I’ve used UGF driven by power heads for 30 years with great success. All other filters took methods caused issues such as leaks and other crashes. This is a great piece of education for new aquarists.
if you wanna stop clogging in those air stones take a pin or tack and punch small holes in it. it'll work fantastic for years and not plug up at all. sometimes it's easier to heat the pin or tack with a lighter and melt a pin hole. it's been my go to hack for 20 years. especially for bubble wall tubes
Great video and somewhat surprising finding someone as young as you are educating your viewers on the many benefits of anoxic filtration. Many of today's aquarists simply do not know how to achieve a full cycle, much less even knowing what a full cycle is. Happy to know you're doing your part in educating those in search of the perfect aquatic biotope. You certainly earned my subscription. Keep on, keeping on.
well said mate! I'm learning everyday myself! its really difficult to achieve a balanced aquarium with just mechanical means! and it seems like most of the hobby is geared towards selling more equipment and chemicals and fish that often die due to unbalanced aquariums! glad you subscribed! cheers!
Thanks for the video.Dr. Novak is also using this method. I think, I will use this filter to my other tanks. I tried father fish method but I didn't follow some of his instructions like the ingredients for the soil. I used my own compost and backyard soil. I don't have trust on potting soil from online shopping. I still do water change but twice a month. My 2 year old danios are still alive and my elodea plants are still thriving. I have hygrophilla stricta too.
You will find that using UGF's is that your plants will thrive on their own without having to use root tabs or anything to that nature, I had a tank for years in the living room with UGF's I was forever trimming plants to stop overgrowth, then my wife started to complain about the bubble noise so I changed over to a canister filter, ran them both till the canister was cycled then slowly turned down the air on the ugf's till the canister took over. My plants started to change colour and slowly died one by one, plants that had thived for years all slowly died off, no trimming needed. I now have the UGF's working again as the boss decided to put up with the bubble noise in order to get the beautiful plants back again. Just got my first flower coming out on an anubious after replanting with the UGFs running again. Just think about things, how many lakes and rivers run canister filters to keep the water nice and clear, exactly, none(other than sewage plants) so to you diehard canister people which system is closer to natural nature? I put down the comercial sector being to blame for the hype about other types of filter, if they can sell you a canister filter you need to go back and constantly buy new filter medium etc so they keep your buisness, the other way is they can sell you a far cheaper UGF tray and end of story to their earnings, so it makes sense for them to push you hevialy towards buying expensive alternative filters, you could buy a lot of fish, plants and food for what even a modest canister filter will set you back.
Also like the idea of gravel vacuuming over cleaning sponge filters. Those with experience will understand what I'm saying. Always thumbs up. Thank you!
There is some good information here to get people thinking about UF. There are a few things to keep in mind though. When he says sand. He actually means the gravel substrate. Sand will not work because it will fill in the UG filter. Essentially the gravel is your filter media. Just like any filter. The water flows through to carry oxygen to the beneficial bacteria. If the gravel bed gets to clogged. Your filter basically slows to a stop. This is why you still have to vacuum the substrate to keep the water flow moving. The undergravel filter was never meant to be operated with a excessively deep substrate. Air driven UGF can't operate at full potential with mulm clogged gravel. Visually seeing mulm doesn't equate to visually seeing nitrate. Used all kinds of filters since the seventies when I was a kid. Starting with undergravel filters. Still use some of these. Happy to see this video. Takes me back to great days an d memories. Thank you.
My tank of 125L is now one month old. I have done my cycle with fish in. I am using an undergravel filter, with gravel as substrate. I am also using a small Internal cannister filter. I have several plants. I have a slow flow of water. My Ammonia, Nitrite an Nitrate levels are zero. It is working for me.
I love your video. From my experience a long time ago, using under gravel filters achieve a balance and works well when you have plants in the equation - like you do
Ok, Decades ago I was really into the hobby and Under gravel was what you used back then. I ran it with powerheads and a couple small HOBs to pull floating waste out of the water before the under gravel pulled it down. I have been looking at starting up a 55 again and this slow building system is interesting to me. The reason is I don't have time to be messing with an aquarium every weekend and I always loved making the tank look like a slice of nature. The fish were the problem for me dealing with water changes and vacuuming, testing and losing fish would always ware me down. Thinking back, I realize where I was going wrong, I was cleaning to hard and killing the good bacteria so I Would have crashes and that was why I lost fish. Now I have been looking at the plenum filters and thinking how that muck layer I was constantly trying to keep away was actually what needed to be there. My new thoughts on this are a hybrid plenum/under gravel system. Run two medium HOBs Aqua Clear 50 (200 GHP each) and the under-gravel plates with NO air stones in short lift tubes. The reason I think this would work is where the HOBs dump the water will work its way through the gravel and under the plates and create slow flow zones with low oxygen for the other bacteria (anoxic) to finish the cycle.
30 years ago when I got into fish keeping that was the way to go. a power hwad was about all you needed to boost it. hang on back filters were a nice add on for top surface movement. as a kid I had a 30 gallon with an air powered filter that had charcoal and cotton fibers that worked great too. we've gone for high tech..high priced stuff for the last 30 years especially in the last 20 with canisters becoming hugely popular in the late 90s underground is what I planned on using in combo with a canister bow front 100 gal I got last year.
very true ! I think they worked really well! cuts a lot of water changes as water stays optimal too! thanks for sharing your experience with them! cheers mate!
