I want to switch to live plants, I've had an aquarium for 25 years straight so I guess it's time. I currently have a 20 gallon tank with a canister filter and an undergravel filter with power head. Is there a way I can keep my undergravel filter and still have live plants? Also, how do you vacuum your gravel if you have live plants? The canister filter is larger than I need for my tank so I guess I could do without the undergravel filter, but maybe I should keep it for bio filtration? thanks
Live plants with undergravel filter
- Thread starter thebach
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AFAIK it's really best for plants to be without a UGF - hopefully someone else will post and have more information.
To answer your question about gravel vacs, I really don't vacuum the substrate any more - the plants are quite close together and it would be very awkward to try and get the bell in between them, and I don't want to damage or disturb their roots. About once a month I gently stir up the top of the substrate with my finger, but other than that I leave it alone. If I uproot a plant there's usually a little cloud of dirt/mulm, but I don't think it's harmful that the gravel contains this - I imagine it's extra fertilizer for the plants' roots.
To answer your question about gravel vacs, I really don't vacuum the substrate any more - the plants are quite close together and it would be very awkward to try and get the bell in between them, and I don't want to damage or disturb their roots. About once a month I gently stir up the top of the substrate with my finger, but other than that I leave it alone. If I uproot a plant there's usually a little cloud of dirt/mulm, but I don't think it's harmful that the gravel contains this - I imagine it's extra fertilizer for the plants' roots.
In general, having a UGF is not recommended for a planted tank, as some people say that there is too much water movement past the roots of the plant etc. But then againm, some people have grown great tanks while using UGFs, so in the end it comes down to a personal decision.
Personally, I don't like cleaning it up, or the extra hassle of getting too much stuff getting stuck in the gravel.
Personally, I don't like cleaning it up, or the extra hassle of getting too much stuff getting stuck in the gravel.
I've seen that several places as well - good idea! I'd use fairly large pots, much larger than the little ones they come in at the store. One advantage to this is you could use specialized substrates like Flourite, Eco-complete, etc. in the pot, and continue to use plain gravel with the UGF - a thin layer of gravel over the top of the pot would disguise it after it was buried in the gravel. Hope it works!
I have a couple of RFUG planted tanks going now with no difficulty whatsoever. I would not use conventional UG, but the prefiltered reverse flow should keep the gravel clean. The only difference that I have seen to date is that I have to to do water column only ferts, no substrate feeding (which I normally do for Swords and mature stands of Crypts). Tom Barr said it would work, and so far it has been fine. He does not feel it is the best of all possible ways to grow aquatic plants, but IME it certainly is not a poor one - despite all the nightmare stories you read on the web.
RTR, I had a sword that was growing moderately well in the RFUGF portion of my tank (though it was in a rather unlit portion of the tank). After 18 months I decided it was time to strip clean and replace the gravel & plate of the RFUGF. It wasn't clogged but it was definately due for the cleaning. The only setbacks I could see are:
. no terraforming as the gravel bed needs to remain pretty well level,
. the roots might cause a block to the water flow through some portions of the gravel
. the plants growing in the RFUGF bed would all have to be uprooted & transplanted when it becomes necessary to clean the UGF bed, and
. the plants tend to make thorough gravel vaccing a challenge
None of these points are reason enough not to try though. TheBach, I have only one 12" X 12" plate of RFUGF filtering my tank and the rest is plant suitable substrate. Best of both worlds, IMO.
. no terraforming as the gravel bed needs to remain pretty well level,
. the roots might cause a block to the water flow through some portions of the gravel
. the plants growing in the RFUGF bed would all have to be uprooted & transplanted when it becomes necessary to clean the UGF bed, and
. the plants tend to make thorough gravel vaccing a challenge
None of these points are reason enough not to try though. TheBach, I have only one 12" X 12" plate of RFUGF filtering my tank and the rest is plant suitable substrate. Best of both worlds, IMO.
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Ok, here's the plan: half RFUGF with one or two large potted plants that are easy to manouver, the other half planted substrate. If you make the back half RFUGF, and put large potted background plants there, it won't look so lopsided.