been thinking about placing a uv on my oddball tank, i run one on my pond and the water is crystal clear but have never used one on a fresh water tank, does it make much of a difference on a tank to the water ? plus wots the best uv you have used on a tank ?
uv or not to uv
- Thread starter doyboy
- Start date
I have a uv on my 29g tank and I love it. Water is always clear and fish are always healthy. They are great to have when adding new fish.
I have the dirt cheap odyssea brand from ebay. About $30 and its worked flawlessly. I just changed the bulb last week after a year it burned out. It's been running over a year now with no leaks or loss of performance.
I have the dirt cheap odyssea brand from ebay. About $30 and its worked flawlessly. I just changed the bulb last week after a year it burned out. It's been running over a year now with no leaks or loss of performance.
doyboy;4311777; said:
Hi,
We run a UV on our 400 litre FW tank and will also do the same on the 900 when it arrives. Whilst the UV does a great job of keeping algae under control we keep clown loaches and a few other fish that are pretty prone to Ich or sensitive to meds and use it to remove parasites from the water, in the 18+ months the tanks been running we've not had a single infection of any kind - can't 100% say if this is down to the UV or good housekeeping but in my opinion its certainly justified the cost.
Following on from above double check the flow rates, when we purchased ours and shopped about there are often two specified - one to remove algae and another (lower) to actually sterilise the water / kill parasites also we have ours connected in-line with the filters return hose as UV light penetrates clean water better allowing it to be more effective.
Cheers
T.J
nice one, cheers, have had alook at a few like the tmc units but i will be running on the return of one of my fx5 so was thinking maybe a pond unit mite be a beta choice and can handle fx5's flow rate. i have only been told positive things about having a uv on a fw tank so think il go for it.
I concur with no infections, the only time I had fish showing signs of disease was when the UV bulb burned out and I was awaiting the replacement.
Should also mention that I had added new fish to the tank.
Should also mention that I had added new fish to the tank.
I use the smallest possible unit in some "delicate" fish species' tanks. That allows me to use a smaller powerhead or submersible pump. I have four units in use.
I use 5W UV-C units (Tetra, JBL, ViaAqua Terminator) for my Aqueon 26 bow tank that house paired-off Snakeskin Discus fish; for my Perfecto 30 Breeder that house four species of Rainbowfish (grow out tank); and my grossly overstocked Perfecto 40 long Community tank. And a 9W UV-C unit for my 145gal South/Central American Cichlid tank.
It helps keeping REDOX within healthy range. And depending on the water flow, they work for parasite [5 times the bulb Wattage flow], bacterial [20-25 times], or algae [40-50 times] control.
Bulb must be replaced every six months (continuous use) and the quartz sleeve carefully cleaned prior to installing the new bulb. Don't be fooled by all the claims made by some manufacturers. Read reviews, ask around, and make an informed decision.
If you can get one I honestly recommend yo do it. UV-C is not a must have but it should make your water healthier.
UV-C is useless in mycobacteria (e.g. fish tuberculosis). I've had no more outbrakes of Columnaris or Fungus since I've been using UV-C sterilization.
I don't use it in Saltwater tanks due to the need of several unicelular organism thriving in it.
Pepetj
Santo Domingo
I use 5W UV-C units (Tetra, JBL, ViaAqua Terminator) for my Aqueon 26 bow tank that house paired-off Snakeskin Discus fish; for my Perfecto 30 Breeder that house four species of Rainbowfish (grow out tank); and my grossly overstocked Perfecto 40 long Community tank. And a 9W UV-C unit for my 145gal South/Central American Cichlid tank.
It helps keeping REDOX within healthy range. And depending on the water flow, they work for parasite [5 times the bulb Wattage flow], bacterial [20-25 times], or algae [40-50 times] control.
Bulb must be replaced every six months (continuous use) and the quartz sleeve carefully cleaned prior to installing the new bulb. Don't be fooled by all the claims made by some manufacturers. Read reviews, ask around, and make an informed decision.
If you can get one I honestly recommend yo do it. UV-C is not a must have but it should make your water healthier.
UV-C is useless in mycobacteria (e.g. fish tuberculosis). I've had no more outbrakes of Columnaris or Fungus since I've been using UV-C sterilization.
I don't use it in Saltwater tanks due to the need of several unicelular organism thriving in it.
Pepetj
Santo Domingo
i have a turbo twist sterilizer. It definatley keeps the water crystal clear but unless you have an extremely low flow rate powerhead, its not effective against algae or parasites. the guy at the store told me to put a valve in the line to slow down the gph but its says not to do that in the manual.
In theory, it makes sense considering in this sense, the fish may not develop the proper immunity to particular foreign agents which could otherwise be registered by it. This is only a theory though. It may be possible. If you feel the need to use UV sterilizers, it's your personal choice but it is not absolutely necessary.scorp;4313202; said:
An outdoor pond though may need the UV sterilizer much more than the aquarium. Ponds are very open to all elements and parasites and harmful bacteria responsible for severe cases of bacterial infections are much more prevalent.