin, boss! Your planted tanks are amazing! If it were ok, could help to clarify just 2 inquiry of mine? Qn. 1) Will a regular flow system (down the UGF plates & up the uplift tube) work as well as your reverse flow UG? Qn. 2) Will a moderately higher flow-rate as opposed to trickle achieve similar optimal results in creating anoxic zones condusive for healthy substrate climate? Thank you so much, Colin!
Excellent questions!! 1) your fish load and fish size make a difference here. 2) it is a fact that modern aquasoil in an aquarium will grow plants like crazy. Best with only a minimum number of fish. 3) the U/G lets you keep some extra number of fish. 4) the U/G can run normally and just very slowly, to do a great job. It doesn't have to run fast if you have another filter to handle the water (HOB or canister) 5) I always run an external filter, so I never need to run the U/G fast.
@@AussieAquatic What I don't understand is, if it doesn't need a fast flow, why not just use the traditional air bubble method ahead of a massively expensive filter? OR, was sound the bigger reasoning here?
The classic method does have a sucking effect of pulling organic matter down into the gravel as it decomposes, which can be a drawback over time as it builds up. When growing lots of plants that means gravel vacuuming is not practical. At a low flow rate though, it can still work really well for long periods of time. So the answer is, that classic can still work well. The benefit of reverse flow, is just that no organics are "pulled down" and there is no compaction of the substrate.
Hi Colin , I have a 29 Gal. with a small ehiem,and a hob filter. I would like to try your method. What do you use for a substrate? What plants should I use to start up? I do have a bag of ADA soil. And of course a UG filter . do you use CO2 ? I have it set up now with pebble gravel and no CO2. not much sucess with stem plants ?
Hi Scott, Thanks for the questions. Good news with Stem plants, they don't really care what you do in the substrate. They really only want good lighting (number of lights & hours per day) + fertilizer. Root feeding plants is where the substrate kicks in. The UG system needs fine gravel (2 - 3 mm size) for roots to really grip into and allow slow water movement. The gravel gives plants no nutrients, but within the gravel, a vigorous microbiota will compost organic nutrients from fish poop, becoming quite fertile in a few months. Add root tabs to maintain minerals. Aquasoils will work, but they dissolve into mud over 18 months or more, which clogs the UG system and stops it from working (so complete tank restart needed) Aquasoils are so good at fertilizing root feeding plants that they are fine to use on their own, and just replace every couple of years. The UG system with fine gravel can simply go much longer, since the gravel never breaks down, just vacuum and add new root tabs. Yes, I am CO2 equipped, but I'm using it only intermittently
It works fantastically. The canister filter returns 95% of the water directly back to the aquarium tank, and only 5% of the return water is used to create a positive pressure under the UG tray. The slow flow of water to the underneath of the substrate is very beneficial to growing healthy beneficial bacteria, which keeps the whole aquarium healthy.
@@AussieAquatic That's good news. It's the most effective filtration I've ever used but decided to get rid of it simply because I couldn't keep the gravel out of it. We get three flywire in aluminium and stainless steel and I guess either of them should work for an aquarium?
@@shaneferdz82 Fibreglass must be available online, it's way cheaper and doesn't react to water, aluminium would worry me as it dissolves in water over time. S/S is fine but pricey.
How do you have your substrate set up? Layers or multiple types? My recent struggles are trying to figure out how to keep roots happy with an UG filtration system.
There are easier and harder plants to keep happy. UG Trays work best with inert gravel, and root tabs. Plants do better as some organic waste builds up with it. Gravel lasts forever and can be deep vacuumed between rescapes. Slow water flow is important. The best plant substrates available, are modern aqua-soils. Plants LOVE them!!! They can be used over an UG Tray (must be slow flow) and it does work very well, but the aqua-soils dissolve slowly into mud, blocking the system. It works for up to 2 years, then pull down, clean-up and restart. Whichever way you go, regular liquid fertiliser dosing is a must. :)
Great questions. I would clean the front glass a little, every 1 - 2 weeks, not much to really see, but I still wipe it down with a magic sponge. I don't vacuum. I change 20% of the water each week. 🙂
Do you have a link or a parts list on how you set this up? I feel I have the idea but I also want the info from someone who has done such a good job at it!!
