Can I use an Undergravel filter (UGF) with cichlids?
Yes and No. This depends on the type of cichlid you’re keeping. Many cichlids will move gravel to all parts of the aquarium and uncover the UGF plate, which renders the UGF useless. For this reason, UGFs are bad ideas for MOST cichlids. However, for fish like the Cyprichromis that like fairly still water and do not dig, an UGF would be a perfect filter choice. UGFs are also good for raising baby cichlids in as well. Fry and juveniles don’t dig all that much, so it is safe to use an UGF to filter a tank full of these guys. UGFs are definitely out of the question for nearly all South American cichlids. These cichlids dig more than any other group of cichlids. The only adult South American cichlids that won’t re-arrange gravel to the point of making an UGF useless are: Discus, angelfish, and the dwarf cichlids such as the Apistogrammas . The only adult African cichlids that really won’t disturb UGFs are the Cyprichromis species. The Aulonocara (“peacocks”) from Lake Malawi tend to not dis
