Your ideas on cleaning UGF

[Sinking Bubbles]

I have always been pro UGF. The downside is when vacuuming the gravel is just not enough and all has to be removed from the tank (keeping in mind not to destroy to much of the bacteria residing on the gravel)

I have now upgraded to a 200 Litre tank with pebbles instead of gravel and have the following question (tank with combo submerged pump / filter/ heater)

If one were able to add an outlet to the UGF through which one could, during the normal cycling of water, force the cycling of water to push (suck) down through the gravel and hence force the debris (poop) down through the gravel and out via the new outlet (air inlets blocked off)

This should surely get rid of most of the unwanted debris without disturbing the 'healthy' bacterial layer at the bottom of the tank too much

I have tried to source such a system on the Net but it does not seem to exist

Is there a reason why no such system exists or should I go ahead and give it a try to see if there are positive results?

Just do not want to put my fish at risk

I have all the means at my disposal to construct such an UGF but do not want it to be my babies 'Dooms Day Device'

Any suggestions / feedback will be much appreciated?

 

[OrangeCones]

I've not used an UGF in many years, so have no direct experience in what you are describing, but it sounds like a reverse undergravel filter operation.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; I have used UGF off and on for a number of years. I am not sure what you actually mean about cleaning the UGF. Once installed they require no regular maintance. A gravel vac should get the stuff in the gravel and the stuff that makes it thru the gravel and thru the plats slits should be very small and will be broadcast back into the water column if you have a good flow. I like to have a small HOB filter of some sort in addition to the UGF.

Here is a link to a recent discussion of UGF on another forum. I found it to be of interest.
under gravel filter

 

[Sinking Bubbles]

Reversed process definitely, debris go down and out, bypassing conventional vacuuming totally

Using the 10%, 25% and 50% water changes to ‘flush’ the pebbles without the working up of the debris into the water whilst vacuuming

Almost a ‘water powered poop-scoop’

If it works I plan on installing a closed tap system to a container in the cupboard below the tank where I can collect the water and debris (excellent fertilizer for my Australian Ferns and other plants)

Well, if it works I’ll post a few pics incase someone else would like to try it as well….

 

[Thyra]

Over a year ago I inherited a 30g tank with a UGF. It had not been removed from under the gravel in about nine years. I was concerned with the foul mess that would be under it, but it turned out that was not the case at all. My grandkids had been the previous owners and although I don't know much about the tank's routine maintenance, I do know it was probably never over stocked.

 

[Sinking Bubbles]

Hi

Just an update to an earlier post

I acquired two 300x300 millimeter sloped under gravel filters. As the openings / slits (less than 0.5 millimeters standard) in the under gravel filter caters for standard gravel I had to hone out the fine openings to 3.3 millimeters which are much wider to cater for pebbles around the size of a man’s thumbnail.

One is currently placed under the pebbles on the left and the other on the right hand side of the tank with the air / water flow tubes neatly hidden between the plants.

Between the 2x under gravel filters there is a space of around 400 millimeters where there is no under gravel filter, just the pebbles on the bottom of the tank.

I do not use these as standard under gravel filters (without an air stone or any air / water flow to ‘suck’ down the debris).
They just sit there under the pebbles waiting with their now larger openings / slits.

The model I acquired has a nice large tube in which the air bubbles would have forced the air driven water flow (around 19 millimeters in diameter).

Over these tubes I now slide a siphoning hose whenever I need to do a 10-25% water change.
The amount of debris ending in the bucket / container is both shocking and amazing.

The reason for having a part of the pebbles plain and the other 2/3 bottom area with this type of under gravel filter approach is to see if there are less debris to vacuum on the filtered part than on the unfiltered part.

It has now been in for just over a week and so far the results have been positive with very little debris having to be vacuumed on the filtered parts and well, lots on the unfiltered parts, kicking up debris during normal vacuuming most probably making my fish gasp for ‘fresh air’.

I will continue to test over the next 30 days, then take a water sample to the Aquarium Center nearby and have it tested.

I’ll post the results

 

[skjl47]

Hello; i read a post a while back where a fish keeper described placing a layer of double bonded filter material directly on the UGF and then the substrate over this. I have not tried this arrangement as yet, but hopeto at some point.

 

[Sinking Bubbles]

Hi

He most probably added the double bonded filter material to stop any debris from going into the UGF. What I am trying is to get as much debris possible into the modified UGF so I can 'suck' them out during a water change as described above. Different people have different ways to try and make life for our fishies as comfortable as possible.

We should all keep sharing new or improved ideas.

We can not reinvent the wheel but we can definitely try to make it run faster, in a 'fish related' kind of way.