Very Sorry Cameron. I've been tossing over how to present this better as a video, but I've been side tracked with it. I will get there and link it to this comment for you. Until then, you have 2 simple variations. 1) A single power filter (Internal or External) which collects water/filters it/and the filtered water return is split 90% back into the tank/ 10% into the top of an Undergravel uplift tube which rises ABOVE the water level. In this version (with or without a flow valve) that can control a slow flowrate to the Undergravel uplift, it's not super important to modify the common/basic Undergravel system other than have a tall enough uplift tube to rise above the water surface. 2) Multiple power filters, where 1 or more specialise on filtering the water only, and 1 power filter supplies the Undergravel system exclusively, without splitting the return water flow. 100% of this flow goes into the top of the Undergravel uplift tube ABOVE the water level. In this variation, we don't want all that flow pouring down underneath the substrate, it will be Too Much for the plant roots to work properly. For this version, we find some flat plastic of any type, drill 1x2mm hole for each 10 gals of tank capacity/cut it to size to cover/block the base of the uplift tube. Glue in place with silicone. Install the uplift with the modified/restricted base in desired position. The full flow of the power filter can be sent into the top of the modified uplift (which is a 1/2 inch/10mm above the water level) which will mostly overflow into the aquarium, and only a restricted flow will actually go under the substrate.
@@AussieAquatic I've heard it said that thick layers of substrate break down harmful detritus better, regardless of use of an ug system. Is there any truth to that?
@AussieAquatic : I am so sorry but I don't understand ...you run it sometimes and just let it go on other occasions? May I know why you do this please?
Hi colin quick question do you still do a small water change as i was wondering how you clean your external filter foams? As you shouldn't use tap water to clean them,thanks
Hi, yes my water changes are always small, each week, around 20% only, but I still have enough water from that to swish my filter media in when I rinse it. My filter is "cleaned" around every 2 - 3 months and the goal is to rinse off excess "mud" but not to remove everything.
@@AussieAquatic thanks for the reply, ive just started watching your channel and saw your water change video today. Nice idea with the container having the tap. Looking forward to more viewing.
Hi I am reading about RUGF system and found that the flow must be slow to success with this system, do you know how to make the common power head (eheim product is rare and very expensive because they are imported in my country) flow slower ? Thank you
I did make my own DIY RUGF system by copying the Eheim idea of blocking the UG uplift tube that the water travels through. At the bottom of the uplift tube, cut a piece of hard plastic to fit inside and make 1 hole per 10 gals of the tank size. The hole is only 2mm diameter. When the common power head is pushing water into the top of the uplift tube, most water will simply overflow back into the tank, but a small amount will travel through the little holes you made, under the UG tray into the substrate from underneath. That is how to slow down the flow :)
As often as I can. I like to run an aquarium substrate as a biological digester, that is to say, we harness the power of microorganisms to harmlessly breakdown the solid fish wastes.
We don't. The canister filter collects a lot of solid waste, which is removed every 2 months. The solids that accumulate on the substrate are broken down naturally by decomposition and feed the plants. It is very similar to a Dirted tank and is not vacuumed. Fish waste doesn't accumulate under the Undergravel plate. This is a very low maintenance system.
Thanks colinbarsby. Did you connect the Canister filter to UGF? . I dont know much about Cabnister filters and wondering how such a filter can collect all the dirt at the bottom. I used a UGF before and noted lots of sludge (kind of) collecting under UGF after a 6+ minths, so I inserted a tube undeneath the UGF filter to clear all the waster/suldge.