@@jayasuriyanishan gravel-vac it out...or, set-up your undergravel filter with mesh, or whatever, so it's almost impossible for anything to get under your plates. Super handy if you have a planted tank and want to leave your substrate alone.
I loved your video , Thankyou , I have only found this under gravel filter idea and are now slowly changing all my ponds and tanks to the anoxic filtration system. 🥰
I started 2 year ago with under gravel filter. Got a new tank at Christmas and a canister filter so went with that. The canister has caused nothing but problems and the water is no where near as clear. I started the process today of swapping back to ugf.
You can achieve a full cycle with canisters as long as they are set up for anoxic filtration with media being key and not as recommended by their manufacturers. They can also be set up to run concurrently with UGF's and even HOB's.
@@rozzer666 Good to know you have found success in achieving a full biological cycle. Can you please enlighten us all with the size of your tank and your filter used along with how you set up your filter (media) to achieve and maintain a full biological cycle? I'm sure there are some of us here that would benefit from your experience. Thanks.
@@davcar872 mate it's just an undergravel filter with an air pump. Loads of fast growing plants. It's a 300 liter tank 4ft long. It can be thrown out of balance if I feed to heavy though. I do water changes though coz I worry maybe the waters getting low on some kind of mineral or something. I usually change about 40 liters every 2 weeks or so. I had a stronger cycle with canister though I could feed as heavy as I wanted and I went months without changing any water once. The water was no where as clear with canister though and cleaning the can was a nightmare. Using a can though there was much less oxygen in the water I kept having to make sure the spray was in the right place. Depends what you want. Canister much better cycle but less oxygen and can run into the fish all at the top gasping for air. Ugf much clearer water but you do have to be careful with overfeeding. I have a crappy video of each on my channel
You can also take samples from the substrare itself and test for DO This is already done in river or stream beds.. Don't take it the wrong way I have been experimenting with DSB and DSB with plenum for almost 4 years now.. So what you are planning to do, about increasing thickness of gravel, or even changing gravel to something finer to further reduce flow ( slower the flow, more chance of it being anaerobic right?) I have done all those things..
My tank has quite a few plants. Around 10 or 15. I have a 200l I have 20 pygmy corydora 17 ember tetra 4 adult platy and about 10 2 month old babies. 6 guppies 2 bn pleco My levels are always 0 for all, I hardly ever have to do water changes and the fish are very healthy and happy. I'm surprised how well the plants remove nasties.
I am interested in UGF because of the huge surface area of the substrate. My first tank had one. I also like the idea of delivering the nitrogen to the substrate for the plants. I'm somewhat skeptical of the anoxic filtration- I think that the plants are doing most of the work in these tanks. I had always heard that UGF's are bad for planted tanks. I guess that's not the case!
@PACKAGE ENVY Is this a specific video? I've seen a bunch of Kevin Novak stuff. He never seems to cut to the chase. He just rants and rambles. I also notice that his tanks all seem to be planted.
Hi i used under ground filter on a 55 saltwater tank fish only and a canstier filter never had a problem i used to heavy feeding and a lot of fish and hardly any water changes my fish grew so did my carpet anmone and no alge on the glass everything was good
Hi I have been folliwing you already for a month, I saw yr last live last week, loved the Geohargus that you sold for a good price, I'm in this hobby since 1970, already with 63 years old, this filtration was one of the best, until the big Manufactures decide to make more money, just like they continue today with a bucket Full of trays a inlet and outlet on the top with a huge powerhead so that they can sell cerâmica/biogl ass mideas called canister filter.and they side the same in the pastor with the UGF, creating a power head filter to take Palace of the air pumps and the air stones, with this What was very good nobody wanted it many more because the bactéria that use to complete the cicly didn't
I have used UG filters since I was a tee ager,40 yrs ago😆.Seriously,they are great.You can get by without it,and use twice t he HOB filters. LIKE he says in this video,I get by with less frequent water changes.I never have plant because I have primarily cichlids that destroy them.
Hi everyone please comment below and let me know your thoughts on this and personal experience as well as if this is a type of filter option that you would consider for your tanks! Please subscribe and hit that notification icon for future updates if you haven’t done so already! Cheers!
Recently found your channel and really enjoying the content. I fullt invested in dirted deepsand substrates with around 20 tanks setup that way however I've never used an undergravel filter and am tempted to try one sometime to compare the differences. With dirted deepsand, I've go by the rule of thumb that approx 2 inches of pool filter sand is needed to deplete oxygen sufficiently to create an anaerobic environment in the substrate below that, which would ideallybe another couple inches atleast. But that is based on no 'forced ' water flow into the substrate, so I'd guess that with the increased water flow into the substrate from the undergravel filter that the substrate would need to be substantially thicker. However since I haven't experimented with this yet, it'll be interesting to watch this project develop in your channel.
@@crispy6532 since commenting, I've been running 4 ugf's with pool filter sand as a cap and 1 experimental ugf which is under a dirted deepsand substrate. I like the ugf, but they haven't provided as much stability for water perimeters as a dirted deepsand bed. After a year of experimenting with ugf, I'll keep the current one's running but all future tanks will be dirted deepsand along with a sponge or matten filter. One specific use I prefer ugf for is as a quarentine tank. It seems that a well seeded ugf does a wonderful job of mitigating pathogens etc on new or stressed fish. Personally I'm skeptical of the idea that any of our substrates are achieving denitrification through the use of anoxic conditions (and bacteria). Even the dirted deepsand substrates. Suspect instead that nitrates are being consumed through assimilatory denitrification in the substrate and through vigorous plant growth.
