UV Sterilizer...help needed

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HybridHerp

HybridHerp

Fire Eel
MFK Member
May 18, 2012
1,192
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New York
I feel like some of you would potentially be running these or have experience with them. I'm wanting one for my 75 to control algae, clean up the water, and help with disease prevention. Its more a peace of mind sort of thing than a fix all for me, but I don't mind having it around.

Thing is, I'm not sure the best way to go about it. I'm debating between putting one on a pump of some sort, or just doing it inline onto one of my ehiem 2217's. I'm not even sure what the best brands are per say, and even though there is info online, I'm struggling to find someone actually show me their own set-up.
 
I have used the Aqua uv brand for years on many tanks. Always been happy. If you have any green tint to your water, it will be gone in a day with a proper sized uv.

You should be fine plumbing it in line on the return side of your filter. Just pay attention to the wattage recommended for your flow rate. Their website has great sizing info. http://www.aquaultraviolet.com/products
 
I have ran UV in freshwater tanks for years now. I have been using the TurboTwist just because I got it on sale for cheap. Within 3 months my 36W unit started to leak. I contacted Coralife and they ended up sending me a whole new unit, so happy with their customer service but not thrilled with product. I actually took the leaking one and glued the screw on barbs in place and no more leaks so now I have a spare unit.

I find that if you are in between sizes, splurge and go for the larger unit. As an example some ratings say to use a 18w unit on my tank which I started with but it could not keep up with the high flow of the FX5. So I ended up getting the 36w and it works much better. So if they say you can use a 9w or 18w on your 75g then spring for the larger. The only challenge is the 1/2 Eheim tubing, you need to find a UV that will work inline with that or use adapters. Seems a lot of those UV have 5/8" barbs. And really I would not worry too much on 'brand', they are a pretty simple item. Just find one that works for the price you want to spend.
 
Well, I want it for more than just water clarification, I know you need a certain amount of contact time in order to kill of bacteria and diseases. I'm also wondering if it'd be better to just run this off of a pump, that way its separate from the filter...which I guess is a decent option incase I decided I ever wanted to overkill and attach this to one of my other tanks or something.
 
HybridHerp said:
Well, I want it for more than just water clarification, I know you need a certain amount of contact time in order to kill of bacteria and diseases. I'm also wondering if it'd be better to just run this off of a pump, that way its separate from the filter...which I guess is a decent option incase I decided I ever wanted to overkill and attach this to one of my other tanks or something.
Click to expand...

You should filter the water before the UV sterilizer. It'll keep everything clean inside.

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You will want to filter before the UV like burbon44s said.

Here is a basic guideline for you: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=440

The specs on the Eheim say something like 264gph but I heard of a test that real world is really only like 135gph. So you would need like around a 25W to actually kill the parasites and what not. This one is a hard size to find for cheap. Might actually be easier to find a 36W unit.
 
HybridHerp said:
I feel like some of you would potentially be running these or have experience with them. I'm wanting one for my 75 to control algae, clean up the water, and help with disease prevention. Its more a peace of mind sort of thing than a fix all for me, but I don't mind having it around.

Thing is, I'm not sure the best way to go about it. I'm debating between putting one on a pump of some sort, or just doing it inline onto one of my ehiem 2217's. I'm not even sure what the best brands are per say, and even though there is info online, I'm struggling to find someone actually show me their own set-up.
Click to expand...

Thanks for bringing this up as I am looking into the same thing right now. I saw that there are submersible models too. My tank is plumbed with PVC piping so I will use that option and just put it in my sump. Should I have any concerns with that?


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Aqua uv dose not have the same specs the Foster & Smith is saying. Actually, they're not even close. Aqua UV says you need much less wattage then Foster and Smith does.

I wonder why that is?

By the way, I know the difference between algae control versus full sterilization. So don't try to say that's the difference.
 
bro said:
Aqua uv dose not have the same specs the Foster & Smith is saying. Actually, they're not even close. Aqua UV says you need much less wattage then Foster and Smith does.

I wonder why that is?

By the way, I know the difference between algae control versus full sterilization. So don't try to say that's the difference.
Click to expand...

Wait, what are you getting at?

I'm now thinking about getting the 25W aqua


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