Yes, the canister filter is joined to the UG system. In this reverse flow method, the water is feeding into the UG tray and moving up, NOT sucking down. So fish solid waste does not get pulled under the tray.
Thx Colinbarsby. Substrates/soil above UGF are very fine grained or less porus - so how can we ensure water is moving up from UGH and through substrate? For the benefit of everyone who loves your system, could you kindly post a schematic diagram of the reverse UGF you use pls. I personally can provide my email address if you are having difficulties to post on the youTube. Thx in advance.
Good questions. Soil should not be used above an UGF plate. All the good Aquasoils for growing plants are porous baked clays and work the best. Water movement is not the big thing to worry over. As long as new filtered water is being passed into the cavity under the substrate, this zone will never turn anaerobic and poisonous. That is the important thing. Then 2 very powerful processes work for you, DIFFUSION and OSMOSIS. These processes are what will grow your plant roots, not the UGF water movement. Diffusion and osmosis are what spreads and equalises the chemical molecules of dissolved gases, metals and minerals.
Adding CO2 will accelerate growth. Dramatically. Then you will find the plant needs extra nutrients to go with the extra speed of growth. This is where plant fertiliser dosing goes hand in hand with adding CO2. Not difficult once you get into it.
colinbarsby so the key is bring oxygen slowly to the substrate to avoid anaerobic conditions but not too much as plant roots don’t want too much. Also the water pumped below, wouldn’t that be a more direct transport method for nitrate to the roots?
Absolutely summed it up. Best to think of it as very slow water circulation, rather than actual filtration. However the bottom substrate becomes so biologically active, that it is a highly effective septic tank system, which enables great plant growth. Nitrate is not the plants preferred nitrogen source, but rather they "steal" it as anoxic bacteria break it apart in chemical reduction reactions.
colinbarsby colinbarsby Fascinating. I never had success with planted tanks partly cause I don’t like to use fert tabs or CO2. So most of my submerged plants died. I chose to go with aquaponics which is essentially the same function but with non-submerged plants (pothos, bamboo, etc). My tanks are bare bottom or with laid tile for easy clean up. But I’d love to build a no maintenance planted tank. Your technique is really intriguing. Do you do any water changes? How do you balance the bio load versus plant load?
You can have a number of plants without substrate in a tank. If you want bare bottom, you can grow all the floating types. Indian/lace fern, water sprite, frogbit, azolla, lemna, foxtail/hornwort, etc. Also, you can use removable/movable containers with plants. I have seen some fantastic planted containers in bare bottom tanks. The important difference with a substrate planted tank, is that "poop" accumulates, so it is the opposite to how bare bottom tank systems operate. Bacteria are now more important than the fish, and the better the bacteria culture, the healthier the fish and plants are. Yes, we still change water, and my tank operates better with regular small changes. If you watch more planted tank videos, you see that plants do better with less fish, and better with smaller fish. But the Bio load is something you can play with, more fish means more water change volume.
@@AussieAquatic Hi Colin, I have had a look for eheim reverse flow under gravel filters available in Oz, but they don't seem to be sold anymore. Do you have any info on how to make a copy that would be both easy to make and work reliably for many years?
@@peterkruger9986 Hi Peter, I have made my own version of the Eheim canister joined to a cheap and simple UG system and I'll upload the video very soon :)
AMAZING!😊👍
Number 1 view. You are the First Place winner!!!!
colinbarsby THANKS!😋
I used to do this in the 70's in my 55 gal. I was a kid, unplanted tank with standard gravel. I ran my canister's full output, split between the two stacks. Provided pleanty of flow and used the entire gravel base as a biological filter while keeping waste and food from settling in deeply, to be picked up by the intake. Never used any other filter, water changes were rarely needed and water was always crystal clear. Retired now and researching for a future fish room and breeding. Good to see that some folks have figured out what this dum kid did. Lol. And thanks for reminding me that it has benifits even in todays high tech tanks.