I'm building an undergravel filter on a 3/4 acre powered by 4'x4" airlifts attached to 3 inch perforated pipe 😆 we'll see how it goes. On paper it should work.
So I’ve used all sorts of hang on backs internal canisters external canisters always struggled with maintaining a proper bacterial colony cloudy waters incorrect params etc then I decided to throw a under gravel on my 75 with a very strong pump it’s like 1000gph costed like 70$ on Amazon and now my 75 is crystal fucking clear…. It’s so upsetting to see how much I spent on filtration to see a 18$ undergravel filter and a 70$ air pump managed to do for 75% less in cost we’ve been lied to
Complete the cycle didn't exist anymore, and in one year we would have to breakdown all the substrate inside the tank, Sorry if I said something wrong, take care be safe.
thanks Terry, no I don't but its great idea to do that ! cant believe I never thought of this ! haha thanks mate ! great bloody idea! really glad you mentioned that ! cheers mate!
Yeah good idea. :) I myself am installing an undergravel filter at the moment and I intend to use sand. Normally this would not be advisable as the fine particles tend to fall through the slits and basically clog up and destroy the system. But with a thin water-permeable cloth in between (polypropylene garden thingy) it should work just fine.
Hi there! Just found your channel! I am new to underground filters but am setting up a 40 gal bow front with one, but need to use sand and it will be planted. My plant is to use a weed barrier clothe on top of the underground to keep sand from getting sucked up, and adding plant gravel next, then some sand for my soft belly fish. Do you have any experience with this type of set up? Thank you! 🙏🏻
I don't think it is .. atleast I personally don't know how to use sand or dirt with UGF's .. would be an interesting experiment indeed!!! check with Father Fish .. let him know I sent ya ;)
As long as the flow pushed (or pulled) through the substrate isn't too strong, that should work well. :) Too much flow = too much oxygen (no denitrification) and a higher risk of clogging up the actual filter medium
Great video!! I would love to create something like that but I have no idea what I'm doing. I just got a 65 gallon tank. What would your best advice be starting out?
very nice!!!!and very true!!! have u watched the dr. novak channel? he talks about this plus and also about plenums it is called the aquarium specialist
Malik, you seem to be very experienced with undergravel filters, not to mention knowledgeable, as well so I would really like to ask for your opinion on the use of UGF (as an anoxic filter) with sensitive blackwater species. I'm planning to setup a 4' blackwater "hodge-podge" tank which will house species from the wild (which I'll catch) e.g. 6 banded barb, chocolate gourami, etc, so here is my query. Would it be ok were I to *lightly* vacuum the gravel & leave the bottom 1" or so anoxic? You see, an UGF can harness the aquarium substrate's potential as a bio-filter which becomes especially important since it has been studied that low pH reduces filter bacteria efficiency. The problem here is that blackwater fish are very sensitive to (usually heterotrophic) bacteria build-up & that necessitates removal of excess mulm. What do you think, bro? Periodic light vacuuming of the substrate? Or, only vacuum the substrate once the system has stabilized? Thank you so much for any advice, in advance! 🙏
so personally I would go with an active substrate and hang on the back filters or other type of easy to maintain filters for your specific set up as there are several issues arising from the low ph as well as increases in decaying vegetation and biological matter which can accumulate in a black water set up ..light vacuuming of gravel with undergravel filters is ok but personally I dont do any vacuuming or any maintenance for that matter with this tanks.. only top ups and water changes every 3 to 4 months maybe!
@@AquaMalik Alright, thanks for replying, bro! Really appreciate your honest input. Ok, I'll skip the UGF on this one & stick your suggestion; which makes sense. Now, off I go to hit that like & subscribe button! 😉👍
Dan Heider it’s pea gravel as bottom layer and top two inches is fluorite Red! Any general aquarium substrate should work - except the ph buffering higher end ones like fluval stratum and ADA - those will break down over time so anything but those kinds - Best of luck 🍻
I really hate cleaning my substrates.. when fishfoods and fish poops went to the bottom and lies on the substrates my filter can't suck those dirts and I have to keep cleaning it (btw my powerhead is very powerful)... does this undergravel filter fix this problem? Does it remove the dirts from the gravel?
So the trick is not to overfeed - and yes once u have a properly established under gravel filter there will be no need to gravel vacuum as the poop turns on to food for the bacteria that gets established in the u g filter
Do the plants grow well on these gravels? I am planning to use my older UGF on a smaller tank (40x20x20 cms) for my son for a betta and a few tetras but wanted to have it a planted tank. how much gravel should be used over the UGF plates? and I might just have 1 pipe connected with the air pump to reduce the movement of water and a submersible light. Thanks in Advance!
for it to work well UGF will need atleast 2" pf gravel most easy plants seem to do well so stick to low tech plants and you will be fine I think! cheers!
personally i have planted tanks with under gravel filters so i will have to disagree .. having said that my plants are also easy to grow plants so higher end more sensitive plants might not do so well! I need to do more tests with them to verify!
