Has anybody else on the forum used reverse flow undergravel filter plate setup?. Many forums have people saying they 'HAVE' used with great success.

Looking at this for my new tank as i feel it must contribute in at least some way of maintianing a good cleaning setup. However all the information I can find is a bit conflicting with some saying its good and others saying it doesnt work very well.

Was looking at having two power heads with one in each corner at rear of the tank. The power head would be sitting a couple of inches above substrate. Each powerhead will have its own sponge filter drawing the water into and directly under the plates.

My setup will also have two external canister filters with 1200L/Min capacity running and returning at each rear corner as well.

May actually have power heads paired up back to back at rear centre of tank and canister filter inlet pipes in rear corners.

Any views on how good this setup would be or is it a wasted excercise. Also what rating of power head would be recommended to ensure powerfull enough water stream through under the plates.

I have never used any kind of under gravel filtration with the Oscars. I know people often say that under gravel filtration is not recommended because Oscars produce such a large amount of waste. Whatever filtration you use, I would always recommend it being very powerful filtration, strong enough filtration to lift the solid waste. At the moment, I used to external canister filters and just by chance, one of the ends fell off the pipe that is inside the tank. They normally come with covers with little slots. I find now that is because it is just an open pipe, it removes waste so much better. Obviously if you have small fish, you wouldn't want to leave it like this.

Noticed with my external filters that the intake pipes dont seem to draw much waste towards them.

You can still see lots of small particles float right by and not get sucked up. Both pumps are working with valves fully open and are rated for 1200 L/Hr.

Also have an end cap on return pipe to reduce flow through small holes along length. This just pulls out of the end and will see if unrestricting the return makes any diffrence.

Think a couple of powerhead kits with the attachable sponge or cylinder filter would maybe make a diffrence without fitting to an undergravel plate. Just hide them away at back of tank corners.

I don't think they make the filters powerful enough so they stuck something from the other side of the tank, if they did, you probably have a real problem with them second stuff like sand up. I find that the fish kick a lot of the waist up when they are moving around, then the filters suck it up. They certainly keep my tank remarkably clean anyway. And also find that an awful lot of the waste builds up on one side of the tank, very strange.

I'm myself, am still torn between going for the underground filter with my 150. I will also be running the 2 large cascade canisters. I just the feel the more
water is moving the better ?? Maybe, I'm wrong.

Anyways, I have a whisper 5 filter that is many years old and the drawing power when you put your hand near the intake is unreal. I have the intake 1/2 way down the tank
and since I have had the oscars I decided to take the end
piece off so the junk would get sucked up, and in doing so lost my arowana 2 days after I got it, a loach and
one of my salvini. Arowana and loach went up the tube and salvini got sucked to the bottom and apparently couldn't
get off, a real shame. Yea! I'm still beating myself up about that one.

I also have more waste in one side of my tank too. Maybe, these fish aren't so dirty after all and tend to go in the same place all the time, lol. Do you think?

What is this blanket or something mentioned that you lay on the undergravel plate before putting the gravel in.
Where do you get that? I never heard of it before. Is
it really needed/advised?

Thanks!

i also find that waste tends to settle in one area. I think this is because of the water flow and currents in the tank. A common spot is under the intakes of cannister filters

basically what you want to do with the under gravel filter is def. use powerheads, and above the filter itself you want to use large rock substrate, then lay like a filter pad over those large rocks, then over the filter floss(pet store sells sheets of it) lay down your normal or smaller substrate, basically without that you will clog the filter itself