Hi Ray, great to hear from another hobbyist having success with old fashioned ways of doing things. Also great to hear you're getting back into it ☺☺
@@AussieAquatic did I hear you right? you have a canister filter hooked
up to a under gravel filter system? I was wondering if that could be done.
@@raisinggoldfishonabudget7058 Yes, you heard right, depending on the tank being planted or unplanted, it can run full strength on suction, or the slow reverse flow that I use.
@@AussieAquaticHow do you set it up full strength on Suction?
Nice
There is no argument....you have the best planted tank on the internet. I am jealous.
LOL.......You are Too Kind,.......... it runs pretty well, I appreciate the complement. Do you watch Tropictank? those I think are the Best on the Internet.
Came from Dr Novak's vid that you commented on. Found the system he mentioned about you. Keep up the good work
Yes, this is a system Eheim were making and selling way back in the 1980's, a slow moving plenum. All I did was buy it, use it, and have never looked back 😊
the growth of the plants is awesome! very nice
Thx my friend :)
Just found you... subbed etc.
As an avid old school tropical guy (had to sell up my 3 large tanks after split with ex etc) I made my own custom under gravel plates, specifically designed for my tank and its driftwood and rocks that I spent 3 years perfecting. 6×2.5×2.5 tank...12mm glass was my main.
I had 86 fish and a few invertebrates in that tank, 25 different species of fish, and a freshwater mud crab about 40mm across.
Even under this load, I had bumble been gobies breading, and many others trying. I had 4 filters on the tank in summer, 3 in winter. Im in the sub tropics, so hot weather can be a pain. I acclimatised my tank to 26 to 28 degrees over time, and used sea salt to help with disease etc. I got it working well.
Canister fluval fairly large, with a foam filter in one corner and rain bar outlet. Another foam filter with its outlet under the gravel to my designed plate...reverse flow. And a skimmer filter. My 4th was a ceramic and foam unit i added in summer, with an incorporated a cooling coil for really hot days.
This lifted all debris up from the gravel, and the water circulation was made to bring it to the foam filters via wood and rock placement.
What a Huge tank.....
And Super Well Filtered 🙂👍🏻
Happy Bacteria......Happy Fish.
@@AussieAquatic ah...there you are. Lol. Yes. Water quality was extremely important. But what i enjoyed was giving each species a home amongst all the population
Nice man, the tank looks great
Thankyou kind sir. Appreciate you watching.
No problem man
Hmmmm. @aqua nut.....you look familiar...do we know each other?....hahaha :-D
Zak Rafik I dont think so man. But I do get that every once in a while. Some guy called me Kyle a few months back and was convinced I was lying to him when I told him my name. Then he followed me around Wal-Mart hahaha true story .. What's up buddy
Opp! sorry. My bad. You remind me of a FB buddy of mine. Good day sir...... :-D He runs this awesome UA-cam channel. You should definitely check it out. ua-cam.com/channels/D89dCgwBI3GbEUjESOSD4g.html?&ab_channel=AQUANUT
this is vital info,never substrate directly on the tank .bottom.
It is an interesting subject.
ADA are masters at growing live plants, and they do put substrate directly on the tank bottom, but, they also recommend adding "Power Sand" at the bottom.
This is pumice, highly porous volcanic rock, to reduce compaction as clay substrates dissolve over time, and enable complex microbiota to flourish and keep the substrate healthy.
@@AussieAquatic yes plants can do very well in dirttanks but also with anoxic bottom and you can have a higher bioload plus anoxic conditions in substrate also reduse phosfates so lesser algae..I have learn a lot lissening to Kevin Novac on youtube re this subject
@@AussieAquatic the porous rock probably create anoxic condition my guess
I set up my 20 gal high tank with reverse flow UG. And its thriving. I also have a hob.
Great news Greg. I think it's always best to have a dedicated water filter running at the same time as an UG system.
