2 quick questions

mad87man

First question how do undergravel filters work and do u think i should put one in a 29 gal or is a hang ont he back filter good enough?

I have a 29 gal tank i got from walmart wit the filter it came with, i wanna try a new hang on what is the best kind to get for a 29 gal and how big? Is a Rena good?

Jay

Under gravel filters are becoming more and more unpopular with hobbyists for a whole host of reasons.

If you mean a Rena HOB smart filter, they work well but are very expensive to keep in filter material. If you mean a Rena canister filter, they are, IMO, great.

Jay

river rock

ugf filters are now part of the old school of doing things....does that make them bad...depends on who you ask and how you use them.....i feel they can still work well if you use two powers heads with them one on each side....but a ugf can not do the job all alone its mostly just for biological filtration....you still need the hang on filter to do all your mechanical filtration and chemical....
i use both at the same time in my 75gal....the only reason i use the ugf is cause i got it free with the tank....if i had not i would prob not use a ugf at all

SumpNFishy

There is really nothing wrong with UGF but as most people would agree, you need other filtration as well. As River Rock said, powerheads are the way to go but then that adds to your setup costs. I also found in my 95 gal it really helped when I changed the powerheads to reverse flow with filtration.

I think most people don't like them because they look kind of ugly. In a 29 gal they will really stand out. So it's really a matter of personal preference.

For the HOB & canister I use Marineland Emperor series. Don't know much about Rena. If you can afford it, canister is the best way to go.

orb4me

In my 55 gal, Im running a UGF and a big filter over the side. I also took out a lot of gravel, just enough left in the tank to cover the bottom filter piece. It makes cleaning a lot easier. No problems at all. I have 2 air stones with air pumps that bubble up through the pipes and I think it adds interest to the tank.

In the long run, its still you decision and based from the info you get here, you cant go wrong

Jay

Hmmm.. I think it depends on whether or not I feel it will clash with my tie, jacket etc. After all, accessorizing is an art, and you never know who is taking a critical look .

Jay

BlueAcaraGuy

I'm currently running an ehiem professionl 3 on my 6 foot fish tank and i am vry happy with the results. However there are two problems. Number one, they are incredibly expensive. Where I am in Australia it cost me close to 900 bucks, including filter media. Number two, with the long arms on it, it makes it hard to clean the surface dust and alot of the middle water doesn't get clean. But to this problem there is a solution. Ehiem make a great little product that takes the place of one of the long arms and it cleans both the surface water and the middle water.

Again due to this price it may not work for you. Also im not sure as to whether you get these products where you are situated.