under gravel filters

twoods71

twoods71

Active Member
I would stay away from the UGF because over time gunk will build up under the filter and it will fail. I know this from experience.
If you are just looking to keep clowns I would go with a good hang on the back power filter. I ran a 29 FOWLR that way for around 4 years.
 
nosmada

nosmada

Member
IMO, UGF's are worthless. but thats just my opinion. id stick with a DSB and some LR and you should be good to go :D
chris
oh yeah you may wanna add a skimmer, sorry forgot
 
sonny

sonny

Member
Contrary to other opionion, undergravel filters actually do work, and they work very well. The only drawback is that they do clog up after a year or so. If you do regular water changes and vacuum out the gravel, then it can and will run okay for 2-3 years. When it gets to have so much gunk you can't get it clean, then break it down and start over. I agree that live rock is a better way to go, but it is much more expensive to buy live rock. If your goal is to just keep a couple of clownfish, then a u/g might be a good cheap way of doing it.
Sonny
 
nosmada

nosmada

Member
im running a 2 1/2-3" sand bed mixed with a little CC on the top which i bought live to seed my sand and some LR about 10lbs right now along with a skimmer and have never had a nitrate problem. if you like you may look at my web page since its also a 29 gal tank it will give you a good idea of what my set-up is.
hth,
chris
p.s. when i first started out i was running a UGF with 2 power heads and a hang on whisper 4 filter and had a constant nitrate problem. this was quickley alleviated once i got ris of them both and went with the LS and LR. again, just mu .02. not everybody gets the same results with the same setup.
 
sonny

sonny

Member
Live rock is the filter of choice for a reef tank. It is more efficient and more natural than anything. It can cost a lot though, as it is usually sold by the pound. A good price is around $4 per pound, and I've seen it as high as $12 per pound. Keep in mind that the average rock weighs around 5 pounds. Add some live sand for a real natural look. All you really need is a power head for circulation, but a protein skimmer is very good to have too. They can cost as much as you want to pay for one! For a fish only setup, U/G filters are acceptable though, just a little more maintenance.
Sonny
 
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