Hi Colin, I recently came across a forum post in which reverse UG filter is discussed. I’ll try to find the thread and post the link here.
Btw, if one uses the ADA style of using pumice stones/lava rocks at the bottom and topped up with AquaSoil, this function almost close to a plenum. Of course the down side is, that system costs many times more.
Thx Zak, Armano spoke often about how he searched for years to create the ideal substrate. It is the foundation of a planted tank, so very important.
Awesome content & very educational. Just subbed to your channel.
Thankyou very much. Welcome Aboard :)
Hey Colin thank you for the great info :) I loved those red flowers (top of the aquarium) are those live plants?
I think a long term viable/healthy substrate is the foundation of a planted tank, and many great minds have given it a lot of thought. I loved those flowers too, they are New Guinea Impatiens. Glorious looking tropical plants. :)
They are amazing, you can use them for terrarium setup too ; )
I have to admit, I love the look of a tropical planted vivarium. They are all perfect partners. Aquariums, vivariums and terrariums.
Hi Colin, I am going after many years back to aquarist. I am very happy to find your video. You said that on the bottom of the pipe is just a few little holes. Do you need it to make this adjustment by your self? or this is how you buy it ready?
Hi, the original system as shown in the thumbnail picture, was designed and made by the Eheim company in Germany. I bought their canister filter and reverse flow Undergravel system back in the 1980's. Their system is modular and quite ingenious in design. They had a round plastic plug that fits perfectly into the bottom of the uplift tube. You then push out preformed dots, 1 hole per 10 gals of aquarium. That seals the base of the uplift tube and creates the very small water flow rate that will flow underneath your aquarium substrate. It is only a small amount, but it guarantees the substrate will never turn totally anaerobic and poisonous.
In the years since, I now make my own very crude and simple copy of their design.
I'm about to make another one, so I'll video it step by step and show you exactly.
@@AussieAquatic perfect thank you very much for answer. I will also order me this underhgravel system🤗
Colin, boss! Your planted tanks are amazing! If it were ok, could help to clarify just 2 inquiry of mine? Qn. 1) Will a regular flow system (down the UGF plates & up the uplift tube) work as well as your reverse flow UG? Qn. 2) Will a moderately higher flow-rate as opposed to trickle achieve similar optimal results in creating anoxic zones condusive for healthy substrate climate? Thank you so much, Colin!
Excellent questions!!
1) your fish load and fish size make a difference here.
2) it is a fact that modern aquasoil in an aquarium will grow plants like crazy. Best with only a minimum number of fish.
3) the U/G lets you keep some extra number of fish.
4) the U/G can run normally and just very slowly, to do a great job. It doesn't have to run fast if you have another filter to handle the water (HOB or canister)
5) I always run an external filter, so I never need to run the U/G fast.
@@AussieAquatic Great! Thanks, boss. Wishing you success in your planted tank endeavors! 😉👍
@@Z4U3398 you're welcome 👍
@@AussieAquatic What I don't understand is, if it doesn't need a fast flow, why not just use the traditional air bubble method ahead of a massively expensive filter? OR, was sound the bigger reasoning here?
Thanks for this rare information! Do you think reverse underwater filter is more efficient than the classic method with low flow obviously...?
Cheers
The classic method does have a sucking effect of pulling organic matter down into the gravel as it decomposes, which can be a drawback over time as it builds up. When growing lots of plants that means gravel vacuuming is not practical.
At a low flow rate though, it can still work really well for long periods of time. So the answer is, that classic can still work well. The benefit of reverse flow, is just that no organics are "pulled down" and there is no compaction of the substrate.
Please excuse my ignorance, but which way does the water flow? Away from the substrate or towards it? Thanks.
water is pushed slowly under the substrate, which then moves up through the substrate back into the tank, so from the bottom to the top.
@@AussieAquatic Thank you for explaining it. I am very interested in the concept. How does it affect plants planted in the substrate?
