From what I have heard and experienced
when you buy the cheap version you get a cheap version
That doe not mean a high price tag will always give you the best item, but it does generally mean the lowest price tag will give you the lowest quality item
Ive never used that particular brand, but I have used other UV lights of the same style
having done so I have convinced myself that even when using proper flow rates, 7W and smaller UV lamps just arent strong enough to kill parasites
although 9W and above I do trust to kill parasites when used at the proper flow rates
Your unit is 8W which Ive never personally toyed with
To kill parasites I use the formula of 1W per 10 US gallons of tank volume
and push water through it at 10 gph per 1W of UV strength (actual flow rate)
Your unit pushes approx 200 gph past an 8W lamp
This definitely will not kill parasites
but will kill free floating algae (assuming its a quality bulb).
Its also important to push thoroughly filtered water through the UV unit. High quality units use a quartz sleeve which is scratch resistant but not scratch proof. Cheap versions sometimes use glass sleeves which scratch easily. In addition to the concern of scratching the sleeve every tiny particle that moves through the UV housing will cast a shadow within the housing reducing the effectiveness of the UV light.
Considering all of the above
I use Magnum canisters with a micron Cartridge to push water through my UV lights. In my experience with UV lights, they are an unnecessary but beneficial addition to filtration. So if Im going to bother adding them Im going to do it right
half measures availed us nothing
So
no offense
but in my opinion
unless you have green water issues
you just paid way too much for a powerhead that is big and clunky for no beneficial reason
But I respect your intention!
)
