Topic: Help! Another UGF question

[wendyjo]

OK pardon me but I feel like a newbie all over again tonite with this UGF.

So I got the tank set up and running.  But for the life of me I don't see how any kind of filtration is going to take place with a UGF.  Setup is as follows:

Plate sits in tank bottom - there is about an inch of space between the tank bottom and the plate - maybe a bit less.

Tube gets inserted into hole in plate.  Gravel sits on top of plate - I mixed in some volcanic rock cause it's porous and has lots of little nooks and crannies for growing bacteria. 

Airstone sits down in tube, connected to airline tubing, connected to the pump.  The airstone is sitting loose inside the tube - not buried or anything, but it's as far down as it will go.  I can see it inside the tube.  A lovely stream of bubbles is coming up out of the tube.

So how does this make it a filter of any type?  I understand that it's not going to be much of a mechanical filter as the crud will fall under the plate.  So water changes are important - ugh.

But how does this setup make a nice oxygenated place for biological filtration?  It doesn't appear that anything other than the surface of the water is getting oxygenated, as that where all the bubbles end up.  How is this aerating the gravel in order to cultivate the bacteria?  It seems to me like something should be sucking the water and debris down thru the gravel and then up thru the tube - but that's now how it's set up.  So do I have something wrong or am I just not getting the concept?

New betta girly is checking it all out.  She's very tiny - can she swim against the current like a salmon and get stuck down in the tube?  It has a little "plate" over the top but 1) she could still fit down in there cause it's not a solid piece/it has large slots in it and 2) it doesn't fit tight over the top of the tube.

Someone please explain........................

[ShieldWolf]

 But how does this setup make a nice oxygenated place for biological filtration?  It doesn't appear that anything other than the surface of the water is getting oxygenated, as that where all the bubbles end up.  How is this aerating the gravel in order to cultivate the bacteria?  It seems to me like something should be sucking the water and debris down thru the gravel and then up thru the tube - but that's now how it's set up.  So do I have something wrong or am I just not getting the concept?

Ok I'll take a crack at this.

You have the setup correct.

in theory as the bubbles generated by the airstone & pump travel up the tube, it is drawing water from the tank through the underground plate up behind it. Water & debris are drawn through the gravel. The debris gets stuck in the gravel which is the mechanical filter part of the equation.

The gravel also becomes the site of the biological filtration as beneficial bacteria colonize the gravel bed.

Sometimes the airstone gets old & clogged or the airpump is not strong enough so hardly any water is being drawn through. Some people either get stronger rated airpumps, or conect 2 pumps onto 1 airline or get a powerhead which fits directly onto the lift tube. No airstone necessary.

[wendyjo]

Well OK but I just don't see how an airstone sitting on TOP of the gravel is going to draw water THRU the gravel.  I don't doubt that what you say is correct, i just can't wrap my head around it.  I guess since they've been around forever they must work tho.  Ima put some squeezings from my canister in there tomorrow and see how it goes.

Do nosey fish ever get stuck down in the tube or will the bubbles keep them out?

It's a really poorly made tank, but it looks nice, haha.  The lid just sits on top and just slides off, pulling the airline tubing and airstone out with it, if ya bump it or it you have to take the lid off.  But I have some plans to make it more secure.  It's got all these cool colored little led lights that shine up thru the bubbles, but no white light - wth?.  It looks more like a terrarium compared to my minibows. 
 
Not 100% sure Ima keep it tho - it's not really very user friendly and it's fine for a baby girl but may be too small when she's grown.

[ShieldWolf]

Believe it or not, the rising bubbles pulls the water up behind into the tube.
A great way to test that would be drop some dye into the water away from the tube near the gravel. Of course you better not have any fish in there. lol

Not me personally but I have heard some people mention having seen fish in the tube. I think various small tetras & khuli loaches were mentioned. There was even some speculation that eggs were drawn under the plate & hatched there. But yah for the most part fish shouldn't be able to get in there. 

[wendyjo]

OK I'll take your word for it.  To test it I'll have to wait till one day when I'm really dirty from working in the garden, then eat a pot of beans and fart in the tub and see if it pulls all the dirt to the top of the tub!  All in the name of science, of course.

Now I gotta figure out how to heat this tank.  I have one of those flat little mini heaters and I put it under the plate, but I don't have enough time tonite to monitor it and make sure it doesn't cook her.  There's probably only about 1.5 gallons of water in there and that can heat up pretty fast.  She's at 72-74 right now and that's still warmer than what she had in the store so she should be OK till tomorrow evening.

She is the tiniest betta I've ever seen irl!  So cute!

Thanks for your help!!!!!

[ShieldWolf]

She is the tiniest betta I've ever seen irl!  So cute!

Got a pic?

Nevermind. It's probably on the betta board. I should wander in there to take a look but sometimes you betta fanatics creep me out.

[wendyjo]

No pic yet.  I am too lazy!

[ShieldWolf]

Snap to it woman! *snaps fngers* hehehe

[Cholly]

Airstones don't provide the best lift, I would suggest a powerhead, much more flow. UGFs are actually almost as fry friendly as sponges, I have never seen a fish caught in the tube, and I've been using them over 30 years. Intake is spread out through the gravel, so there's no centralized "pull" for the intake, it quite diffuse, much the same as a sponge.
Unless it's like three gallons or smaller, I would definitely recommend a powerhead rather than an airstone. If you stick with the airstone, change it every month or two, they eventually clog and many unclogging methods tend to disintegrate the stone, lol.

EDIT: D'oh! Just found your other post. Airstone will lift fine for that setup. Like Wolfie said, the bubbles pull the water up with them.

[wendyjo]

How do I know if my pump is strong enough?  It's the tiniest thing I've ever seen. cylinder shaped, and most importantly - quiet!  And how do I know when I need to replace the stone - by the volume of bubbles?  I bought extra stones for it already cause I do know they don't last real long.

I wish they made equipment in white instead of everything, and all the cords, being black.  This tank is really cute but I can't avoid a black cord for the heater.  When it's time for a water change I may try to find a way to securely wrap some fake plant material around the part of the cord on the inside of the tank.