Good idea ! Like ! :)
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Hi Colin , I have a 29 Gal. with a small ehiem,and a hob filter. I would like to try your method. What do you use for a substrate? What plants should I use to start up? I do have a bag of ADA soil. And of course a UG filter . do you use CO2 ? I have it set up now with pebble gravel and no CO2. not much sucess with stem plants ?
Hi Scott,
Thanks for the questions.
Good news with Stem plants, they don't really care what you do in the substrate. They really only want good lighting (number of lights & hours per day) + fertilizer.
Root feeding plants is where the substrate kicks in.
The UG system needs fine gravel (2 - 3 mm size) for roots to really grip into and allow slow water movement. The gravel gives plants no nutrients, but within the gravel, a vigorous microbiota will compost organic nutrients from fish poop, becoming quite fertile in a few months. Add root tabs to maintain minerals.
Aquasoils will work, but they dissolve into mud over 18 months or more, which clogs the UG system and stops it from working (so complete tank restart needed)
Aquasoils are so good at fertilizing root feeding plants that they are fine to use on their own, and just replace every couple of years.
The UG system with fine gravel can simply go much longer, since the gravel never breaks down, just vacuum and add new root tabs.
Yes, I am CO2 equipped, but I'm using it only intermittently
Nice vid
Thanks for watching.
so weird this system , isnt it supposed to pull tank water into the ugf ? not using canister water to pump into it
It works fantastically.
The canister filter returns 95% of the water directly back to the aquarium tank, and only 5% of the return water is used to create a positive pressure under the UG tray.
The slow flow of water to the underneath of the substrate is very beneficial to growing healthy beneficial bacteria, which keeps the whole aquarium healthy.
Hey Colin, that's an interesting setup. Was just wondering how you keep the tiny substrate from getting under the UG filter mesh?
Great question Shane, I put a sheet of fibreglass flywire mesh over the U/G Tray. Problem solved :)
@@AussieAquatic That's good news. It's the most effective filtration I've ever used but decided to get rid of it simply because I couldn't keep the gravel out of it. We get three flywire in aluminium and stainless steel and I guess either of them should work for an aquarium?
@@shaneferdz82 Fibreglass must be available online, it's way cheaper and doesn't react to water, aluminium would worry me as it dissolves in water over time. S/S is fine but pricey.
@@AussieAquatic Thank you Colin :)
I have seachem fluorite black sand....could I use this system if use an under gravel tray?
Sand is always tough to combine with UG trays, even when you put a sheet of fiberglass fly screen mesh. So, regular flourite yes, the sand not really.
How do you have your substrate set up? Layers or multiple types? My recent struggles are trying to figure out how to keep roots happy with an UG filtration system.
There are easier and harder plants to keep happy.
UG Trays work best with inert gravel, and root tabs. Plants do better as some organic waste builds up with it.
Gravel lasts forever and can be deep vacuumed between rescapes.
Slow water flow is important.
The best plant substrates available, are modern aqua-soils. Plants LOVE them!!!
They can be used over an UG Tray (must be slow flow) and it does work very well, but the aqua-soils dissolve slowly into mud, blocking the system. It works for up to 2 years, then pull down, clean-up and restart.
Whichever way you go, regular liquid fertiliser dosing is a must. :)
How often do you clean glass ,vacuum and change water?
Great questions.
I would clean the front glass a little, every 1 - 2 weeks, not much to really see, but I still wipe it down with a magic sponge.
I don't vacuum.
I change 20% of the water each week. 🙂
Do you have a link or a parts list on how you set this up? I feel I have the idea but I also want the info from someone who has done such a good job at it!!
I will get something together for you, give me a few days :)
Colin Barsby thank you so much !!!
Very Sorry Cameron. I've been tossing over how to present this better as a video, but I've been side tracked with it. I will get there and link it to this comment for you.
Until then, you have 2 simple variations.
