I am thinking about getting a internal UV sterilizer and keeping it in the filter compartment of my 24g aquapod. I would only turn it on 1 day a week, unless I introduce new fish or have an algae outbreak. I would primarily be using this to combat algae.

How effective is a UV sterilizer for algae and polishing the water if run one or two days a week? I am thinking about getting the 5 watt or 7 watt Submariner sterilizer.

This one:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...8&pcatid=16748

uv sterilizers have worked great for me since i have had one, i had an algae outbreak a couple weeks ago and the water was swo cloudy that i could barley see the back of the tank and it put the uv on there and you could see improvment within the hour and had it crystal clear in 12 hours. you moight want to figure out what is causing your algae problerms instead of just slaping your uv one there, it should be used as a last resort kind of you need to figure out what the problme is and fix it to where you dont have to use the uv that muchhope this helps

Josh

What uv sterilizer did you use and how many watts is it?

I used a jebo 11 watt sterilizer for my 55 gallon tank you can find them on ebay

I think the general consensus is that if you just have the cash lying around, go ahead, buy one. But, if you are making a sacrifice to purchase the sterilzer, there are other ways to address algae problems.

A UV will work great at killing any kind of free floating algae. This definitely includes green water, and I suspect it will help(but not elimate entirely) spore based algaes like Green Dust. Additionally, they work great for killing parasites and other harmful agents for your fish.

Bottom line: If you have sensitive fish like Discus or a Saltwater tank, a UV sterilizer is nearly a must, but if you are only using it to kill algae, don't make sacrifices to buy it.

Actually, a lot of sw keepers don't use UVs. Kills beneficial stuff, too. Live rock based tanks rely on biofiltration more..so you don't want to kill a lot of stuff.

Sorry..got way off topic there.

I had a UV in my 120 planted tank, and it made a big difference in algae. That said, my 54g is more heavily planted, with no UV, and I barely have any algae.

I wasn't really speaking on experience, just know that they are used more in salt water setups.

UV Sterilizers can't hurt in a FW setup. Some people speculate that they can change the structure of chelated iron, but that's just speculation, no hard evidence there. Beneficial bacteria in a FW tank is located on surfaces, not in the water, so anything free floating is fair game.

If you're dealing with GW then get one. I fought the GW for several rounds, and nothing killed it off. I added the UV sterilizer and 2 days later no more green water. Hasn't been back since either, so I absolutely would recommend one.

If you do decide to buy a uv sterilizer be sure to purchase one based on the out put of the pump or filter you are going to connect it to rather than the size of your tank. The longer a unit of water inside resides in the sterilizer the more effective the sterilizer will be.

I just bought one from aquariumplants.com for 100.00 shipped.. it is the coralife turbotwist 9w. I think that is a good deal for a brand new one.. at least what I could find online. my lfs has it but they want 139.00 for it.. I am happy with my purchase

Also, shop around for different types. There are submersibles that are basically plug and play. Then others need to be plumbed into your filter tubing, or into a sump. Some require an external pump to run.

I got the cheapy submersible from petsmart.com and it did a great job! I got the 18w and used it on my 120. The only thing that was a pain was that it has a little prefilter sponge on the intake, and it needs to be cleaned often.

Oh that's right...aquapod. No idea what your options are with that. But I would definitely say THEY ARE EFFECTIVE for algae issues.

I've seen the need for Green water algae blooms for new tanks where they add lots of light and do not add enough plants, mulm, no cycling of their tank, or they try fishless NH3 cycling and add high light(very good way to induce a GW bloom).

Generally folks use the UV once, and then it sits after the GW algae is gone.
Some keeping it running, which is a waste and leads to rapid bulb burn out.
Then when you may need it later, it's not as effective or hardly at all.

But it does no harm in running one, but they are not a needed item.
A good idea is to form a local club, then have a group 15 Watt or so UV for the membership to use. Mostly newbies who loused up their tanks with not enough plants, new tanks and way too much light.

Disease?
I have never needed a UV for that in marine of FW.
The medication or simply placing them in a well run planted or reef tanks took care of that. Lots of water changes also helps a great deal and then you never need UV's for disease management.

I have a nice Current 15 watt sitting in garage. But I have only used it once in sometime.

Regards,
Tom Barr