Replacing internal filter
Noura, The object of running the UGF is to harmlessly break down the fish waste and any uneaten foods that may have accumulated in the gravel by having a constant flow of oxygenated water running by the beneficial bacteria in the substrate. These aerobic bacteria need oxygenated water at all times. Without a continuous flow of water past them they die. The running of your UGF twice a day for 1 - 2 hours each time is not enough to keep them alive and functioning to do their job of breaking down this waste.
At the present time, you are not accomplishing anything at all by running your UGF in this manner. I might warn you that dangerous anaerobic bacteria may take hold within your substrate, but with oxygenated water running by them off and on, I doubt even they would survive — which is fortunate in this case.
You will have to decide whether to run your UGF continously or turn it off altogether. If you do decide to turn it off, do some deep cleaning of the gravel to pull out any debris that may have been drawn into it, lest anaerobic bacteria will start populating this area. These bacteria give off noxious gases and may institute denitrification, both processes toxic to your fish.
Since, as you admit, you have an overstocked tank — I would recommend running your UGF continuously, with fair-sized weekly PWC’s to prevent a build up of nitrates with the resultant overwhelming of your buffering capacity and a serious drop in your pH. I do not understand, and fail to see, how/why your plants would pull out of the gravel when you are using both filters. It just doesn’t make much sense to me at all. Are you running your UGF in reverse? An internal filter is completely independent of the UGF of course, including both of their flows — unless those flows are in concert, with the UGF water coming up through the substrate from the very bottom, underneath the UGF plates. If this is your problem, operate your UGF in the normal mode by having the water drawn down through the substrate rather than up through it.
Just a friendly reminder again though, with your overstocked tank, you are on borrowed time for something to go wrong with the state of your livestock. You may be keeping just ahaed of the game right now, but the odds are it will catch up with you sooner or later. You’re playing a dangerous game, and may expect either a partial mortality of your fish at some point (at the most fortunate) or a total wipeout if you don’t re-home some of those fish. Ray
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