1) A single power filter (Internal or External) which collects water/filters it/and the filtered water return is split 90% back into the tank/ 10% into the top of an Undergravel uplift tube which rises ABOVE the water level.
In this version (with or without a flow valve) that can control a slow flowrate to the Undergravel uplift, it's not super important to modify the common/basic Undergravel system other than have a tall enough uplift tube to rise above the water surface.
2) Multiple power filters, where 1 or more specialise on filtering the water only, and 1 power filter supplies the Undergravel system exclusively, without splitting the return water flow. 100% of this flow goes into the top of the Undergravel uplift tube ABOVE the water level. In this variation, we don't want all that flow pouring down underneath the substrate, it will be Too Much for the plant roots to work properly.
For this version, we find some flat plastic of any type, drill 1x2mm hole for each 10 gals of tank capacity/cut it to size to cover/block the base of the uplift tube. Glue in place with silicone.
Install the uplift with the modified/restricted base in desired position.
The full flow of the power filter can be sent into the top of the modified uplift (which is a 1/2 inch/10mm above the water level) which will mostly overflow into the aquarium, and only a restricted flow will actually go under the substrate.
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Have you tried this with sand? How do you think that would work?
Sand compacts, so very problematic. If sand is desired for cosmetic effect, just use it alone in thin layers, 1 - 2 cm deep only.
@@AussieAquatic I've heard it said that thick layers of substrate break down harmful detritus better, regardless of use of an ug system. Is there any truth to that?
Hi ...do you inject co2 into your tank?
I do have a pressurized CO2 system which I use half of the time, on and off during the year.
@AussieAquatic : I am so sorry but I don't understand ...you run it sometimes and just let it go on other occasions? May I know why you do this please?
Hi colin quick question do you still do a small water change as i was wondering how you clean your external filter foams? As you shouldn't use tap water to clean them,thanks
Hi, yes my water changes are always small, each week, around 20% only, but I still have enough water from that to swish my filter media in when I rinse it. My filter is "cleaned" around every 2 - 3 months and the goal is to rinse off excess "mud" but not to remove everything.
@@AussieAquatic thanks for the reply, ive just started watching your channel and saw your water change video today. Nice idea with the container having the tap. Looking forward to more viewing.
Hi I am reading about RUGF system and found that the flow must be slow to success with this system, do you know how to make the common power head (eheim product is rare and very expensive because they are imported in my country) flow slower ? Thank you
I did make my own DIY RUGF system by copying the Eheim idea of blocking the UG uplift tube that the water travels through.
At the bottom of the uplift tube, cut a piece of hard plastic to fit inside and make 1 hole per 10 gals of the tank size. The hole is only 2mm diameter.
When the common power head is pushing water into the top of the uplift tube, most water will simply overflow back into the tank, but a small amount will travel through the little holes you made, under the UG tray into the substrate from underneath.
That is how to slow down the flow :)
@@AussieAquatic Ah I understand now, I think you already mentioned about this before, thank you very much!
So im still learning about keeping a planted tank. how do you graven vac around such dense plant growth without accidentally pulling the plants out?
We don't gravel vacuum planted tanks. Water movement carries dirt along until it is caught by our power filters.
Ah ok thank you that saves me a LOT of work.
Hi Colin, do you set up all your tanks using this under gravel filter method?
As often as I can. I like to run an aquarium substrate as a biological digester, that is to say, we harness the power of microorganisms to harmlessly breakdown the solid fish wastes.
how do you clean fish dirt at the bottom and trapped under the undergravel filter?
We don't. The canister filter collects a lot of solid waste, which is removed every 2 months. The solids that accumulate on the substrate are broken down naturally by decomposition and feed the plants. It is very similar to a Dirted tank and is not vacuumed. Fish waste doesn't accumulate under the Undergravel plate. This is a very low maintenance system.
