RUGF + UGF ???

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: RUGF + UGF ???
From: Erik Olson <olson at phys_washington.edu>
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 1995 07:05:36 -0700 (PDT)
In-Reply-To: <199506020739.DAA27210 at looney_actwin.com>

> From: druid at basenet_net (Patrick McClintick)
> Date: Thu, 01 Jun 1995 22:13:28 -0500
> Subject: Newbie Question(s)
> 
> Ok, here's the deal - I started my first tank two months ago knowing
> absolutly nothing. 
> Now, everything seems ok (fish wise at least.)  I added some plants a month
> ago and (details follow) need to know what I can do (preferably without
> ripping the tank appart - my fish hate that "beer pitcher motel" ;-).  My
> setup is:
> 
>       * 10 Gal. Tank
>       * UGF/RUGF (1 plate has the standard uplift with a carbon filter, the
> other plate
>                   has a Penguin 550 Powerhead with the reverse undergravel kit)
>       * 1 Liter DIY suger/yeast CO2 generator hooked into the venturi intake
> of the 
>                  powerhead.

Eh?

Isn't having UGF on one plate and RUGF on the other going to be a bad thing?
I mean, water will take the shortest path between them, and that might mean
under the plate!  You might never get much flow through the gravel.  Granted
this shouldn't be quite as bad as the guy at work who had a powerhead on
one uplift tube and left the other tube open on the SAME plate (he 
wondered why fish were dissapearing...).

Another observation:  Anyone ever done CO2 on a RUGF?  This seems like it 
could be a potentially useful trick... The CO2 bubbles trapped below the 
filter and must diffuse through the gravel bed, just like a reactor.

>         pH is about (guessing because the test kit uses Bromothyl blue) about 
>         7.6-8.0 and VERY resistant to lowering (2 7.0 Ph Right tablets had
> NO effect)
>         Hard water (No test kit yet).  

This is always going to be true;  the amount of phosphate tablets required
to drop the pH is enough to produce several healthy algae plagues.  Best
to either accept the hard water or get the CO2 up & running.

> Are their any newbie net-resources?

See my message yesterday about the beta (not betta) FAQ, which is
on the web at http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~aquaria/FaqTest/

   - Erik

---
Erik D. Olson                		"I'd rather be right here."
olson at phys_washington.edu			- A. Belew