Feels like the plants would love it more, all the gunk that ends up under the filter in the floor, seems like the roots would be down there eating all that up and thriving
There is somewhat more substrate compaction with UGFs that pull water through the substrate from top to bottom. That could create problems in some cases. However, in systems that push the water up from underneath the substrate (fed by another filter taking out any particles present) plants are thought to actually do better than they normally would, because their roots are allowed to "breathe" more. :)
@@Aqua_Gino I am sorry, as I have to disagree with your statement. Yes, you are correct in that water is pulled through the substrate but with the minimalist of flow as required for anaerobic denitrification to occur, substrate compaction is of no concern. Compaction has more to do with the porosity of your media, with sand being the least porous, rather than the use of a UGF. Rooted plants need a somewhat compact or heavy substrate for proper anchoring as they require nutrients deep in the substrate to keep from melting. Rhizome plants such as Java Fern and Anubias are probably what you are referring to when you state their roots need to breathe. They don't draw any nutrients from the substrate because it is a water column feeder plant that draws nutrients through its leaves. We all strive to achieve the perfect ecosystem with no single way the only way. So if what you do works, keep on keeping on.
Hey Malik👋🏾 just out of curiosity bcuz I have an overcrowded(10 juvenile red belly piranhas 1 adult Pleco's and 2 otocinclus) 55gal with an HOB filter and large sponge filter and I'm doing 50% water changes once a week, so I'm gonna buy an 165gal tank this weekend and was wondering if I find one without the sump pump hook up's could this method be as effective on the larger tanks?
@@AquaMalik thx for the info, I ended up getting an 125gal and now only have 5 of the piranhas(about 5inchs) and I'm hooking up the Lee's Premium Undergravel Filter on it right now!!
Growing up before internet becomes mainstream, I got started with the planet aquarium hobby with several of those thick aquarium guidebooks Undergravel filter is too underappreciated! It works REALLY well in my experience, and it emulates how nitrogen cycle are done in the natural river streams. Fish tanks are designed to be balanced and sustainable like the nature, and undergravel filter is the MOST sustainable and low maintenance biofilter.
Apparently it's not without oxygen (annerobic) but low levels of oxygen in the deep gravel (anoxic) that causes the process of nitrate elimination, the magic happens when the bacterior use the oxygen within the nitrate molecule to do their business, the nitrogen gas is then liberated completing the nitrogen cycle.
Under gravel filter usage was abandoned long, long ago….for good reasons. This video is a promotion…so do your research before you opt for this outdated and very iffy technique.
How often do u do water changes in ur modern tanks? The tanks I have under gravel filters in I do a water change every 3 to 4 months just to change some water - nitrates are really low even with a high stocking density so yeah - 60’s tech works really well ;)
@@AquaMalik and I’m sure you’d be totally honest and admit that your KH depleted due to no water changes, caused a massive ph swing and killed them off wouldn’t you? 😉
I’ve used UGF driven by power heads for 30 years with great success. All other filters took methods caused issues such as leaks and other crashes. This is a great piece of education for new aquarists.
i try UGF with power head but why my tanks still looks "dusty" ? any idea?
How do you put a power head on
if you wanna stop clogging in those air stones take a pin or tack and punch small holes in it. it'll work fantastic for years and not plug up at all. sometimes it's easier to heat the pin or tack with a lighter and melt a pin hole.
it's been my go to hack for 20 years.
especially for bubble wall tubes
Very true ..I had under gravel filters in all my tanks when I was a kid ..and never had a problem.and that was in the 70s. The best way to filter..
yes they are probably one of the best ! works well!
They are very good filters and with the energy crisis they should make a massive return to the hobby tbh
Great video and somewhat surprising finding someone as young as you are educating your viewers on the many benefits of anoxic filtration. Many of today's aquarists simply do not know how to achieve a full cycle, much less even knowing what a full cycle is. Happy to know you're doing your part in educating those in search of the perfect aquatic biotope. You certainly earned my subscription. Keep on, keeping on.
well said mate! I'm learning everyday myself! its really difficult to achieve a balanced aquarium with just mechanical means! and it seems like most of the hobby is geared towards selling more equipment and chemicals and fish that often die due to unbalanced aquariums! glad you subscribed! cheers!
Thanks for the video.Dr. Novak is also using this method. I think, I will use this filter to my other tanks. I tried father fish method but I didn't follow some of his instructions like the ingredients for the soil. I used my own compost and backyard soil. I don't have trust on potting soil from online shopping. I still do water change but twice a month. My 2 year old danios are still alive and my elodea plants are still thriving. I have hygrophilla stricta too.
These things are absolute LIFESAVERS
I don’t know how I haven’t found your channel yet, but I’m glad I did. Instant sub after seeing your passion for this aquatic way of life.
You will find that using UGF's is that your plants will thrive on their own without having to use root tabs or anything to that nature, I had a tank for years in the living room with UGF's I was forever trimming plants to stop overgrowth, then my wife started to complain about the bubble noise so I changed over to a canister filter, ran them both till the canister was cycled then slowly turned down the air on the ugf's till the canister took over. My plants started to change colour and slowly died one by one, plants that had thived for years all slowly died off, no trimming needed. I now have the UGF's working again as the boss decided to put up with the bubble noise in order to get the beautiful plants back again. Just got my first flower coming out on an anubious after replanting with the UGFs running again.
Just think about things, how many lakes and rivers run canister filters to keep the water nice and clear, exactly, none(other than sewage plants) so to you diehard canister people which system is closer to natural nature?
