gravel filter

[figgy jr]

is it a must to have a gravel filter for a 2ft tank? mine is a 2ft but the base is without any gravel filter.only runs on one canister filter.heard that u can buy those gravel bacteria bottles stuff, but juz to know whaether they will do the job.

[tawauboy]

do you mean undergravel filter (ugf)? are you keeping a planted or fish only tank?
ugf has a similar function with a canister filter, that is, to provide biological filtration. the gravel provides a media for bacteria to colonise.

for planted tank, you do not need ugf. if you have base fertilizer, using ugf will cause nutrients to be ‘pulled’ into the water column. using a canister filter is fine with a flow rate of 2-3x your tank volume.

you can use those bottled bacteria cultures to kick start the bacteria colony in your canister filter. if you have access to a mature tank, grab a handful of the gravel and dump into you tank. this will do as well.

[figgy jr]

thanks bro, but the waste particles of the fish is always in the sand and when they start to disturb the sand, the wast spreads around.no am juz trying to use a gravel pump cleaner to suck and filter the water.

[tawauboy]

are you using sand or gravel?
if you are using fine sand, you cannot use ugf. sand will clog you ugf in no time.

if you are using gravel, waste will normally be trapped into the gravel bed. weekly or fortnightly you can lightly vacumn the gravel surface to remove excessive waste particles.