500 Gallon Journal Input Accepted

[ultimatejay]

I was a nay sayer to UV sterilizer until I bought one and tried it. I always have done water changes with all my tanks for decades but the water clarity wouldn't always be crystal clear, most of the times it was a little cloudy. Just for kicks I bought a 36 what turbo twist and my water now is always crystal clear and fish seem to be healthier also. My bulb went out after a long while and I got lazy and stopped using the UV and guess what? Water clarity went back to cloudy. I finally bought another bulb and fired it back up and within a few hours back to crystal clear water 24/7. My 8 year old son even noticed the difference so I an totally sold on them. I have mine plumbed to my low output Xp3. The lower the output the more exposure you have to kill parasites,etc


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[Ryan_R]

I was a nay sayer to UV sterilizer until I bought one and tried it. I always have done water changes with all my tanks for decades but the water clarity wouldn't always be crystal clear, most of the times it was a little cloudy. Just for kicks I bought a 36 what turbo twist and my water now is always crystal clear and fish seem to be healthier also. My bulb went out after a long while and I got lazy and stopped using the UV and guess what? Water clarity went back to cloudy. I finally bought another bulb and fired it back up and within a few hours back to crystal clear water 24/7. My 8 year old son even noticed the difference so I an totally sold on them. I have mine plumbed to my low output Xp3. The lower the output the more exposure you have to kill parasites,etc

I notice much the same. In my Rena/API XP's, I've ditched the polishing pads and the finer of the two filter pads, and my water is still just about crystal clear.... even looking end to end on the 6' tanks.

-Ryan

 

[Paulbearer]

I'll keep in mind of the UV...a question that on this size tank and having a UV on a 200 gph filter is it that effective? I understand on a smaller 125 or something, but on this size would it make a big difference?

Got 500 ml purigen coming in also to help.

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[ultimatejay]

Don't waste your money on Purigen, carbon or any of that crap. All you need is a good mechanical and biological filter and top it off with a UV light and you'll be fine. I have been collecting for over 30 years and all that stuff is not needed. The only time I have ever used carbon was to remove some medicine and even now I don't do that I just do a couple water changes.


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[Paulbearer]

Don't waste your money on Purigen, carbon or any of that crap. All you need is a good mechanical and biological filter and top it off with a UV light and you'll be fine. I have been collecting for over 30 years and all that stuff is not needed. The only time I have ever used carbon was to remove some medicine and even now I don't do that I just do a couple water changes.


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Purigen is already on its way, so a little late to not get it lol. Think I'll just get a turbotwist 36 and run it on the xp3 for good measure.

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[Ryan_R]

Purigen is already on its way, so a little late to not get it lol. Think I'll just get a turbotwist 36 and run it on the xp3 for good measure.

Ultimately, it depends on your aesthetic point of view. There's no right and no wrong as long as the fish are as stress-free as you can make them.... and a 500 gallon tank is a pretty good start! Some folks love the ultra polished, ultra clean look. Others more a more natural look. Based on the success of many in the hobby over the last 100 years, UV's are definitely a luxury, or a safety net. Practice good maintenance, and quarantine new fish, and you'll be fine.

Get the tank up and running, and then add the tweaks. Just an FYI on the XP3 to TurboTwist connections. The XP's use a metric tubing that's a smidge larger than 5/8". With a hose clamp, it works fine on 5/8" fittings.... or run 5/8" ID tubing in hot water to soften it up, and then gently put it on the XP's outlet.

-Ryan

 

[Paulbearer]

Completely understand...just trying to have everything I need before it gets here. I've never had a UV in the 35+ years of this hobby and understand where you are coming from "if you haven't had it before, then why do it now?" Could be the same debate of salt/heat for ich and not...us that have been around use raise heat with no issues and some swear the heat hurts the fish but those chemicals you are putting in there aren't doing anything are they???

I have the canister there to run one if I decide to do it. Hopefully will get a little warmer soon and I can start on the stand/cabinet build.

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[axs377]

I'll keep in mind of the UV...a question that on this size tank and having a UV on a 200 gph filter is it that effective? I understand on a smaller 125 or something, but on this size would it make a big difference?



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It is effective depending on a couple things. First what you want it to do. Second is the size of the unit. A 57watt or larger would be far more effective at that flow rate and tank size as the length of the unit will create greater exposure times than say a 36w unit that is shorter. Now there are also a lot of other factors relating to the particular unit you choose and how effective it will be. If your are going to add a UV down the road I'd invest in aqua or another brand that is top end. Most of the cheaper units such as turbo twists, etc. are really only effective for algae reduction as the distance from the light to the water and exposure times makes them almost theoretically ineffective at parasite reduction. Also I look at it this way aqua and some other brands build units for home use on well water. Now these units are easily a couple grand, but these companies have experience building a human grade product which in my mind tells me that they at least know how to build an effective unit. besides reducing algae and parasites UV can also be beneficial in other ways "It appears that the UVC radiation which is contained in the UV Sterilization unit breaks down oxidizers in the water column that would otherwise lower a fish’ immunity (Redox Balance), this benefit is often ignored as many only focus on the germ, single cell parasite and algae killing abilities of UV Sterilizers. Redox Balance is basically the oxidation and reduction properties of water. This is very important for proper breakdown of organic waste (the oxidation side of Redox). Most experts now agree that the Redox should be +300 to -100 mV for marine or +125 to -200 mV for freshwater for healthy fish immunity, which a UV Sterilizer can help maintain." With all that being said and the fact that I run them on my tank(s), they are not 100% necessary though after keeping fish for so long your know that. In addition they should not be added to your aquarium until your beneficial bacteria has been established in your filter media.

 

[Paulbearer]

It is effective depending on a couple things. First what you want it to do. Second is the size of the unit. A 57watt or larger would be far more effective at that flow rate and tank size as the length of the unit will create greater exposure times than say a 36w unit that is shorter. Now there are also a lot of other factors relating to the particular unit you choose and how effective it will be. If your are going to add a UV down the road I'd invest in aqua or another brand that is top end. Most of the cheaper units such as turbo twists, etc. are really only effective for algae reduction as the distance from the light to the water and exposure times makes them almost theoretically ineffective at parasite reduction. Also I look at it this way aqua and some other brands build units for home use on well water. Now these units are easily a couple grand, but these companies have experience building a human grade product which in my mind tells me that they at least know how to build an effective unit. besides reducing algae and parasites UV can also be beneficial in other ways "It appears that the UVC radiation which is contained in the UV Sterilization unit breaks down oxidizers in the water column that would otherwise lower a fish’ immunity (Redox Balance), this benefit is often ignored as many only focus on the germ, single cell parasite and algae killing abilities of UV Sterilizers. Redox Balance is basically the oxidation and reduction properties of water. This is very important for proper breakdown of organic waste (the oxidation side of Redox). Most experts now agree that the Redox should be +300 to -100 mV for marine or +125 to -200 mV for freshwater for healthy fish immunity, which a UV Sterilizer can help maintain." With all that being said and the fact that I run them on my tank(s), they are not 100% necessary though after keeping fish for so long your know that. In addition they should not be added to your aquarium until your beneficial bacteria has been established in your filter media.

Thanks for the input... Think I'm going to pass on it for now. I'm on top of my tanks with maintenance and always have no issues with loss with proper quarantine and maintenance. Think I'll stick with what has worked.

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[Paulbearer]

Got my promotion last week and will be moving in next couple weeks. As soon as I get moved I'll be starting the stand to finally get this tank delivered

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