Thanks colinbarsby. Did you connect the Canister filter to UGF? . I dont know much about Cabnister filters and wondering how such a filter can collect all the dirt at the bottom. I used a UGF before and noted lots of sludge (kind of) collecting under UGF after a 6+ minths, so I inserted a tube undeneath the UGF filter to clear all the waster/suldge.
Yes, the canister filter is joined to the UG system. In this reverse flow method, the water is feeding into the UG tray and moving up, NOT sucking down. So fish solid waste does not get pulled under the tray.
Thx Colinbarsby. Substrates/soil above UGF are very fine grained or less porus - so how can we ensure water is moving up from UGH and through substrate? For the benefit of everyone who loves your system, could you kindly post a schematic diagram of the reverse UGF you use pls. I personally can provide my email address if you are having difficulties to post on the youTube. Thx in advance.
Good questions. Soil should not be used above an UGF plate. All the good Aquasoils for growing plants are porous baked clays and work the best. Water movement is not the big thing to worry over. As long as new filtered water is being passed into the cavity under the substrate, this zone will never turn anaerobic and poisonous. That is the important thing. Then 2 very powerful processes work for you, DIFFUSION and OSMOSIS. These processes are what will grow your plant roots, not the UGF water movement. Diffusion and osmosis are what spreads and equalises the chemical molecules of dissolved gases, metals and minerals.
Do you run Co2 on this tank?
Yes I do. Check out my videos in my CO2 playlists.
What about CO2 for plants?
Adding CO2 will accelerate growth. Dramatically. Then you will find the plant needs extra nutrients to go with the extra speed of growth. This is where plant fertiliser dosing goes hand in hand with adding CO2. Not difficult once you get into it.
colinbarsby so the key is bring oxygen slowly to the substrate to avoid anaerobic conditions but not too much as plant roots don’t want too much. Also the water pumped below, wouldn’t that be a more direct transport method for nitrate to the roots?
Absolutely summed it up. Best to think of it as very slow water circulation, rather than actual filtration. However the bottom substrate becomes so biologically active, that it is a highly effective septic tank system, which enables great plant growth. Nitrate is not the plants preferred nitrogen source, but rather they "steal" it as anoxic bacteria break it apart in chemical reduction reactions.
colinbarsby colinbarsby Fascinating. I never had success with planted tanks partly cause I don’t like to use fert tabs or CO2. So most of my submerged plants died. I chose to go with aquaponics which is essentially the same function but with non-submerged plants (pothos, bamboo, etc). My tanks are bare bottom or with laid tile for easy clean up. But I’d love to build a no maintenance planted tank. Your technique is really intriguing. Do you do any water changes? How do you balance the bio load versus plant load?
You can have a number of plants without substrate in a tank.
If you want bare bottom, you can grow all the floating types. Indian/lace fern, water sprite, frogbit, azolla, lemna, foxtail/hornwort, etc.
Also, you can use removable/movable containers with plants. I have seen some fantastic planted containers in bare bottom tanks.
The important difference with a substrate planted tank, is that "poop" accumulates, so it is the opposite to how bare bottom tank systems operate.
Bacteria are now more important than the fish, and the better the bacteria culture, the healthier the fish and plants are.
Yes, we still change water, and my tank operates better with regular small changes.
If you watch more planted tank videos, you see that plants do better with less fish, and better with smaller fish. But the Bio load is something you can play with, more fish means more water change volume.
Do they still sell these?
Maybe. They are very over engineered, which makes them very expensive. The system is easy to copy at a much lower price.
@@AussieAquatic Hi Colin, I have had a look for eheim reverse flow under gravel filters available in Oz, but they don't seem to be sold anymore. Do you have any info on how to make a copy that would be both easy to make and work reliably for many years?
@@peterkruger9986 Hi Peter, I have made my own version of the Eheim canister joined to a cheap and simple UG system and I'll upload the video very soon :)
What is the purpose of the annoying noise that you put in background to hinder me to listen to you? ? 😈