UGF / Power Head Question

[hilltopper]

Current Setup: 29 gallon tank. Undergravel filter wtih carbon cartridges in each of the two uplift tubes.

I have been reading about how carbon cartridges, especially the small ones provided with the UGFs, are not only ineffective but become dangerous when the carbon gets "used up". This is what I was thinking of doing:

New Setup: Remove both carbon cartridges. Put a power head in the left side uplift tube and continue to run the ride side uplift tube as it is now, via the air pump, but minus the carbon cartridge.

Is the new setup OK to use? I thought I read/heard something negative about having a power head on only one uplift tube.

Thanks!

 

[JWright]

The carbon doesn't really matter, I keep a sealed package around just in case of a chemical contamination of the tank, but I don't run it on a regular basis. You won't hurt anything by not running it.

As far as using a power head on one side and not the other... you will end up with uneven flow through the gravel bed. The powerhead will produce much more suction than the air pump. I don't really know if this would be a problem, but why do you need to run the power head in the first place?

 

[NoDeltaH2O]

If you have a powerhead on one tube and an airstone on the other, the water will take the path of least resistance, and that path will likely be from the tank, down through the uplift tube with the airstone, under the UGF plate, and up through the other tube through the powerhead, thereby making the UGF totally useless. If you go with 2 powerheads, the UGF will be useful. Similarly, if you go with 2 airstones, it will be useful, although not very much. If you really want the powerhead, I would cap off the second uplift tube and not use the pump at all.