Glad to hear your feeling better
Your tank is still young, what only 3 months old if that? You may still be experiencing brown diatioms or other algea blooms, this would still be concidered normal for a new tank.
Also if I recall correctly this is a fish only tank? or did you have live rock as well?
What is your current filtration other than the UGF?
The Penguin 400 is a power filter or saddle filter that hangs on the back of your tank, I think even Meijer or Walmart carries them, you just use the filter cartriges that insert inside them.
List your other equipment for me.
I would strongly recommend that you pull the UGF, but you can still make this tank go with the Crushed coral if you wish, sand is most definatly better. In most cases that I have heard of and Experienced myself crushed coral although it does trap waste and food that lead to nitrates, what collects under the plates of the UGF is far worse. In many cases you can't always syphon what is there out. It is even more easy to syphon just plaine ole crushed coral without a UGF.
Yes I would remove the fish and hold them in a bucket with a heater for a while even a simple air stone for some water movement, or if it is warm enough in NO CAL you can do without any heater. Have some water change water ready, if you find that there is a lot of crud under your filter. All depends on how much you have fed over the last three months.
You may indeed find that you will have a mini cycle, but if your fish are hardy they can survive it, if you don't think they will they can still live in the bucket for a while or other tote or container with heater and circulation.
Thomas