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I am setting up a 46 gallon bow front tank and was wondering about powerheads and undergravel filters. Do I need an undergravel filter? Someone at the LFS told me that they were no good because they trap dirt under the filter. But he did tell me to get a powerhead to keep the water moving in the tank. The powerhead should be placed on the opposite side of the filter that is hanging on the tank. Opinions??????

acually, you can connect a powerhead to run an underground filter.

The underground filter (UGF) in the 55g tank has been running for a long time (15+ years) and it isnt cloged.

UGF's are a great source of filteration, cuz they use the gravel as the "filter" substrate.

If you're setting up a tank forget the UGF, they outdated and are IME more trouble than they're worth. An inexpensive hang on back (HOB) filter costs about the same as just a powerhead and will be much easier to maintain and offer many more filtration choices.

That said, if you insist on a UGF, you'll need a reverse flow powerhead as well as an additional filter. The reverse flow powerhead is combined with the UGF and reversed once a month which allows what's sucked down under the plates to be released back into the tank and caught by the HOB filter, which then needs to be maintained.

UGF's cannot be used with most plants (they don't like their roots being disturbed) or with sand (it will clog the plate). There are those that argue that they provide excellent biofiltration, but any object in any cycled tank will provide a place for the bacteria to colonize, the UGF only sucks the poo and waste under the gravel to become traped and quite often deadly.

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Last edited by Babelfish at 28-Dec-2004 09:41

So, what you are saying is that if I am not going to use a UGF then I do not need the powerhead? What about using the powerhead to keep the water circulating with out the UGF.

Another question how much gravel should I use? I heard that 1 pound of gravel per 1 gallon of water is this true? Or should I use less?

Hmmm not sure on the gravel, I just added enough that it looked good. Planted tanks generally like to have 2-3" for the plant roots. If you havent' got live plants then it should be under 2".

Powerheads are my personal friends...I've got them in all my tanks (except the 10 but that's running 2 filters ). Many of the more active fish like barbs and danios enjoy playing in the current, some fish need it for breeding and some like ottos prefer the movement. However some fish, like bettas, really won't appreaciate it.
I started useing a powerhead after I switched one of my tanks to a sand substrate, and it does help keep the waste (both from fish and plants) from settling on the surface.

In the end, if you're running a HOB like an Aquaclear you may not need added water circulation. So long as there's some form of filter on the tank you'll probably be fine without one, but may want one....all up to you .

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Thanks for the information, I think I am going to run two filters and see what happens before I buy a powerhead. I will let you know what happens.

I have a 46g bowfront and I use a HOB filter with a powerhead. The powerhead has lots of advantages (and it wasn't very expensive if I recall). First, if you place it near the heater, which you should, it will help make sure the water in the tank is evenly heated. Also, I set mine up so that the exhaust of the powerhead runs across the bowfront so fish tend to swim into it *thus swimming right upstream right up front* and that is always nice. Finally, the powerhead can direct water up to break the surface, which facilitates gaseous exchange (CO2 exit - O2 enter).
In any case, you probably don't need 2 filters if you buy one that's the right size. Good luck whatever you choose!
As for the gravel - about a pound per gallon is true, you could use a few less if you want, as long as you aren't gonna use a planted tank. If you use sand - then you'll need at least 1lb/g. I got about an inch of sand on my 46 with 50 lbs. It looked okay-ish, but i added some more.

Read this site on substrates:
http://home.infinet.net/teban/substrat.htm

If you are curious about how much substrate to buy,
use this site:

http://www.plantedtank.net/substratecalculator.html


P.S. A note of disclosure - I use two filters, but that's just cause I got a new one recently that I want to get ready for biofiltration before relying on alone. Plus, not sure what I'm gonna do with it when that's done. I might have to get an entirely NEW tank!!!

Last edited by azmentl at 29-Dec-2004 23:51

Thanks for the information, I think I am going to try the powerhead. I will let you know how everything turns out. I set up the new tank just in time because the filter on my old tank just died. Hopefully I can move my fish soon.