have i set this up right?

i currently running an under gravel filter, as far the gravel goes, ive a mixture of grainy white sand and white gravel.
Looking from the outside the sand seems to be packed on the bottom while the pebbles are sitting on the top, will the sand that is packed on the bottom be blocking the filtration process by not allowing any flow, or is the filter taking its corse proply?

im not saying it hasnt cleared since i set it up either, its cleared up heaps!

question 2

Does putting in driftwood(i did buy it from the aquarium) make your water go a little brown until it settles?

depending on the driftwood, even though u got it from the aquarium shop it will still bleed tannins for probably a couple of months, the only way i ahve heard of stopping it is to boil it for a couple of hours but getting a pot big enough is the trouble...

I think Del boy knows more about UGF so I'm sure he will chip in at some stage, however, I don't think you're really supposed to use sand with them. I think you should keep a close eye on the situation and just be sure that no sand is actually been sucked into your filters.

Yes, wood will often stain your water and it can take quite a long time to clear. However, it won't cause any problems apart from maybe dropping the pH

OFL wrote:


i cant really see any sand as such being sucked threw the filters, they tend to be bubbling like mad..the water quality tends to be clearing well, but got me thinking mayby sand/gravel mix was probably a bad idea .

Sand is no good with an UGF filter. The point of any filter is to get lots of water running through the media so that the bacteria get lots of oxygen to live on

Gravel has lots of spaces in it so water flows easily through it and the bacteria get lots of oxygen. Water doesnt flow through sand easily as it packs tightly so the bacteria struggle to get enough oxygen. Also gravel is heavy and wont be moved by the flow of water whereas sand can be

When using an UGF with oscars it best to use a gravel tidy as oscar dig. If an oscar digs down to the UGF plate all the water will flow through this spot and wont go through the gravel thus rendering the UGF useless, this is why UGF with oscars can be a bad idea

Put the UGF in, then cover with some gravel, then place the gravel tidy followed by more gravel. This way the oscar can dig and the UGF will still work. The problem with this is cleaning the gravel. You have to slide the top layer of gravel out of the way, then pull the gravel tidy out of the way and then clean the gravel underneath. Or you can get a cannister filter and put the output into the UGf uplift tube and then you dont have to worry about cleaning the gravel

See this post
www.oscarfishlover.com/oscar-fish-advice...n-ideal-oscar-set-up

Im afraid your only solution is to remove the sand. Its a big job and afterwards you need to keep an eye on your ammonia and nitrite to make sure that your tank stays cycled

ugf, as the name connote really meant for gravel use, not sand.
i had set-up a tank for a friend using ugf and we do it reverse.
it turn out to be effective to but need some modification. it is
so nice to look at with that liquefied gravel.