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I decided to give an Aquatic Gardens Three Gallon Mini Aquarium a try for one of my bettas. It has a UGF, which is a feature i was looking for. Every filter I've tried with a betta ended up damaging the fins as it got too close to the intake. With this, that can't happen.

I'm new to UGF's. I bought a 2.5 Minibow that also has a UGF and that was a snap to start. But this one is another story.

The 2.5 Minibow has no cartridge for extra filtering - carbon/floss. This three gallon has a cartridge that plugs into the tube outlet at the top.

They have the airstone at a fixed distance from the top to bottom as it is connected to a rigid tube where it sits down around plate level.

All I'm getting at the top is alot of bubbles and little outflow. It's been running 15 minutes and I get about an inch of air at the top of the tube (in bubbles) and only a very tiny stream of bubbles making it out at the very, very top of the outlet. I know it should be coming out of the entire outlet like a banshee, but it's not. If I take the cartridge out, it works, much like the minibow 2.5.

Ok - let me clarify. There are bubbles only coming out of 1 of about 16 slits in the cartridge. This can't be right.

They have given me some kind of pump called a Profile 1000. I have no idea what it is rated for, but it doesn't seem strong enough to push the bubbles up and out forcefully. It's kind of....whimpy.

I wondered if I made a mistake in pouring my water into the empty hole before the uptake tube was installed. I didn't want to disturb the gravel. Would this have put alot of air down there?

Or, does it just take these types longer to saturate the added cartridge before I get a really good flow going. This just doesn't seem right.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 03-Mar-2005 19:13

Do you have it packed with filter floss?

I don't know the exact setup you have or the brand name. But from what I do know about UGFs, I wouldn't bother with the floss. If you have some in there.

IME it causes exactly what your dealing with. It's also kinda not needed. They are really meant to be filled with chemical filtration. Your gravel bed is you machanical.

Toss the floss. Fill it with carbon.

I may have mis-spoke. It has a skinny white pad in front and in back of the carbon. So, I can take out the pads and just leave the carbon? I was thinking they used it to keep the carbon powder from spewing out.

LoL, You should always rinse your carbon.

Yeah you can take them out. Unless they are needed to actually keep the carbon in the container.

I think that may be part of it as they have some in front and some in back. I'm going to get a stronger pump to see if I can get that baby flowing better. I can always use more air pumps . Right now I don't have the cartridge in, and yes - I did rinse it first .

I would replace them with some that are full of just carbon...They are pretty cheap too...

I think the cartridge is a keeper. It has tangs that allow me to open it. I can dump out the filter pad on either side.

I tried a stronger pump. All it did was back the tube up with more bubbles and still only came out the one, top, corner slit. . Dumb design.

I will say that at least this one has two plastic shields - one covering the entire surface, and another covering the light bulb, before the lid goes on. The 2.5 mini-bow light bulb and all get wet from spray. Now that's really a dumb desing.