2 UV or 2 Not????

[KurseD]

wow, now i'm thinking about getting one. aside from getting rid of green water (i don't have that problem) and killing algae blooms, bad bacteria, etc...what are some other benefites of installing one in a tank. how maintenance heavy are they? do you just stick them in your tank like a heater or hook it up to your filter somehow? heh, sorry, i'm clueless about how these things work...i was reading up on them and the water volume/exposure formula confused me. guess what i'm getting down to is, anything that will keep my fish happier and healther is worth looking into.

 

[guppy]

I have not used them but have seen that larger multi tank systems like the Steinhardt Public Aquarium use them as a disease control.
I do know that they are not put in the tank where fish can see them (UV can cause eye damage and blindness, and not just in fish), it needs to be placed in the water flow, either up or down stream from the filter, In cloudy water downstream is more effective, Thre are manufacturers that claim an effective lifespan for their lamps of over 500 days but the more common listing is about year.
They are in common usage in many trout hatcheries now.
Here is a link for a unit designed for a small pond, 500-3500 gallons.
http://www.nutriteck.com/aqualogics/algaecontroluv14.html

 

[raven77]

I just got a 9watt pressurized bio filter for my 100 gallon pond. Its a fishmate, it was only like $140. Not to bad for clear water (I hope)