filtration

Question
Undergravel filters used to be popular and now not so popular for various reasons.

ok...........here's a thought and i want your opinion.

so what if i connect the intake of my filter to the undergravel tray?

then i would have the benefits of an undergravel filter that actually runs the water through a filter instead of just dumping it back in the tank.

please give me feedback.

Answer
Hi David,
  It is an interesting idea and that is in fact what many "powerheads" were originally designed to do, i.e., hook onto the uplift tubes of undergravel filters.  Some people like the idea, however, it still doesn't solve some of the main problems with undergravel filters, namely they become death traps for baby fish.  Eggs or babies will fall through the plates, then grow too large to get back out.

 In addition, fish like cichlids love to dig and they constantly expose the plates, nullifying any effect of the filter and radically altering the water flow pattern in the aquarium, i.e., the water will all rush through the exposed portion because it is the path of least resistance, thereby creating "dead zones" over the rest of the plates.

 Years ago I probably threw out 40 or 50 undergravel filters and all I can say is I should have thrown them out sooner.  They are good for a very few kinds of aquaria, but mostly they are best gotten rid of.  There are now so many other better kinds of filtration available.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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