# UGF's and Powerheads



## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

If Im posting this in the wrong place, I apologize - I checked and did not see a specific forum for such a topic. 

I still have a UGF in my tank - I was trashed at another fish board for having it and was told I should remove it immediately because they are nasty. :shock: Ive had this in my tank for several years without any problems. I have been outa the fish hobby loop for a couple of years and there have been alot of new things come out since. 

I was just curious if anyone here still uses them and if I really should remove it.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

I use them on my smaller tanks. Usually 30 gal and smaller. On my bigger tanks I use (H.O.T.) hang on tank or cannister filters. 
During my cleanings I use a gravel vac and have not had problems with them. You probably want to avoid them if you have live plants or use a compact substrate like sand instead of gravel.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

I use 'em all the time, as do millions of other people, and we're all doing just fine.
They do have their drawbacks and there are new developments, but UGF's are still okay for many applications. On the other hand, they aren't one bit suitable for many other types of tanks, so the decision on whether to keep using it or not depends solely on your goals for the tank.

By the way, the Freshwater Equipment section would have technically been the best place for this, but you'll get a bigger audience here in General.


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

I musta missed the Freshwater Equipment forum.. lol

thanks for your comments. 

I dont plan on having live plants anytime soon. Its just too time consuming and with a 2 year old, I just dont have the time. My tank has middle size gravel. Ill post a pic of it later on. 

Anyhow, I just gave away my three plecos and my tank is empty. I guess this would be a good time to thoroughly clean the tank since the UGF has been in place for many years. I also have a small filter than hangs on the back so it should not be a big problem cycling the tank once its set back up.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

The best bet to keep the benefical bacteria alive is to hook the filter up on the side of a bucket filled with aquarium water and let it run if you plan on doing a total teardown. When you set back up the tank and refill it be sure to condition the water and you can drop the filter back in.


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

fish_doc said:


> The best bet to keep the benefical bacteria alive is to hook the filter up on the side of a bucket filled with aquarium water and let it run if you plan on doing a total teardown. When you set back up the tank and refill it be sure to condition the water and you can drop the filter back in.



well, this is what I done..

I pushed all the gravel to one side, removed half of the UGF, vaccumed the bottom real good, replaced that side, done the same with the other side. I left about 6 inches of the old water in the tank. My hang on filter cartidge was sitting in a bowl of old water while I done this. I filled it back up with tap water which here is well water. it took about 3 hours total to do the whole thing. Its back up and running and is crystal clear this morning. 

Now my question is.. will the tank have to re-cycle?? If so, how long do you think it will take??

I tested it this morning - PH is 7.2, amonnia is 0, nitrites are 0 - and its has a medium hardness. Thats all my test kit contains besides chlorine test and I dont have to use that one since we have a well.


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## blixem (Jun 13, 2005)

Sounds like you did a good job, almost all of the beneficial bacteria in an UGF setup is in the substrate. So as long as you didn't let that die out the worst case senerio I'd foresee is a mini-cycle.


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

sounds like you're okay because you don't have a trace of ammonia. you should know what your nitrates are too. in a cycled tank, nitrates along with ph should be monitored regularly.


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

euRasian32 said:


> sounds like you're okay because you don't have a trace of ammonia. you should know what your nitrates are too. in a cycled tank, nitrates along with ph should be monitored regularly.


that is something that I have learned since getting back into the hobby. MY test kit doesnt contain a nitrate test - Im planning on getting one this week sometime. 

I tested the water again today outa curiosity and the PH has gone up to about 7.8-8.0 - Im guessing anyhow - its a dark blue (my test kit does not show color for above 7.6). What would be the reason for the PH to climb??


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

sounds like you did alright... just be sure to throw in some fish ASAP to keep that bacteria alive and kickin


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

Fishfirst said:


> sounds like you did alright... just be sure to throw in some fish ASAP to keep that bacteria alive and kickin


plannin on doing that maybe tomorrow! Its been killin me to see that empty tank! lol


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

even if you cant find fish. Throw a little food in there. It will give the bacteria somthing to use as food until you add fish.


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## Georgia Peach (Sep 23, 2005)

dang, here is it about two weeks later and still NO fish! aghhhhhhhhhhhh - Im gonna try to get some tomorrow.. Im just having hard time deciding and then finding what I want!


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