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From: richard@gryphon.UUCP
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria,rec.pets
Subject: Re: Tank Filtration
Message-ID: <2470@gryphon.CTS.COM>
Date: Thu, 3-Dec-87 01:56:10 EST
Article-I.D.: gryphon.2470
Posted: Thu Dec  3 01:56:10 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 6-Dec-87 15:44:54 EST
References: <1097@inuxd.UUCP> <353@nrc-ut.UUCP>
Reply-To: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton)
Organization: Trailing Edge Technology, Redondo Beach, CA
Lines: 49
Xref: utgpu alt.aquaria:29 rec.pets:1667
Summary: another view

In article <353@nrc-ut.UUCP> andre@nrc-ut.UUCP (Andre' Hut) writes:
>In article <1097@inuxd.UUCP> padgett@inuxd.UUCP (Gary Padgett) writes:
>>At the advice if a friend I arranged my tank (29 gal.) so that the
>>power filter pulls water through the undergravel filter. I have
>
>This is almost the best set-up. 

I disagree.

What you have with an outside filter is a device removing suspended
junk from the water. It would get trapped in the filter material
where it can be easily removed.

In a sub-sand filter its a lot harder to remove, and worse, it's
still IN THE TANK.

> The undergravel filter is by far the
>best type of filter for keeping the ammonia levels under control, and
>the more flow you have through it, the better.  The best set-up is to
>have the water going *down* your 'uplift' tubes.  This has the advantage
>of keeping your gravel clean, while still maintaining the biological
>filtration.  The water should be pulled from the surface where there
>is more oxygen, 

If there is any degree of water movement, there should be appx. equal
amounts of dissolved oxygen throughout tha tank.

then through your mechanical filter, then through
>the chemical filter (carbon), then down under the gravel filter, and
>back up.  The oxygen is useful to the bacteria which break down the
>ammonia into nitrates (which are then used by your green plants).
>
>You do have to clean up the bottom once and awhile though, cause nothing
>is sucking water from the bottom.

This is how those "Vortex reverse flo undergravel filters" work. They've
been around quite a few years and havn't really seemed to catch on.

There just doesnt seem to be an advantage to them.
>
>Andre' Hut  


-- 
Richard J. Sexton
INTERNET:     richard@gryphon.CTS.COM
UUCP:         {hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, ihnp4, nosc}!crash!gryphon!richard

"It's too dark to put the keys in my ignition..."