|| I have some experience with UGFs.... My experience being that if you
|| use them as described by their manufacturers... with powerheads or
|| air bubbles moving water UP the tubes.... yes, the gravel gets
|| packed with waste (especially if one doesn't gravel vac often
|| enough) and may eventually pollute the tank... even with proper
|| gravel vaccuming, because the vac can't access beneath the plate to
|| get accumulated detritus. However, I consider UGFs to be superior
|| if used in a reverse-flow type of situation.... with water being
|| pre-filtered and forcibly pushed down the tube & up through the
|| filter plates via the output of a powerhead or the output of a
|| canister filter. For what it's worth.... I'm having great success
|| with my UGF.... I've set it up a bit differently though, I have
|| the plate covered and surrounded on the side by a thick, felt-like
|| polyester pad, to keep even the most miniscule particles from
|| falling below the plate, and I have a Fluval 304 canister filter
|| pushing water down the tube... (with a small outlet valve branching
|| off the main tube at the water's surface to provide some water
|| movement). My plants have never been happier, even with the UGF.
|| My opinion is that plants do well in a reverse-flow setup because
|| the have a constant supply of warm, nutrient-filled water seeping up
|| around the roots. This promotes a higher amount of beneficial
|| bacteria and it keeps the gravel from forming "dead spots" where
|| detrimental anaerobic bacteria can live. This particular tank has
|| only been set up for a couple months at this point, and time will
|| tell if this method is better in my situation. Some folks are
|| dead-set against planted tanks with UGFs. I forsee no drawbacks
|| though. Either way you go, you still can't go wrong with a good
|| canister filter and regular gravel-vacuuming.

DWF has a great setup, the main positive is that the UGF won't become the
nitrAte factory that regular UGFs become....

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