How important are uplift tubes?
Angela Christine
undergravel filter. As I researched aquariums I noticed that
virtually all undergravel filters have uplift tubes, even corner
filters usually have a couple inches of uplift tube, but this
undergravel filter doesn't. Here is a link that shows what the tank
looks like:
http://www.petsmart.com/fish/shopping/aquariums___bowls/small_tanks/products/product_16608.shtml
In this situation, 6 streams of bubles coming out of the rear of the
undergravel filter but no uplift tube, will the undergravel filter
work at all or is it just for looks?
All I have in the tank is a single anti-social betta, and since I do
partial water changes every week he could probably do without a filter
(I cut out part of the cover to fit in a heater too). But the betta
is getting older and I may want to put something else in the tank
when he passes on, at which point the effectiveness of the filter
would be more important..
Angela Christine
NetMax
"Angela Christine" <angela.c...@telus.net> wrote in message
news:3db332be...@news.telus.net...
The link does not show sufficient details to comment properly. The
theory on the uplift tube (also called a riser), is that the air bubbles
pull the water up with it. For example, if the riser is too short, then
the time period for the pulling force is much shorter and you have less
flow. Also if the riser is too long and goes higher than the water
surface, then some flow capacity is again lost (pulling the water above
the surface), so you should be in-between. If the air bubbles are small
(like from an airstone) then a long riser is desirable. If the bubbles
are large, such that they fill the diameter of the riser (like some
internal box filters), then the riser can be short, as the bubble has
already reached close to it's maximum pulling power (by reaching the
edges of the tube). If there was no riser, then there would be very
little pull, so perhaps there is a riser built into the UGF underneath.
hth
NetMax
Dinky
circulate from the top of the tank, down through the gravel (which acts as your
biological filter once the tank is cycled), up the tubes to the top of the tank.
Without uplift tubes, this process is severely hampered, but will still function
to a small degree.
--
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Billy
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Organized protests are generally intended to annoy those not involved with it.
"Angela Christine" <angela.c...@telus.net> wrote in message
news:3db332be...@news.telus.net...
: About a year ago someone gave us a little 2.5 gallon aquarium with an
: undergravel filter. As I researched aquariums I noticed that
: virtually all undergravel filters have uplift tubes, even corner
: filters usually have a couple inches of uplift tube, but this
: undergravel filter doesn't. Here is a link that shows what the tank
: looks like:
:
http://www.petsmart.com/fish/shopping/aquariums___bowls/small_tanks/products/pro
duct_16608.shtml
:
: In this situation, 6 streams of bubles coming out of the rear of the
Angela Christine
<comput...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>"Angela Christine" <angela.c...@telus.net> wrote in message
>cts/product_16608.shtml
>The link does not show sufficient details to comment properly.
Ok, here is another picture that shows the unit in opperation:
http://www.worldpetstore.com/worldpets/aquawave.html
From above the black filter plate looks something like:
---------------------------------------------------------------
| @ o o o o o o * |
--------------------------------------------------------------
|###########################|
|###########################|
|###########################|
|###########################|
----------------------------------------------------------------
The airline comes in from above and connects to @
A second airline runs underneath from @ to * but this airline is
permiated with many tiny holes.
The * is a pulgged connection, just to force the air to come out
through the tiny holes along the airline rather than comming out the
other end of the airline.
The bubbles from the second airline come up through the 6 o's, each o
is at the top of one of the "waves".
The #'s are the filter plate part.
The gravel can't be more than about 1/2 an inch thick, or it may block
the holes and impare the movement of the air.
Any opinions?
Angela Christine
NetMax
> On Sun, 20 Oct 2002 22:54:52 -0400, "NetMax"
> <comput...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >"Angela Christine" <angela.c...@telus.net> wrote in message
>
>http://www.petsmart.com/fish/shopping/aquariums___bowls/small_tanks/prod
u
> >cts/product_16608.shtml
>
> >The link does not show sufficient details to comment properly.
>
> Ok, here is another picture that shows the unit in opperation:
>
> http://www.worldpetstore.com/worldpets/aquawave.html
> Any opinions?
>
> Angela Christine
Good description. I don't see how it would create more than the
slightest suction on the UGF. Would it work well enough to run a 2.5g
tank with 1 or 2 fish? *who knows*. If you were to put some methylene
blue in an eye dropper, and place the eye dropper in different spots of
the gravel (just watch the leaking dye, don't squeeze the dropper), you
would be able to see if there was a significant water flow downwards. I
suspect the only water flow will be towards the back of the tank (then up
the back, towards the front along the top, down the front, and towards
the back again along the gravel).
NetMax