I put down the comercial sector being to blame for the hype about other types of filter, if they can sell you a canister filter you need to go back and constantly buy new filter medium etc so they keep your buisness, the other way is they can sell you a far cheaper UGF tray and end of story to their earnings, so it makes sense for them to push you hevialy towards buying expensive alternative filters, you could buy a lot of fish, plants and food for what even a modest canister filter will set you back.
Also like the idea of gravel vacuuming over cleaning sponge filters. Those with experience will understand what I'm saying. Always thumbs up. Thank you!
There is some good information here to get people thinking about UF. There are a few things to keep in mind though. When he says sand. He actually means the gravel substrate. Sand will not work because it will fill in the UG filter. Essentially the gravel is your filter media. Just like any filter. The water flows through to carry oxygen to the beneficial bacteria. If the gravel bed gets to clogged. Your filter basically slows to a stop. This is why you still have to vacuum the substrate to keep the water flow moving. The undergravel filter was never meant to be operated with a excessively deep substrate. Air driven UGF can't operate at full potential with mulm clogged gravel. Visually seeing mulm doesn't equate to visually seeing nitrate. Used all kinds of filters since the seventies when I was a kid. Starting with undergravel filters. Still use some of these. Happy to see this video. Takes me back to great days an d memories. Thank you.
My tank of 125L is now one month old. I have done my cycle with fish in. I am using an undergravel filter, with gravel as substrate. I am also using a small Internal cannister filter. I have several plants. I have a slow flow of water.
My Ammonia, Nitrite an Nitrate levels are zero. It is working for me.
I love your video. From my experience a long time ago, using under gravel filters achieve a balance and works well when you have plants in the equation - like you do
Ok, Decades ago I was really into the hobby and Under gravel was what you used back then. I ran it with powerheads and a couple small HOBs to pull floating waste out of the water before the under gravel pulled it down. I have been looking at starting up a 55 again and this slow building system is interesting to me. The reason is I don't have time to be messing with an aquarium every weekend and I always loved making the tank look like a slice of nature. The fish were the problem for me dealing with water changes and vacuuming, testing and losing fish would always ware me down. Thinking back, I realize where I was going wrong, I was cleaning to hard and killing the good bacteria so I Would have crashes and that was why I lost fish. Now I have been looking at the plenum filters and thinking how that muck layer I was constantly trying to keep away was actually what needed to be there.
My new thoughts on this are a hybrid plenum/under gravel system. Run two medium HOBs Aqua Clear 50 (200 GHP each) and the under-gravel plates with NO air stones in short lift tubes. The reason I think this would work is where the HOBs dump the water will work its way through the gravel and under the plates and create slow flow zones with low oxygen for the other bacteria (anoxic) to finish the cycle.
30 years ago when I got into fish keeping that was the way to go. a power hwad was about all you needed to boost it. hang on back filters were a nice add on for top surface movement. as a kid I had a 30 gallon with an air powered filter that had charcoal and cotton fibers that worked great too. we've gone for high tech..high priced stuff for the last 30 years especially in the last 20 with canisters becoming hugely popular in the late 90s
underground is what I planned on using in combo with a canister bow front 100 gal I got last year.
A diversity of habitat is absolutely essential,,,,,,,,,!
Thank you for sharing! I wonder if you have a video on how to set up the under-gravel filter?
I can't imagine using anything but an undergravel filter system for my aquariums. Been using them for 40 years. Never have any issues.
very true ! I think they worked really well! cuts a lot of water changes as water stays optimal too! thanks for sharing your experience with them! cheers mate!
How do you clean the fish poop collected under the plates without taking them out?
@@jayasuriyanishan Debris sits in the Gravel, that's why you want between 1.5 - 2.0 inches of Gravel Layer. The Gravel still needs Periodic Vacuuming.
@@jayasuriyanishan gravel-vac it out...or, set-up your undergravel filter with mesh, or whatever, so it's almost impossible for anything to get under your plates. Super handy if you have a planted tank and want to leave your substrate alone.
I loved your video , Thankyou , I have only found this under gravel filter idea and are now slowly changing all my ponds and tanks to the anoxic filtration system. 🥰
I used undergravel water filters in the 1980’s. I was wondering why we moved away from them. Good video.
@@TankedUpuk wish I still had all of mine. Kudos to you for knowing a good thing and not going with the trends.
I started 2 year ago with under gravel filter. Got a new tank at Christmas and a canister filter so went with that. The canister has caused nothing but problems and the water is no where near as clear. I started the process today of swapping back to ugf.
Im in love with them and setting up a few more now! cheers mate!
You can achieve a full cycle with canisters as long as they are set up for anoxic filtration with media being key and not as recommended by their manufacturers. They can also be set up to run concurrently with UGF's and even HOB's.
@@davcar872 can achieve a full cycle with any filter enough plants and feeding correctly
@@rozzer666 Good to know you have found success in achieving a full biological cycle. Can you please enlighten us all with the size of your tank and your filter used along with how you set up your filter (media) to achieve and maintain a full biological cycle? I'm sure there are some of us here that would benefit from your experience. Thanks.
@@davcar872 mate it's just an undergravel filter with an air pump. Loads of fast growing plants. It's a 300 liter tank 4ft long. It can be thrown out of balance if I feed to heavy though. I do water changes though coz I worry maybe the waters getting low on some kind of mineral or something. I usually change about 40 liters every 2 weeks or so.
I had a stronger cycle with canister though I could feed as heavy as I wanted and I went months without changing any water once. The water was no where as clear with canister though and cleaning the can was a nightmare. Using a can though there was much less oxygen in the water I kept having to make sure the spray was in the right place.
