Equipment: Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer with Wiper (Cleaning Water with Light)
I have been a bit reluctant at adding a Ultra Violet Sterilizer for a few reasons. Mainly I was concerned that it would minimize the effectiveness of my Prodibio supplements. However, after a few conversations with Prodibio customer service the only supplement that I needed to be concerned with was the Prodibio Reef Booster. They advised that I should just turn off the Ultra Violet Sterilizer for 2 hours after the addition of the supplement to allow the bacteria to adhere to solid surfaces according to their labratory studies. This was very good news to hear since I'm interested in keeping at least 3 Tangs in my aquarium in the future and would like to also have the Ultraviolet Sterilizer in place to assist in killing parasites that would be detrimental to their health. As we all know if you look at a Tang in the wrong fashion... bam! Ich outbreak! Another reason for me installing an Ultraviolet Sterilizer on the setup was that I was still having an issue with green cloudy water, which I determined was algae spores in the water. The Prodibio supplements did do a great job in reducing the intensity of the cloudiness but still looking like it could use a little hand.
I chose an Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer with Wiper to address both of my needs. I believe that the water is exposed to the radiation from the bulb in an effective yet simple design. The wiper also allows the Quarts Sleeve that that shields the Ultraviolet Bulb to be cleaned without the need to disconnect and take apart the unit. Another great benefit is that Aqua Ultraviolet has great customer service and affordable replacement part prices that I have experienced first hand. The unit has been installed under the aquarium via a Maxi-Jet 1200 rated at 295 gph, which draws water from and return water to the Acrylic Sump through 1.5 Inch Vynil Tubing. The unit has been installed and in operation for only 1 day and the results are night and day, the cloudiness has literally dissapeared.
Photograph - Saturday, February 07, 2009 - My Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer with Wiper.