<https://forum.aquariumcoop.com/topic/12409-why-are-ugfs-not-very-popular/#comment-97816>
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"I don't like to step on Cory's toes but  \n\tUGFs are one size fits one size, [ buzzer sound!!! ]  Sure you can not put a big LEE's for a 55g in 10g, but I have 55g Lees in my 45s and in my 65s and I have used them in my 100gs and 200Gs.  There is no where that says it MUST fit the tank size.   There is no where it states the entire bottom of a tank must be used for a UGF to function.  The lees 55G is actually two plates.  NONE of my tanks have two.  Most of my tanks only one side has a UGF. Unless it is the 45 tall  and then the 55G lees takes up over half the bottom.  The 45 long is the same width as my 65tall and my 55s. so they are all halfsies.\n \n\n\n\tReally how many people shut down a tank when they upgrade to a bigger tank, don't most people just add the new tank?  Thus why we all have 23 tanks in the house, office, kitchen, dining room, bed room, living room, etc. Maybe it is just me.\n \n\n\n\tThe larger a tank the less surface area is required for a UGF to operate..  \n\tThe larger the tank the lower the requirements for filtration. \n\tThe larger the tank the easier to maintain. ETC!     \n\tScaling a UGF can be done by increasing water flow and substrate depth and type.  I certainly do not want hangon my aquarium anything, if I were building a pretty tank. Which I do not build.\n \n\n\n\t\"You can’t use it for the cycle,\" What? \n\tI certainly use it for the cycling new tanks, all the time.   Get a scoop and a bucket. take the media from one tank to the new tank, leave the dirty stuff in the media.  I do this ALL the time with new tanks.  Then I add new substrate back into the old tank and new substrate over the cycled substrate in the new tanks.  Do not remove all your substrate, Half at most, unless a large well established tank.  The bacteria lives on the media, thus when you move some over boom there is your cycle started.  I have a 32gallon trash can with water and lava rock.  This is where my water sits to acclimate and where I season my substrate.  For the pebble and gravel substrates, I just over fill a few tanks and leave for a few weeks, then I can remove as much as I want for new projects.  Boom instant cycle starter. \n \n\n\n\tA UGF can do almost everything any other system can do except increase your maintenance time and costs!\n \n\n\n\tIMHO and experience, UGFs are more upgradeable than any of the options you mentioned. The real issue is that the market has educated people to think they way you think, because UGFs are not profitable recurring products. \n\tAs Cory stated in a video, he was using MOSTLY UGFs in his store display tanks, until he allowed customers to peer pressure him into removing them.  He also said the uplift tubes make it more difficult to catch fish to put in your baggy. just fyi.  \n\tEverytime I go to buy something for a tank, I compare the price of that item to the price of another new tank.\n \n\n\n\t$50 buys a lot of tank and not a lot of filtration.  Hard to buy a good NON UGF filtration system for under $50 that can scale up.  Sure I can add 3 or 4 small hang on the back filters to a bigger tank, but then I have 3 or 4 back filters hanging on my tank.  Now I have to buy filter replacements for 3 or 4 filters.\n \n\n\n\t \n \n\n\n\tThanks for the feedback and I certainly see your point,  I just see more options than you shared.\n \n\n\n\t \n \n\n\n\t \n \n\n\n\t \n \n\n\n\t \n \n\n\n\t \n \n\n\n\t \n \n\n\n\t \n \n\n\n\t    \n\t \n "
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