Undergravel Filter Question!!!!!?

Undergravel fiolters have both pros and cons like any other filtration system. They are considered dated by some, but if it works, why not. An undergravel filter provides excellent biofiltration, barely adequate mechanical filtration and no chemical filtration at all. On the plus side, they take almost no room in the tank, they produce very gentle currents for fish that prefer still waters (assuming the power head isn't all that powerful) and of couse they are inexpensive.

From what you discribe, it sounds like yours is working fine.

In my opinion they are only good as the sole filtration in special cases, but are good as secondary filtration in many cases.

Gravel is for looking pretty. If you want a healthy tank, no gravel is the best way to go. Gravel only holds the muck and junk and garbage in the water. With no gravel, your entire tank is crystal clear healthy. With the proper filter you could drink the water and it would be safer than what is coming out of your pipes.

Undergravels make it worse by purposely dragging waste into itself and never getting cleaned until you tear the entire tank down after a crash and 100's of dollars in dead fish.

Even plants do better in sand or peat moss.

Most of the "over the back" filters now have a "bio-wheel" which houses the beneficial bacteria you need for safe water. Plus, if you get a disease in a tank with an Undergravel you will have a much harder time curing it.

On that note, a wet-dry is the most effective filter per square inch and a canister moves the most gallons per hour. Just don't overcrowd. That is the first sin of fish keeping.

Undergravel filters a little dated. They do work very well, but often create a mess in your gravel (substrate) over time, and there are much more modern alternatives around today.

The one exception is when you set an undergravel filter up with reverse flow (which requires a special power head). This way water is being constantly forced down and up through the gravel, and allows much less dirt and crud to form in the substrate. The sponges on the powerheads require frequent cleaning however...

If it were me, I would go with a much more modern power filter that included a swipe-out form of biological filtration.

I recently bought an under gravel filter and was told the gravel acts as a filter system as the water is drawn through it, then inder the gravel bacteria develops which breaks down the small debris which gets through the gravel. Mine has been going for about 3 months now and seems to be working fine

ah -- i think i understand -- you want to connect your power head filter to your undergravel - good idea in theory but i don't think anyone has made anything like that yet. i have better luck not using a filter than an undergravel. get some java moss and do gravel vacuums and you are better off. i do kind of like your idea of a power head that goes to the undergravel but there has to be a reason somewhere why they don't. or maybe you could patent it.

It's usually a very gentle movement of water so most of the time the filter may not look like it's working. If you are really going to get worked up about this, then I recommend you use a slightly coarser gravel to the current can more more freely into the underground filter. Please note however, that the coarser the gravel, the more food bits will fall through so feed your fish sparingly but more often to ensure they do get to eat.

the under gravel filter and power head is ment to be used with a nother water filter as well good luck they do work good

I know this sucks, but ditch the UGF, and buy a HOB(hang on the back). The HOB's are much better, and you can add bio stuff to the filter for biological filtration. The UGF's my opinion, only create a bigger mess. All the food and stuff acculates underneath it, and it just causes the water quality to be poor.

the rock acts as the media for the filter as the debries goes through the rock it is broken into small and smaler particals which makes up the good for your bactirea

Your pump is not strong enough to suck the water up to the top.

Buy a new pump with higher power or speed, but not too much.