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Re: ug/fluval filter



I would not advise you to use the spray bars as intake tubes. The holes
are too small and will clog very quickly. Why don't you enclose the 
intake with some sort of large foam/floss block ? That will not clog so
easily and will prevent fry from being swallowed by the filter. Set
the spray bar(s) somewhat under the water surface to prevent surface 
agitation. In a 65 gal tank the flow provided by the 303, if 
dispersed among three spay bars, should provide a *very* gentle
water movement, perhaps *too* gentle. I have the same filter in a 46 
gal with one spray bar and I will probably add a small circulation
pump just to increase the water circulation in some dead spots.

In my experience, UG filtration shouldn't be so bad for plants if
the following points are met: (i) water flow thru the UG system is
*very* gentle; (ii) the gravel size is relatively small, and (iii) no
air driven water pump is used. I had in the past two moderatley 
planted 20 gal. aquariums with UGFs that were relatively successful. 
In both I used a tiny powerhead and natural sand that happened to have 
the right grain size. In my current setup I rigged a substrate circulation
system using a UGF plate fed like a reverse UGF by drip irrigation
hardware connected to the fluval output. This provides a flow rate
somewhere around 5 gal a day. It has been working OK so far, but it
remains to be seen if there are any long term beneficial or adverse
effects.

-Ivo Busko
 Baltimore, MD