08/05/10, 01:08 AM
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Registered Users
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Missouri
Posts: 10
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I like using both. I have lots of fish exp. ( Fisheries degree and managed petstores for 5 years). I use undergravel in all my tanks but my saltwater reef tanks, and all also have over the side or canister. The undergravels work well if you don't over feed. How the undergravel works is the water going up the tube creates a vaccuum and pulls water through the gravel. This extra water flow allows for more good bacteria to grow. The bacteria breaks down the fish waste. The over the side and canister needs to have charcoal or other absorbing media. That absorbs the disoved waste. Nither filter will work well if you over feed, have to many fish and/ or dont do water changes. 10-25 % weekly or bi-weekly. A small tank keep a coffee cup close and scoop one or two cups out and put clean back in. With the number of fish 1 inch per gallon for tropicals 1 inch per 2 gallons of goldfish is a good rule of thumb. I have kept 100 inches of fish in a 10 gallon before but I really had to watch my water quality. Also the bigger the tank the easier it is to maintain. my 125 I do nothing with for months and it has sunfish and catfish in it. My kids 20 gallon Im fighting with it weekly.( No the fish dont want to eat you pbj sandwich) More water the longer it takes to go bad. Start out with just a few fish and let the natrual bacteria grow, after about 2-4 weeks add a few more, etc. If you add to many at once it will knock the natural bacteria balance off and can crash the tank. When you clean the tank dont take the gravel out and wash it or boil it. If the gravel is dirty then you are probally over feeding. Stir the water up and dip the mess out. It is best if you dont change more the 50- 75% ( max) at the same time. If you wash the gravel then you get rid of the natral bacteria and the waste will not be broke down. The bacteria is like the tanks septic system. The undergravel filter increases the amount that is broke down. Any over the side that has a bio wheel is better than not having one. This also increases the bacteria, just dont wash it or throw it away unless it is falling apart. You can use a soft toothbruch to get chunks off of it but rinse it with tank water from a water change. This keeps the bacteria on it and working good.
One of the petstores I managed only had undergravel filters for the tanks( 56- 29 gallons,16-55s 4- 75s 1-90 and a 150) . Even with teenagers over feeding and overstocked the water quality stayed in the good range because the bacteria was established. Very rarely did I have to clean an undergravel filter. Most the time if it needed maintance just shake one of the tubes alittle and that stirred up the yuckies to were it would work and the yukies would get pulled out witha water change.
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