When do you replace your UV bulbs ?

[KaiserSousay]

Wouldn’t it depend on the style of UV?
I know some have a sleeve between bulb and water to keep the particulate from abrading the bulb.
Or is it just the usage of the bulb that degrades the surface?

 

[FishNCash]

There goes 50 bucks

Ebay is a good alternative. PM me for more info. Honestly, if I were you I would run till the bulb burns out. You're not constantly introducing new fish to your tank so you should be ok. We have freshwater and there are not as many parasites compared to salt water.

 

[tcarswell]

Ebay is a good alternative. PM me for more info. Honestly, if I were you I would run till the bulb burns out. You're not constantly introducing new fish to your tank so you should be ok. We have freshwater and there are not as many parasites compared to salt water.

Will do. Ill put the one in there on stand by when I install the new one

 

[justin guest]

Replace the bulb after 12 months at the latest. Even if the bulb is still working the vapours in the bulb degrade so that after 12 months only opproximately 30% of the UVC is being produced compared to a new bulb. Unless you are running very slow flow rates through the UV lamp you aren´t sterilizing very much after 12 months. it´s also very important to clean the quartz sleeve at least every 12 months with a week acid like diluted hydrochloric or a ph lowering product containing some acid. this gets rid of any calcium deposits on the quartz sleeve which can drastically reduce the usefulness of the lamp.

j<><

 

[tcarswell]

Replace the bulb after 12 months at the latest. Even if the bulb is still working the vapours in the bulb degrade so that after 12 months only opproximately 30% of the UVC is being produced compared to a new bulb. Unless you are running very slow flow rates through the UV lamp you aren´t sterilizing very much after 12 months. it´s also very important to clean the quartz sleeve at least every 12 months with a week acid like diluted hydrochloric or a ph lowering product containing some acid. this gets rid of any calcium deposits on the quartz sleeve which can drastically reduce the usefulness of the lamp.

j<><

ahh thank you . I will do that. I have some PH down I can finally put to use. Ill clean up the sleave when I install the new one.

Thanks again.

 

[FishNCash]

ahh thank you . I will do that. I have some PH down I can finally put to use. Ill clean up the sleave when I install the new one.

Thanks again.

If I were you I wouldn't bother with the pH down. That stuff will just messed up your water parameter and stress your fish out. It will lower pH then shoot right back up within a few days. If you're running your UV thru a canister or a powerhead with sponge filter then you'll notice the quarz sleeve is spotless. I know cuz I took it out to clean and it was spotless so I screwed it back in. 30% is better than no UV. Just let it run till it die but that's really up to you. Remember, there are a lot of people running tanks without UV and it's perfectly fine. Your fish are not going to die instantly without a UV.

 

[tcarswell]

If I were you I wouldn't bother with the pH down. That stuff will just messed up your water parameter and stress your fish out. It will lower pH then shoot right back up within a few days. If you're running your UV thru a canister or a powerhead with sponge filter then you'll notice the quarz sleeve is spotless. I know cuz I took it out to clean and it was spotless so I screwed it back in. 30% is better than no UV. Just let it run till it die but that's really up to you. Remember, there are a lot of people running tanks without UV and it's perfectly fine. Your fish are not going to die instantly without a UV.

I know their fine without it. But I got the thing and I like it so I may as well use it

I never use PH down I should have noted that. I dont ever try to alter the PH of my water for the reasons you noted mainly because it bounces right back up when using quick fix chemicals. To tell you the truth im not even sure where the crap came from. Probably bought it when I did not know any better. Either way id rinse the sleeve quite well after using it.

The UV is hooked up after an aqua clear powerhead with the micron pre filter. It was clean last time I replumbed it

 

[FishNCash]

This is a little off topic but I went two weeks without a UV and I noticed a difference in water clarity. I love my Turbo Twist UV. Did you only get the replacement bulb or the entire replacemnt bulb kit with the o-ring and stuff?

 

[tcarswell]

This is a little off topic but I went two weeks without a UV and I noticed a difference in water clarity. I love my Turbo Twist UV. Did you only get the replacement bulb or the entire replacemnt bulb kit with the o-ring and stuff?

What kind of difference in water quality ?

I just got the bulb.... Does it need a kit

I love mine too. UV is a valuable tool.

 

[SpeshulEd]

I got the 18x turbo twist for my 450g because it gets sun light in the afternoon. I was hoping it would control my algae. It definitely helps keep the algae down, but doesn't get rid of all the algae so now I'm having solar screens installed on the windows and hoping that does the trick.