another undergravel filter question...

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a1k8t31524
 
Posts: 939
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 5:10 am

another undergravel filter question...

by a1k8t31524

i have a 55gallon goldfish tank. . currently running a canister filter, hang on filter and a under gravel filter now i just moved my tank today when i filled it back up the water that i could not siphon(i.e. the stuff under the ug filter plates) out was basically black so that seems to me that the ug filter plates are just a place for all the little nasties to fall where my gravel vacuum cant reach. so my question is. is there a way to get all of that out without taking it out, did i set it up wrong? shout i get a power head instead of using airstones and if i do do that do i need one for each tube or just one ....
any advice helps


spongebob4460
 
Posts: 603
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:37 am

by spongebob4460

I know you only need one powerhead, but then u'll have to seal up the other riser tube opening. You can also read the thread i started called "powerheads" it will give you more info. good luck


J1400Smith
 
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:30 pm

by J1400Smith

if you reach in and grab a riser tube and pick it up just about an inch and push it back down a couple of times it will push all the gunk out and let the filters get it. Your water will look nasty for a while, but it will clear. I was told to do this about every six months. Also, a friend told me he puts his gravel vacum over the riser tube and vacumes it out. Just a couple of things you can try, but, I really don't like UGF's because of that very thing. You keep that crap in the tank instead of cleaning it out and your nitrAtes are eventually going to spike very bad and most likley kill everything in the tank. If you choose to remove them, like I did, then you can do a good vacuming, then just reach in and pull the plates out, and do a quick water change to clean the crap out. I did that and there was no sign of stress on the fish.


Good Luck


Peterkarig3210
 
Posts: 1980
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am

by Peterkarig3210

Don't you think gravel will get under the filter if you lift it up? I've had big problems when I've pulled on the risers. With a power head there shouldn't be too much stuff under there due to there being much more flow. One way to get stuff out of there is to put a siphon tube on the riser on one side, have the other side open as well, and run water into the UG filter. Water and whatever is down there will come out the other side and guck will also get pushed out of the gravel. Take a bucket and put it on top of your tank balanced carefully, and since it's higher you can siphon water into the riser on that one side, and it should work.


J1400Smith
 
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:30 pm

by J1400Smith

No, I never got gravel under mine the one time I did that.


spongebob4460
 
Posts: 603
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:37 am

by spongebob4460

I recently attached powerheads to the riser tubes of my UG filter and a TON of gunk came out into my water. I let it sit a few days thinking it would clear up. It barely cleared up, even with a 10% water change. I decided to reduce the stock of my tank by returning some of my barbs to the store today, and took a sample of the water as well. My ammonia levels were deadly high. My ph was also deadly levels. The store owner suggested I do a drastic water change, about 30% today and another 30% in a few days. I did one today, my water has cleared up tremendously and my powerheads are working efficiently, i think i should be good at the next water change. LESSON LEARNED: UG filters store a lot of waste underneath the gravel that the vacuum or the air stones don't suction out and this builds up a huge amount of deadly waste waiting to be released into ure tank. DEFINITELY get powerheads, the sooner the better (thanks Peterkarig). I wouldn't suggest lifting the UG plates, this will most surely get gravel underneath and you won't realize there is gravel underneath until you have a powerhead suctioning it out thru the risers. Also, its better to get two lower flow powerheads on each riser tube, rather than one more powerful powerhead running one side of your tank. good luck


Peterkarig3210
 
Posts: 1980
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am

by Peterkarig3210

Sounds like things are coming together now with your tank spongebob.


spongebob4460
 
Posts: 603
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:37 am

by spongebob4460

Many thanks... hopefully will be nice and clean soon. the water has been smelling thru this process so am anxious to get the water clean again.

My readings when I tested the water at the fish store were as follows, by the way:
ph 6.0
ammonia .50
nitrite 0
nitrate 10

this was before the 30% water change i did yesterday. what u think? as bad as the store owner says? says my ph is the "silent killer"


Peterkarig3210
 
Posts: 1980
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am

by Peterkarig3210

Spongebob. 6.0 is in the acidic range. 7.0 is neutral, or where most fish want the pH. .5 for Ammonia is high but could be worse. I know you've been doing water changes so things should be better, but I would, per the chemistry kit I have, aerate as much as possible, use ammonia locking additives/removers, and you'll need to replenish the beneficial bacteria. You've probably been feeding too much and or you don't have enough surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow or haven't gotten the bacteria in you gravel going with the power heads yet. There is stuff called 'Cycle' and it's the good bacteria that you can buy, and some stores sell even better stuff that's refrigerated. I would maybe add a little more gravel to increase the surfaces for bacteria to grow and feed much less for the next few days. Fish don't need to eat as much as they can. It's better to leave them a little hungry and they will be healthier. You could also buy a fresh water aquarium chemistry water test kit. They're only about $20.00. With a chemistry kit you can test the water before you put it in and test your tank any time, and it's fun. I have an issue similar to yours but not as bad because I have too many fish in my 100 gallon. I think I really need to give my 14 inch arowana back to the store! We both need to do water changes now at least 30% once a week or more until you get the cycle going. Does your aquarium store have any Java moss? Because if it does, it's really easy to grow in low light and you can tie it to your wood and it'll grow onto it. It will help cycle the end products, nitrates, from building up in your tank, it provides even more surfaces for beneficial bacteria, and it looks really good on the kind of wood you have.

another undergravel filter question...

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