Depends what you want. Canister much better cycle but less oxygen and can run into the fish all at the top gasping for air. Ugf much clearer water but you do have to be careful with overfeeding.
I have a crappy video of each on my channel
I actually did this 3 months ago and it worked
I used the undergravel filters many years ago. They are quite effective...
they really are I’m so excited to set up more of these! super low maintenance too!
@@fishtropiccanada4747 yes Mad Fish Diva is great! I love her channel!
You can also take samples from the substrare itself and test for DO
This is already done in river or stream beds..
Don't take it the wrong way
I have been experimenting with DSB and DSB with plenum for almost 4 years now..
So what you are planning to do, about increasing thickness of gravel, or even changing gravel to something finer to further reduce flow ( slower the flow, more chance of it being anaerobic right?)
I have done all those things..
Thank you! I learned how to improve my tank.
Glad I could help!
My tank has quite a few plants. Around 10 or 15. I have a 200l
I have 20 pygmy corydora
17 ember tetra
4 adult platy and about 10 2 month old babies.
6 guppies
2 bn pleco
My levels are always 0 for all, I hardly ever have to do water changes and the fish are very healthy and happy. I'm surprised how well the plants remove nasties.
Under gravel filters best biological filtration out there I love using them and they're cheap
I am interested in UGF because of the huge surface area of the substrate. My first tank had one. I also like the idea of delivering the nitrogen to the substrate for the plants. I'm somewhat skeptical of the anoxic filtration- I think that the plants are doing most of the work in these tanks. I had always heard that UGF's are bad for planted tanks. I guess that's not the case!
@PACKAGE ENVY Is this a specific video? I've seen a bunch of Kevin Novak stuff. He never seems to cut to the chase. He just rants and rambles. I also notice that his tanks all seem to be planted.
Hi i used under ground filter on a 55 saltwater tank fish only and a canstier filter never had a problem i used to heavy feeding and a lot of fish and hardly any water changes my fish grew so did my carpet anmone and no alge on the glass everything was good
Ive never seen them use for saltwater tanks but I think the same theory applies so yes great ! thank you for sharing this Mike! cheers mate!
very well explained! thank yoU!
You're very welcome!
I really enjoyed your passion and the attention to detail. The tank is beautiful..
Thank you very much!
Hi I have been folliwing you already for a month, I saw yr last live last week, loved the Geohargus that you sold for a good price, I'm in this hobby since 1970, already with 63 years old, this filtration was one of the best, until the big Manufactures decide to make more money, just like they continue today with a bucket Full of trays a inlet and outlet on the top with a huge powerhead so that they can sell cerâmica/biogl ass mideas called canister filter.and they side the same in the pastor with the UGF, creating a power head filter to take Palace of the air pumps and the air stones, with this What was very good nobody wanted it many more because the bactéria that use to complete the cicly didn't
well said Eues Panha!!! cheers!
I have used UG filters since I was a tee ager,40 yrs ago😆.Seriously,they are great.You can get by without it,and use twice t he HOB filters. LIKE he says in this video,I get by with less frequent water changes.I never have plant because I have primarily cichlids that destroy them.
thanks for sharing mate ! cheers!
Hi everyone please comment below and let me know your thoughts on this and personal experience as well as if this is a type of filter option that you would consider for your tanks! Please subscribe and hit that notification icon for future updates if you haven’t done so already! Cheers!
I'm so glad you're so generous with your knowledge. This technique is what interests me the most. Thank you again!
I hooked up my canister filter to my under gravel filter to make a super filter.
How powerful of an air pump do you use with the tanks?
No water changes? How are you managing the carbonate depletion?
How are your UGF tanks doing now? Have you done a 100+ gallon tank?
Recently found your channel and really enjoying the content. I fullt invested in dirted deepsand substrates with around 20 tanks setup that way however I've never used an undergravel filter and am tempted to try one sometime to compare the differences.
With dirted deepsand, I've go by the rule of thumb that approx 2 inches of pool filter sand is needed to deplete oxygen sufficiently to create an anaerobic environment in the substrate below that, which would ideallybe another couple inches atleast. But that is based on no 'forced ' water flow into the substrate, so I'd guess that with the increased water flow into the substrate from the undergravel filter that the substrate would need to be substantially thicker. However since I haven't experimented with this yet, it'll be interesting to watch this project develop in your channel.
Have you tried it out?
@@crispy6532 since commenting, I've been running 4 ugf's with pool filter sand as a cap and 1 experimental ugf which is under a dirted deepsand substrate. I like the ugf, but they haven't provided as much stability for water perimeters as a dirted deepsand bed. After a year of experimenting with ugf, I'll keep the current one's running but all future tanks will be dirted deepsand along with a sponge or matten filter. One specific use I prefer ugf for is as a quarentine tank. It seems that a well seeded ugf does a wonderful job of mitigating pathogens etc on new or stressed fish. Personally I'm skeptical of the idea that any of our substrates are achieving denitrification through the use of anoxic conditions (and bacteria). Even the dirted deepsand substrates. Suspect instead that nitrates are being consumed through assimilatory denitrification in the substrate and through vigorous plant growth.
I'm building an undergravel filter on a 3/4 acre powered by 4'x4" airlifts attached to 3 inch perforated pipe 😆 we'll see how it goes. On paper it should work.
