UV sterilizer

[Anonymous]

So I picked this up today:

Gonna put it inline with the return on my sump. Should help keep the water crystal clear, they say. Anyone else using a UV sterilizer on their tank? THis is going on the 180.

Any advice or thoughts are appreciated.

 

[alexmuw]

Nice pickup.

UV sterilizers are great! I have one on my 180 and it really keeps the water clear and keeps the algae down.

You can also use for reducing pathogens. I have my 18W on a Powerhead rated at 120 GPH (Though mine is not a DIY, it was made this way). It will kill algae and hopefully reduce parasites etc..

 

[Ashley]

We have the same one but the 36w on our 250. Definitely does the trick. Keeps our water crystal clear. Just scrape all the algae off the sides of your tank (if you have any) and then it will kill the free floating stuff

I thought it was stupid at first because they are generally used on salt water. Josh got one for the tank and I was definitely suprised!

 

[Anonymous]

awesome, thanks guys! I am mounting it to the side of the tank and running it inline with my sump return line. The 180 ia always clean, but the water always seems to have a bit of cloudiness to it.

 

[Paintguy]

is it submersible? I have a built in sump on my acrylic tank and the pump side fills up when it turn it off to feed. Looks like just the thing I need to clear up the really fine particles that pass the filters.

 

[Anonymous]

No, this one is external. you hang it on the tank and put it inline with a filter return line or add a dedicated water pump to run it.

 

[protocl]

Doesn't the uv Units kill BB?

 

[icer711]

lol i got one 2 but mines still dry lol ill get to it one day i got the big green machine though

Doesn't the uv Units kill BB?

no it kills free floating things like algae or the :twisted: evil little bugs

The BB stays in the filter (ie sponges, filter media, ceramics) and does its work there before it gets to the sterilizer to destroyed

 

[Anonymous]

Doesn't the uv Units kill BB?

Nope, it is on the return line from the sump, after the water goes through the BB. Like Icer said, it kills the floating nasties.

 

[shua]

i always have them, and good pick up its a 1W per 10g is the ideal one for your tank

and what is the recommended GPH on the 18W i think our 30W is 3000GPH so it should be 1800

p.s to anyone thinking about UV, NEVER use to high GPH other wise your UV wont work and its a waste of cash

EDIT: just seen it was 1800 in the pic lol

 

[Anonymous]

It's 1800gph. THey sayt it is rated for a 180 tank, so it should do the trick!

 

[icer711]

p.s to anyone thinking about UV, NEVER use to high GPH other wise your UV wont work and its a waste of cash

the slower the better or at least the length on it, you want the water to be exposed to the light as long as possible for maximum effectiveness

 

[shua]

p.s to anyone thinking about UV, NEVER use to high GPH other wise your UV wont work and its a waste of cash

the slower the better or at least the length on it, you want the water to be exposed to the light as long as possible for maximum effectiveness

this is why corlife is the ish cuz the turbo twist exposes the water for an extended amount of time

but who has the money for one of those

 

[protocl]

hmmm...i might get on this when i return.

 

[Anonymous]

I got it all set up. Should see some rsults in a few days

 

[ledieudufromage]

It's 1800gph. THey sayt it is rated for a 180 tank, so it should do the trick!

I've been wondering about these. they don't include a pump, but go inline with one you already have, yes?

 

[sandnuka]

ledieudugromage - yeah... ideal for people with sump or canisters....

I was thinkin of gettin one, but my tanks pretty much are spotless, so would just be a waste of money for me.

spyral - thanks for opening this thread, allot of great info in here for people wondering about them.

 

[Anonymous]

It's 1800gph. THey sayt it is rated for a 180 tank, so it should do the trick!

I've been wondering about these. they don't include a pump, but go inline with one you already have, yes?

Yep! Mine is on the return line from my sump. I just cut the return line and put the UV Sterilizer inline. It fits right on top of my sump. You can put them inline with a canister filter return as mentioned by Sand, or you can just get a submersible pump, hide it in your tank and go from there.

 

[ledieudufromage]

It's 1800gph. THey sayt it is rated for a 180 tank, so it should do the trick!

I've been wondering about these. they don't include a pump, but go inline with one you already have, yes?

Yep! Mine is on the return line from my sump. I just cut the return line and put the UV Sterilizer inline. It fits right on top of my sump. You can put them inline with a canister filter return as mentioned by Sand, or you can just get a submersible pump, hide it in your tank and go from there.

Do they work well with canisters? I've been thinking of running two of my canisters in tandem, one after the other, I'm not sure if it would increase flow much though, If I did that I would likely add UV though.

 

[Anonymous]

The UV doesn't impede flow, from what I can see, so I don't think it will be an issue. The sterilizer I got was $90 at Aquarist World. How big of a tank would you be putting it on?