Penn-Plax Undergravel Aquarium Filter For 20-29 Gallon Tanks

Lee UGFs’ are the best on the market and I use them on freshwater. saltwater and brackish [such as cichlids]. it is easy to set up, but you want to use power heads and knock out the tabs on underneath side to have a flow thru plate design, so the 2 plates work like 1 and no dead spots .You could block 1 tube off [ Amazon sells caps to do this] and just use 1 power head and with the flow thru set up it will still work correctly. The benefits such as when the fish kick ammonia out of their gills, the power head[s] make slight suction and pull it through the substrate to the UGF where bacteria attached to the plastic eat it, also it keeps the lift tubes clean because water is moving all the time and the power head[s] create current that the fish are use to. This the ideal set up and the way it was designed to work. Don’i run the power heads in reverse because it pushes the ammonia away from the UGF , so your fish are swimming in their own pee, not a good environment. Air stone version can not do any of these benefits because they were not designed to and in some cases nitrogen dioxide forms in UGF which bacteria is killed off, so you have dead plates. With power head[s] and flow thru plates it provides sufficient circulation of oxygen in the UGF displacing it , solving the problem. I tell you this because I want your fish to live and be happy. Since your water is cleaner ,less water changes are needed !

I got this for the fourth fish aquarium that I’ve had over the years. I usually use the vacuum that you push in to the gravel and it sucks up all of the waste. With this filter it didn’t seem to work very well for removing waste as I wasn’t sure we’re on the waste was going. I’m not really sure if this was the best choice for my aquariums. I feel like the aquariums are cleaner using the old fashion gravel vacuum.

J’aimerais renvoyer cet article acheté par mégarde jamais monté toutes les pièces sont avec aucun montage.

If you have an aquarium, an undergravel filter is a necessity! They are simple and you don’t really see them working, but they are vital to the health of your aquatic life. While it does take a few weeks for the bacteria to start feeding on the food and other waste that gets sucked into the filter, a UGF will definitely help keep the water clean. I have only had one aquarium over the years that did not have a UGF and it was the only one that I ever had problems with. You can add a hang on back (HOB) filter to have extra filtration, but it is the UGF that’s the workhorse of the system. Nearly all of the complaints I see from people are the ones that don’t understand how it works. They don’t give it enough time to start working. Even when using aged water and bacteria from another aquarium, it still takes time. BUT once it reaches the point of where the bacteria start to increase, you don’t have to do anything else to it. It normally takes a few weeks for this process to start. You can add fish and such before the UGF begins to work, so this is where the HOB would be good to use. At the most, I have vacuumed out the extra waste maybe once every six months – not all of it, just some of it. Again, the key is to give it time to work. Patience is what is called for.

As for the Penn-Plax brand, it is really the only brand to consider. The price is right. The quality is good. Penn-Plax has it dialed in. The only thing I don’t do is to use the carbon attachments. I have found that they are not needed at all. I wish Penn-Plax would leave them out and lower the price a few dollars.

The assembly was pretty straightforward especially if you are familiar with under gravel filters. All that I needed to modify was trim the plastic riser tube and hard plastic air tube which was a bit challenging with scissors (I’m sure there’s a better way)
Even with 1-1/2” of gravel on top I can visibly see fish waste and food being pulled under the rocks by suction. The bubbler outlet on top helps create a circular current, and when changing water, I keep the gravel vac in one spot to pull all the particles from under the filter screen. Very nifty system. 5/5.

Experienced fish keeper with 7 tanks and counting here. Few companies still make these and I applaud Penn Plax for keeping the tradition alive. Affordable, foolproof, effective, and low maintenance.

The other common brand uses a dome shaped top on their lift tube caps. It folks with air and releases a “blub” every minute or so. Penn Plax has the best shape for flow and quiet.

Aquarium filters are like politics. Everyone has an opinion but few do their homework. The classic UGF was the mainstay of the hobby for a half-century. Why is it (almost) gone? Because you don’t need to buy cartridges, media packs, impellers, or anything else! Stores don’t make money!

This is a viable option for anything 55g and under, and is a perfect option 29g and under. The only reason not to use is if you want a sand bottom or heavily planted tank.

Advice – don’t bother unifying the plates if you’ll run a lift tube in each corner. The carbon cartridges really don’t help much because they have such little carbon. Run the setup with air alone and you’ll be surprised how simple filtration can be.