So I’ve used all sorts of hang on backs internal canisters external canisters always struggled with maintaining a proper bacterial colony cloudy waters incorrect params etc then I decided to throw a under gravel on my 75 with a very strong pump it’s like 1000gph costed like 70$ on Amazon and now my 75 is crystal fucking clear…. It’s so upsetting to see how much I spent on filtration to see a 18$ undergravel filter and a 70$ air pump managed to do for 75% less in cost we’ve been lied to
Complete the cycle didn't exist anymore, and in one year we would have to breakdown all the substrate inside the tank, Sorry if I said something wrong, take care be safe.
Nice tank! Do u have a cloth/mesh layer in between the gravel and the under gravel filter plate?
thanks Terry, no I don't but its great idea to do that ! cant believe I never thought of this ! haha thanks mate ! great bloody idea! really glad you mentioned that ! cheers mate!
Yeah good idea. :) I myself am installing an undergravel filter at the moment and I intend to use sand. Normally this would not be advisable as the fine particles tend to fall through the slits and basically clog up and destroy the system. But with a thin water-permeable cloth in between (polypropylene garden thingy) it should work just fine.
@AquaMalik Hello!! Can I use the black colored sponge on the top of the UGF ?
Malik, thxs for sharing eperiences. If you add some graphics to your explanations your contribution would be perfect!
thanks for the suggestion! will do my best ! cheers!
Hi there! Just found your channel! I am new to underground filters but am setting up a 40 gal bow front with one, but need to use sand and it will be planted. My plant is to use a weed barrier clothe on top of the underground to keep sand from getting sucked up, and adding plant gravel next, then some sand for my soft belly fish. Do you have any experience with this type of set up? Thank you! 🙏🏻
Kevin Novak rid of the sand in his aquariums.
Which type substrate use in undergravel filters
Hi..
Is it possible to add UGF in dirted tank...my substrate is based on garden soil...pls advise how to install UGF
I don't think it is .. atleast I personally don't know how to use sand or dirt with UGF's .. would be an interesting experiment indeed!!! check with Father Fish .. let him know I sent ya ;)
Hi brother...... Can i use undergravel filter for goldfish tank
Yes
Have you tried UGF with waterpumps/power heads rather than air pumps? Setting up a 20 long and that's what I want to do
I did with my 50 gallon tank, it's worked well but it just took a lot of space. Later on I plan to use UGF and connect it to external filter
yes and it works well ! cheers!
That's how I do it, I have my HOB filters plumbed into my UG filters and so far it's working great,
As long as the flow pushed (or pulled) through the substrate isn't too strong, that should work well. :) Too much flow = too much oxygen (no denitrification) and a higher risk of clogging up the actual filter medium
@@Aqua_Gino how would you know what is "too much"?
I prefer the regular sponge filters but under gravel filters are good
I love the tanks with the under gravel filters so less work to maintain too
yep but they'r ugly!
@@Chuckcia you can use sticker to cover it lol :xD
Isn’t under gravel more anoxic?
Great video!! I would love to create something like that but I have no idea what I'm doing. I just got a 65 gallon tank. What would your best advice be starting out?
start with simple and easy keep fish and some very easy plants.. then work your way up to more challenging ones!
What lighting are you using in this tank?
Bro my angel fish top fin is little bend how to cure it.
sometimes there's not much you can do .. damages and injuries can heat with these types of permanent bends
Don't we need to clean Under gravel filters?
is it work for goldfish?
yes totally 100%
I have a African ciclid tank with sand substrate. Can I use UGF in my tank? Or do I have to change substrate to gravel?
And never lost a fish in 2 years wish i had pictures
I totally believe you ! once the basic needs are met fish can live very long and healthy lives!
very nice!!!!and very true!!!
have u watched the dr. novak channel?
he talks about this plus and also about plenums
it is called the aquarium specialist
Malik, you seem to be very experienced with undergravel filters, not to mention knowledgeable, as well so I would really like to ask for your opinion on the use of UGF (as an anoxic filter) with sensitive blackwater species.
I'm planning to setup a 4' blackwater "hodge-podge" tank which will house species from the wild (which I'll catch) e.g. 6 banded barb, chocolate gourami, etc, so here is my query. Would it be ok were I to *lightly* vacuum the gravel & leave the bottom 1" or so anoxic? You see, an UGF can harness the aquarium substrate's potential as a bio-filter which becomes especially important since it has been studied that low pH reduces filter bacteria efficiency. The problem here is that blackwater fish are very sensitive to (usually heterotrophic) bacteria build-up & that necessitates removal of excess mulm.
What do you think, bro? Periodic light vacuuming of the substrate? Or, only vacuum the substrate once the system has stabilized? Thank you so much for any advice, in advance! 🙏
so personally I would go with an active substrate and hang on the back filters or other type of easy to maintain filters for your specific set up as there are several issues arising from the low ph as well as increases in decaying vegetation and biological matter which can accumulate in a black water set up ..light vacuuming of gravel with undergravel filters is ok but personally I dont do any vacuuming or any maintenance for that matter with this tanks.. only top ups and water changes every 3 to 4 months maybe!
@@AquaMalik Alright, thanks for replying, bro! Really appreciate your honest input. Ok, I'll skip the UGF on this one & stick your suggestion; which makes sense. Now, off I go to hit that like & subscribe button! 😉👍
Great video Malik💯. Would you know by chance the type/name of substrate you used in the top layer ?
