Under Gravel Jets-- yea or nay???

[rackmsukr]

Can anyone give me some advice as to whether or not they think this would be beneficial in a marine aquarium? I have a 150 gal tank but I haven't done a thing to it yet. A friend of mine has a cichlid tank with these under gravel jets and they work great, but I have never heard of them in a saltwater tank. Check out this link to see how they work...
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ug_jets.php

 

[rcoultas]

They are not good for a marine tank - your benficial microorganisms colonize in the sand bed and will thrive when undisturbed.

 

[grumpygils]

Originally Posted by rackmsukr
Can anyone give me some advice as to whether or not they think this would be beneficial in a marine aquarium? I have a 150 gal tank but I haven't done a thing to it yet. A friend of mine has a cichlid tank with these under gravel jets and they work great, but I have never heard of them in a saltwater tank. Check out this link to see how they work...
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ug_jets.php
RacK,
Welcome to the boards. No under gravel. Check out this thread. Should answer alot of questions.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/264597/a-list-of-extremely-helpful-threads-for-all-hobbyists
Mc

 

[derekc]

well if u look at the picture carefully its not a filter...its just underground piping u can say and the power heads come out of the sand right? i think thats a really cool idea....i might try it

 

[lion_crazz]

Actually kind of cool idea. When I first looked at it, it looked like an under gravel filter but I can see that it is not. The flow comes out from the bottom of the tank, instead of just from the top where the filter or overflow would shoot the water back in. I have never seen it used in a saltwater tank, but I am curious as to whether anyone else uses it and may have some input. It would definitely prevent build-up from accumulating on top of the sand bed. You would just not want it coming out too strong from any one spot.
The only problem I can think of at the moment is that it might stress some bottom dwelling fish like gobies, wrasses, mandarins, eels, etc. Unlike cichlids, which are almost always swimming in the water level, there are many saltwater fish that dwell and rest on the bottom.

 

[rackmsukr]

They work great in my friend's 120g cichlid tank. There is no settlement on the substrate and it keeps the water moving nicely. Also, it sends any wastes back up to the top of the water where they are then flushed away by the overflow back into the sump.

 

[reefkprz]

that would be an excellent way to put flow in many places. its the same Idea as a hidden spray bar (pvc pipe with various oultets on it behind rock work). there is absolutly no reason you couldnt use that type of set up in a marine tank. (even bottom dwelling fish have to deal with waterflow doesnt matter if it comes from powerheads above sand level or piping under the sand) I have seen people do similar with the PVC rack they build to put their rock on, once they build their rack they drill holes in different places to eliminate deadzones amongst the rock then attach a powerhead to the rack.
basicly this design is an in tank closed loop, thats all. just a different application.

 

[earlybird]

I wonder how well an under gravel filter would work in a sump with no sand?

 

[andy51632]

Also cichlids are diggers especially the large ones
Very interesting thanks for the post. Something to ponder for awhile.

 

[puffy_fish]

Seems like a really cool idea as long as it wouldn't blow the sand around. I am setting up a 175 gallon tank and I am considering doing this because it seems like a cool idea.

 

[rackmsukr]

Another idea might be to leave the powerheads out and run your return water from the sump directly to the under-gravel jets. Seems to me like this would be an excellent way to keep recirculating your water. As far as the jets disturbing the sand, they don't cause that much turbulence. My friend has sand as his substrate and it works fine. There isn't that much force coming from the jets, although it would depend of course on how many outlets you have, pump pressure, etc.