UV benefits?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
kcinimod;3946412; said:
Those of you that have em, how often do you change the bulb?
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I change the bulbs once per year... Jan 1st at my house...

You can get a bulb from any manufacturer, just make sure it fits your unit. Not all 12 W bulbs (for example) have the same fittings...

The quality of the bulbs can also very. The UV-C potency comes from additives put in the bulb during manufacturing. The better materials they use and the more they use the better & longer the bulb will perform.
 
I still am not convinced that I need a UV light on my tanks. The water is clear and the tanks have been running for years with no outbreaks of disease. I quarantine all new fish.

I don't want to waste 12W of electricity per tank, and have the expense of replacing all the bulbs annually.

Am I overlooking something?
 
vfc;3948078; said:
I still am not convinced that I need a UV light on my tanks. The water is clear and the tanks have been running for years with no outbreaks of disease. I quarantine all new fish.

I don't want to waste 12W of electricity per tank, and have the expense of replacing all the bulbs annually.

Am I overlooking something?
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You do not "need" a UV light...

But a UV light will assist with further water clarity and reduce the risk of algae, fungus, parasite, etc outbreaks...

Just like we do not "need" an algae scrubber, a refugium, a sump, etc, etc... but we may choose to use them for the added benefits they offer.


Dimun boyo;3948093; said:
I have a 260gallon tank which is running on 2 fx5's by what I am reading do I need to get a 26w uv for each filter or a 13w for each filter? I have been looking at getting this kind. What two of these be ok? (the 600 ones)


http://www.qualitymarine.com/UV-Sterilizers/T.M.C./Vecton-V2-600:-UV-25-Watt-(160-Gallons)
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I would suggest a total of 1W of UV strength per 10 gallons of water in your system... so that is a total of 26W for your 260 gal tank. That would be one 26W or two 13W units...

For the full benefits of a UV light, I suggest pushing no more than 10 gph per 1W of UV strength through the unit... Since an FX5 has a (claimed) actual flow rate of around 600 gph, I suggest either A) using a 60W UV light on it, or B) installing a T fitting in the return line of the FX5 and use ball valves to control no more than 10 gph per 1W through a UV unit and the rest of the output to discharge straight into the tank.
 
would a 9watt turbo twist uv be to much/overkill for my 20gallon or for a 72gallon? reason i am asking is because my buddy gave me his since he doesnt have a fish tank anymore.
 
A 9W would be a wonderful size to use on a 72 gal...

I do not believe that units smaller than 8W have the strength to kill parasites, even with extremely slow flow rates...

Pictured below is a Magnum 250 (gph) HOT (Hang On Tank) canister filter pushing water through an 18W Turbo Twist. This combination is great for bounching from tank tank tank...

If you were to use the micron cartridge with filter floss packed aroudn it, the flow rate of the Magnum HOT would be low enough to be used to push water through a 9W UV also... I've used it both ways...

HOTMag18WUV.jpg
 
BlackShark11k;3953780; said:
Could you just hook them up to a sump instead of hanging them off the main tank?
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Absolutely...
 
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