Help with Coralife Turbo-Twist 9 watt UV sterilizer?

[GamerChick5567]

Hey guys. So today the bf convinced me to go to the reefapalooza saltwater show at the oc fairgrounds since it's close to his parents (plus lots of cool stuff and corals hehe). He got me bunch of raffle tickets and I won this cool UV sterilizer thingy. I have actually been wanting to get one for a while so that was a nice surprise that I didn't think I would win haha! Anyway I have a few questions about setting it up, putting the bulb in seems straightforward but I'm worried about getting water circulating though it.

Right now I really can't afford to spend more than like 30 bucks on a pump and tubing just for it and I'm concerned that my big api filstar canister filter will be too powerful for it. I have seen a lot of conflicting info on the flow rate that needs to go through it to kill the most parasites and whatnot. Some people say the high flow rate is fine and others say the bulb will not be efficient at a higher rate which makes sense. Also, I do have a small marineland powerhead which iirc is rated for like a 55 gallon tank, can't remember the model off the top of my head. The sterilizer says it's good for up to 125 and my tank is a 90 gallon. I don't really want to use it with the power head if I can avoid it because I use it above my co2 diffuser to blow the co2 around. Will co2 cause some reaction with the sterilization or damage the parts? Will I have to modify it to keep plant parts from floating and clogging the sterilizer up? What should I do to prevent potential leaks since it hangs on the back of the tank?

Another question I had was how many replacement bulbs I should get ahold of. I heard they burn out after 5 or 6 months. Think I should stock up on black friday? They seem pricey. Should I also run the sterilizer 24/7 or put it on a timer? Will it kill too much algae? (I do need some algae left for the pleco and saes.)

Basically, how would I go about properly setting this up in the absolute cheapest way possible? Being a broke student sucks. Thanks.

 

[kendragon]

I vote to sell it on Criagslist. Doesn't sound like your tank need one. More trouble than it's worth. I think it retails for around $100. Take the bf out....starving student needs to eat. Tacos for everyone!

 

[GamerChick5567]

I vote to sell it on Criagslist. Doesn't sound like your tank need one. More trouble than it's worth. I think it retails for around $100. Take the bf out....starving student needs to eat. Tacos for everyone!

I was considering that as an option. Maybe if I can't find an easy cheap way to set it up or it's ineffective I will post it on cl or see if anyone here wants to trade haha. I could use some female fishies and plants...

 

[thacarter546]

What brand and model is it? From your description I'd guess an Aqua advantage 2000 with hanger which would be level 1 sterilization off of your Rena xp3. Bulbs for this model are kinda high. Purely uv makes a good inexpensive crossover however for half the price. If it is the Aqua it will last you a lifetime and can be maintained.

If it's a Chinese one (aquatop, grech, sun sun, jebao, jebo etc) you can use it as a clarifier and it will make the water clear as glass. Just power it off of the xp3 again. But the ballast is gonna burn out in 6-12 months. After a ballast goes in the Chinese units they are garbage.

To answer the rest of your questions no it will not kill algae on the glass. It only kills free floating algae. Yes if you run it on a power head you need to run a prefilter. No it doesn't react or affect co2. I run two along with inline co2 atomizers and it is fine.

I feel dumb. Just saw it's a turbo twist. These had issues with ballasts. They usually last 1-2 years. Bulbs are high if you stick with original. Lse lighting has replacements for 10 bucks a piece.

 

[GamerChick5567]

Ok ty for the info. It's good to know there's an off brand of bulbs I can get, I was worried that maybe only the brand name would fit. Not too worried about the ballast though, I'm sure my dad can rig something up if it fries. His work seems to always have really random electronic parts laying around at the surplus sales.

 

[duanes]

UV units only kill what is pumped thru them, and if the pump flow is too high, there will not not be enough damage done to the parasite to kill it, because dwell time (contact time) with UV light is what scrambles the organelles of the parasite.
You may not want to run it until you have a problem, such as ich, or notice some other disease, or unless you have a planktonic algae problem.
It can be run off a canister by adding a tee to the line and running it on a separate line that way. Adding a valve to control flow would be a good idea. If is run directly off a powerhead, it may push water thru too fast to be effective.
If water is turbid, this can also cause UV to be ineffective, so mechanical filtration is a good idea before the water goes past the bulb.