I have a new 180g setup in my basement where there's not a ton of light. I was thinking I may not need a UV sterilizer but I have a Coralife Turbotwist 12. It says not to turn these off and on but I'd like to have it on for maybe 2-3 days a week. Has one done this or know of a legit reason they say not to?
UV filter
- Thread starter Stickyricepaster
- Start date
Just about every instruction manual for a UV light that I have seen will tell you to leave it on 24/7 as turning it on and off on a schedule actually shortens the "effective" life of the bulb. It still will be lighting up but the UV properties will not last as long.
Also froma very good UV troubleshooting write up:
"First let me point out that it is highly recommended that you change your UVC bulb every six months for optimum performance. Some purifiers can run up to a year per lamp change. This is assuming 24/7 usage.
If not run 24/7, rather on an on/off schedule, I would suggest once per year, regardless of the time off, as the starting cycle of the lamp/bulb lowers its effectiveness by burning more gasses with each start. Eventually this leads to failure of the UV-C lamp."
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/uvbulbtroubleshooting.html
Also froma very good UV troubleshooting write up:
"First let me point out that it is highly recommended that you change your UVC bulb every six months for optimum performance. Some purifiers can run up to a year per lamp change. This is assuming 24/7 usage.
If not run 24/7, rather on an on/off schedule, I would suggest once per year, regardless of the time off, as the starting cycle of the lamp/bulb lowers its effectiveness by burning more gasses with each start. Eventually this leads to failure of the UV-C lamp."
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/uvbulbtroubleshooting.html
Thanks guys. Very interesting... I'm going to not bother with the UV light until I see some algae, if I ever do. Then I'll try a few days on, few days off over the 12hr cycle.