Dan Heider it’s pea gravel as bottom layer and top two inches is fluorite Red! Any general aquarium substrate should work - except the ph buffering higher end ones like fluval stratum and ADA - those will break down over time so anything but those kinds - Best of luck 🍻
Undergravel set up is good to guppy?
Yes, definitely
I really hate cleaning my substrates.. when fishfoods and fish poops went to the bottom and lies on the substrates my filter can't suck those dirts and I have to keep cleaning it (btw my powerhead is very powerful)... does this undergravel filter fix this problem? Does it remove the dirts from the gravel?
So the trick is not to overfeed - and yes once u have a properly established under gravel filter there will be no need to gravel vacuum as the poop turns on to food for the bacteria that gets established in the u g filter
Water flow in UG is meant to be very slow as possible. In fact Dr.Kevin Novak showed a shorten lift tube to acheive a very slow water folw in the UG.
Do the plants grow well on these gravels?
I am planning to use my older UGF on a smaller tank (40x20x20 cms) for my son for a betta and a few tetras but wanted to have it a planted tank. how much gravel should be used over the UGF plates? and I might just have 1 pipe connected with the air pump to reduce the movement of water and a submersible light. Thanks in Advance!
for it to work well UGF will need atleast 2" pf gravel most easy plants seem to do well so stick to low tech plants and you will be fine I think! cheers!
there is a lot of ppl saying that undergravel filters are not suitable for live plants (w roots). how true is this?
personally i have planted tanks with under gravel filters so i will have to disagree .. having said that my plants are also easy to grow plants so higher end more sensitive plants might not do so well! I need to do more tests with them to verify!
@@AquaMalik what kind of plants did u have?
Feels like the plants would love it more, all the gunk that ends up under the filter in the floor, seems like the roots would be down there eating all that up and thriving
There is somewhat more substrate compaction with UGFs that pull water through the substrate from top to bottom. That could create problems in some cases. However, in systems that push the water up from underneath the substrate (fed by another filter taking out any particles present) plants are thought to actually do better than they normally would, because their roots are allowed to "breathe" more. :)
@@Aqua_Gino I am sorry, as I have to disagree with your statement. Yes, you are correct in that water is pulled through the substrate but with the minimalist of flow as required for anaerobic denitrification to occur, substrate compaction is of no concern. Compaction has more to do with the porosity of your media, with sand being the least porous, rather than the use of a UGF. Rooted plants need a somewhat compact or heavy substrate for proper anchoring as they require nutrients deep in the substrate to keep from melting. Rhizome plants such as Java Fern and Anubias are probably what you are referring to when you state their roots need to breathe. They don't draw any nutrients from the substrate because it is a water column feeder plant that draws nutrients through its leaves. We all strive to achieve the perfect ecosystem with no single way the only way. So if what you do works, keep on keeping on.
UGFs are the best.
Hey Malik👋🏾 just out of curiosity bcuz I have an overcrowded(10 juvenile red belly piranhas 1 adult Pleco's and 2 otocinclus) 55gal with an HOB filter and large sponge filter and I'm doing 50% water changes once a week, so I'm gonna buy an 165gal tank this weekend and was wondering if I find one without the sump pump hook up's could this method be as effective on the larger tanks?
as the tank gets larger you might need to get a big canister filter or a sump to handle the potential bio load..
@@AquaMalik thx for the info, I ended up getting an 125gal and now only have 5 of the piranhas(about 5inchs) and I'm hooking up the Lee's Premium Undergravel Filter on it right now!!
So the sand substrate is fine to use with under gravel filters ?? It’s a myth that you cannot use sand.
No u can not use sand with under gravel filters .. has to be pebbles or hard gravel
1:54 Bigger Gravel at the Bottom and Larger Gravel on top... 😂
If you dont mind taking baths in the same water for years, I guess your fish wouldnt mind no water changes either. LOL
Growing up before internet becomes mainstream, I got started with the planet aquarium hobby with several of those thick aquarium guidebooks
Undergravel filter is too underappreciated! It works REALLY well in my experience, and it emulates how nitrogen cycle are done in the natural river streams.
Fish tanks are designed to be balanced and sustainable like the nature, and undergravel filter is the MOST sustainable and low maintenance biofilter.
well said Nik
The only reason canisters exist is to get more money from you.
Nice video! Check out Kevin Novak channel. Udg are better with low flow
Thanks for the tip! i will check them out
Anoxic filtration.
Apparently it's not without oxygen (annerobic) but low levels of oxygen in the deep gravel (anoxic) that causes the process of nitrate elimination, the magic happens when the bacterior use the oxygen within the nitrate molecule to do their business, the nitrogen gas is then liberated completing the nitrogen cycle.
amazing!
well, 5:50 to skip the nonsense.
Under gravel filter usage was abandoned long, long ago….for good reasons. This video is a promotion…so do your research before you opt for this outdated and very iffy technique.
Under gravel filter?? 🤣 the 60’s called, they want their technology back
How often do u do water changes in ur modern tanks? The tanks I have under gravel filters in I do a water change every 3 to 4 months just to change some water - nitrates are really low even with a high stocking density so yeah - 60’s tech works really well ;)
@@AquaMalik as often as needed because I’m not lazy or neglectful of my fish, unlike you
@@AquaMalik and I’m sure you’d be totally honest and admit that your KH depleted due to no water changes, caused a massive ph swing and killed them off wouldn’t you? 😉