Tetratec UV Clarifier 5 watt

[lemcc]

i just pick one of these up for next to nothing

dont need it for water clarity but thought it would be a good disease prevention

will connect it to the return line of a cannister

anybody have any expierence with uv filters

also i may setup a planted tank in the future i heard these are good for planted tanks

 

[Loubard]

If it's on secondhand you should propably replace the tube, they only last for a periode of time, and then the "UV radiatotion" slowly gets less. Just like a TL tube produces less light after a while in use.

And isn't there a regulation on tank size and the amount of watt the tube produces?

How mutch GPH is your cannister, because I believe the water has to go slow through the UV clarifier, same as with biological filtration, the water needs to be influenced by the light for some time for the UV to have effect. Or else everything will just live on and the UV will have no effect.

Maybe somebody else know's more about these things....

Cheers Loubard

 

[lemcc]

its a new filter
rated at 300gph
cannister is also 300gph but like most its probably more like 200gph

 

[bluedempsey]

thats to much gph to destroy any parasites
it has to be much slower
like 50-60 ghp

 

[Loubard]

Yeah, that's wat I was thinkin'.

You could ofcourse get yourself al little wet/dry, witch probably wil need the same current. So you'll get some good bio filtration.

 

[lemcc]

tetra's site has the max flow rate for this model at 330gph
can be used for ponds up to 660gal or aquariums up to 100gal

i also looked at a 9 watt model that comes with a 290gph pump

so i think it will be effective at 200gph

 

[bluedempsey]

well it all depends on what u r triing to prevent?
algae.... parasites.......