Chuck, what are you on about?

There are going to be nitrogenous waste products in any closed system,
whether you're using mechanical filtration or UGF. Theoretically, in a
heavily planted, well established tank, a UGF can be more effective at
breaking down waste than mechanical filtration (because the entire gravel
bed is a filter surface). Regardless of the system you're using, if you're
performing regular water changes it shouldn't be an issue.

In any of my tanks over twenty gallons, though, I use UGF AND a canister
filter.

kush

"You can't have everything - where would you put it?"

Chuck Gadd wrote in message
...
On Tue, 03 Dec 2002 15:23:18 -0500, Rich Conley
wrote:

arent nitrogen and phosphorus good for plants?

yes, in controlled amounts. Even in a tank with a power filter,
enough of the waste will break down and release nitrogen and
phosphorus. In fact, even with a power filter, you will often get too
much phosphorus, and sometimes too much nitrogen.

You want the nutrient levels to be controllable. With a UGF that you
can't clean correctly, the levels will not be controllable.


Chuck Gadd
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua