hnkthetank
New Member
What are your thoughts on UV sterilizers? :notsure:
Are they worth the cost?
Are they worth the cost?
uv sterilizer
- Thread starter hnkthetank
- Start date
murph145
Active Member
they are worth the extra insurance if you ask me.... since ive had one on my 100 gallon reef tank i havent had one problem with fish illness.... but it might just be that ive gotten better at keeping my tank running good and i have a lot of LR now that can handle any changes in bio-load....
but if u have the extra money id grab one... if not right now just wait till you do...
but if u have the extra money id grab one... if not right now just wait till you do...
diane4
Member
Have heard extreems of both opinions, both that they are a waste of money and others swear by them.
I think from all that I have read, in my opinion - UV's are an excellent device to run in your system, the key is having a good quality one and establishing the right flow rate. The water shouldn't pump to fast through the UV or else it will never have the opportunity to properly work and kill off the bad stuff going through the unit. It's kind of the like the toasters they have at dunkin donuts. The toast or bagel moves through, but it if moves to fast - the bread doesn't heat up enough or toast.
Someone posted what I thought was a really good thread on this forum that indicated a formula to figure out the pump speed you need depending on the wattage of your uv. You take the wattage and multiply it by 8. That is a good guideline.
As for brands, there is no question - the opinion is appx 90 unaminous that the best brand out there is the Aqua Ultraviolet system. I don't have mine installed yet - it was just delivered in the mail today. I bought the 57 wat unit for my system because it is only 26 inches long (verses 43" long for the 40 watt) and when i upgrade the size of my babies tank - it will support it. I bought a 400 GPH rio pump to run with it. The return pump I use and the pump for my skimmer both have to high of a flow rate for the uv to be effective. So had to add another pump. Can't wait to install it.
I think from all that I have read, in my opinion - UV's are an excellent device to run in your system, the key is having a good quality one and establishing the right flow rate. The water shouldn't pump to fast through the UV or else it will never have the opportunity to properly work and kill off the bad stuff going through the unit. It's kind of the like the toasters they have at dunkin donuts. The toast or bagel moves through, but it if moves to fast - the bread doesn't heat up enough or toast.
Someone posted what I thought was a really good thread on this forum that indicated a formula to figure out the pump speed you need depending on the wattage of your uv. You take the wattage and multiply it by 8. That is a good guideline.
As for brands, there is no question - the opinion is appx 90 unaminous that the best brand out there is the Aqua Ultraviolet system. I don't have mine installed yet - it was just delivered in the mail today. I bought the 57 wat unit for my system because it is only 26 inches long (verses 43" long for the 40 watt) and when i upgrade the size of my babies tank - it will support it. I bought a 400 GPH rio pump to run with it. The return pump I use and the pump for my skimmer both have to high of a flow rate for the uv to be effective. So had to add another pump. Can't wait to install it.
mudplayerx
Active Member
UV sterilizers are worthless, but this is just my opinion. The water has to move sooo slowly through a UV filter for it to be effective, that using one is fruitless (in my opinion). You can slow the rate of flow, but then you aren't filtering enough volume of water per hour.
I guess you could theoretically effectively UV filter a tank by having multiple UV filters. Althoguh I know of no public aquarium that utilizes UV sterilizers. Even the one close to here in Chatanooga, with sharks and squids and all type of critters, does not use UV.
ps- did I mention this was my opinion?
I guess you could theoretically effectively UV filter a tank by having multiple UV filters. Althoguh I know of no public aquarium that utilizes UV sterilizers. Even the one close to here in Chatanooga, with sharks and squids and all type of critters, does not use UV.
ps- did I mention this was my opinion?