undergravel filter?

[J A M]

hi, does anyone have an undergravel filter and is it ok?
when do I need to clean the whole thing out?

 

[Kaysie]

Unless you have a big powerhead on an undergravel filter, waste will accumulate under it, defeating the purpose of the filter. If you DO have a big powerhead on your filter, chances are the water movement will stress axolotls and they will be chronically ill. I don't recommend UG filters.

 

[Reptileguy2727]

From using them with fish they are not good filters at all. As stated in all likelihood you end with waste buildup which leads to nitrate spikes. They are maintenance intensive and there are better forms of filtration out there for the same money.

They also need gravel and since axolotls tend to do best on sand, that is another reason they do not work.

 

[carpy]

and another point, ug filters do not work with sand, which is the best axolotl substrate.

Alex

 

[gershco]

I was given some axie eggs and took advice from a local exotic pet shop. They recommended an ug filter. After a while, the larvae became unwell - water testing showed raised nitrate - the larvae died. When I cleaned out the tank, there was lots of rubbish within the gravel and under the filter. I won't be using the ug filter again with axies.

 

[leanne_and_jono]

I definitely recommend a new filter. We had an ug filter in our old tank and out nitrate levels were starting to rise so we cleaned it out on the weekend. we have only had it since the end of march and have been doing regular water changes and keeping it what we thought was clean. but when we took out all the stones the water turned really gross and the filter had lots of yucky stuff on the bottom of it. I can't believe how bad it got! one of our axies is stressed now and has stopped eating. We moved them to our new tank which hasn't finished cylcling yet but the water conditions were a lot better compared to our old one. So hopefully everything will be good soon but yeah...i don't think ug filters are good.

 

[kapo]

J A M, you should use the time that your axolotl is recuperating in the fridge to remove both the gravel and undergravel filter. If you're not sure about having sand, then a bare substrate is just as good and makes feeding and cleanup very easy.

 

[J A M]

Thank you everyone, didn't realise that because the petshop ppl recommended that
just finished setting up a whole new home today with some plants and rocks and a plate...
just leaving it there at the moment until later....
haven't decide on the filter yet... so anything is better than UG??