What kind of algae? It only helps with free floating diatoms.
It's good to control floating fish diseases.
It's good to control floating fish diseases.
UV sterlizer worth it?
should i get a uv sterilizer to help with algae? also, i like the idea of a turbo twist sterilizer, but would i be able to run it through the tubing of my eheim classic canister filter or would i need to buy a pump? if i do need a pump then how does that work?
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diatoms.
I just got one less than a month ago - the 18 watt turbo twist. The tank is very clear it was always fairly clear but noticeable better with the UV. I have a dedicated pump for it (Rio 600). I would not put it inline with a canister filter as I think the flow is too much to be effective. I have a sump however so much more room for the extra pieces. The pump just pumps water into the UV filter and the output of the filter goes back into the tank. Also you could run the UV 12 hours on, 12 hours off. This gives the beneficial bacteria a chance to colonize in greater numbers since this also will be killed when it goes through the UV.
I recently added the 3x TurboTwist with the Eheim 150 canister. On the 150 the outlet tubing is smaller than the inlet. Consequently you can't plumb the sterilizer on the outtake side where it is recommended (so cleaner water is going through it). I have mine on the intake side of the tubing and have a prefilter sponge on the intake pipe as a compromise. I haven't noticed any brown or green algae and I probably run my lights more than I should. The install was pretty straight forward and you can change the direction of the hose barbs to fit your space which was nice. The mounting clips are kind of terrible though.
I think I would have opted for the larger UV unit because I think I'd be more comfortable with a canister filter with higher flow rate. You could also use a dedicated powerhead like PlantGate, but I wanted to minimize visible equipment in the tank this go around.
I think I would have opted for the larger UV unit because I think I'd be more comfortable with a canister filter with higher flow rate. You could also use a dedicated powerhead like PlantGate, but I wanted to minimize visible equipment in the tank this go around.
Just a FYI, there is really no reason to ever turn it off. There is very little beneficial bacterial in the water......99.9% is on surfaces of the aquarium, filter, etc.I just got one less than a month ago - the 18 watt turbo twist. The tank is very clear it was always fairly clear but noticeable better with the UV. I have a dedicated pump for it (Rio 600). I would not put it inline with a canister filter as I think the flow is too much to be effective. I have a sump however so much more room for the extra pieces. The pump just pumps water into the UV filter and the output of the filter goes back into the tank. Also you could run the UV 12 hours on, 12 hours off. This gives the beneficial bacteria a chance to colonize in greater numbers since this also will be killed when it goes through the UV.
I'm still undecided on the value of UV. But part of that is due to experience with clearing water to drink while hiking in remote areas. To use UV to make it safe to drink "found" water, it requires a pretty long exposure to the UV to do it right. I don't feel simply passing it through is enough time. I understand that the UV does not kill the bacteria as such, but only makes it not reproduce. That limits the number in the same way chlorine in drinking water does.
But then I also have a new Sunsun canister with a UV that came by default. Had I found one without UV, I would have gone that way.
The question now becomes how it is working for me in ways that I might not expect. I'm fighting a new group of fish that brought in ich. Ich normally takes like forever to clear and I have to really fight it. I caught this early and started raising the temp as fast as possible in a 75 gallon tank.
But the ich seems to have cleared amazingly fast. So the question becomes one of sorting out why. Did the UV do an amazing job? Did the Clout, which I've never used to fight ich, do that well? Or was it a different breed of ich which is easy?
Maybe UV is great? I don't know.
But I do know that adding any fittings in a filter line will reduce flow. When you put a fitting inside the tube it is going to make the opening much smaller.
But then I also have a new Sunsun canister with a UV that came by default. Had I found one without UV, I would have gone that way.
The question now becomes how it is working for me in ways that I might not expect. I'm fighting a new group of fish that brought in ich. Ich normally takes like forever to clear and I have to really fight it. I caught this early and started raising the temp as fast as possible in a 75 gallon tank.
But the ich seems to have cleared amazingly fast. So the question becomes one of sorting out why. Did the UV do an amazing job? Did the Clout, which I've never used to fight ich, do that well? Or was it a different breed of ich which is easy?
Maybe UV is great? I don't know.
But I do know that adding any fittings in a filter line will reduce flow. When you put a fitting inside the tube it is going to make the opening much smaller.
With a properly regulated flow a UV sterilizer will destroy many undesirable pathogens in a tank, and remove any free-floating algae spores from the water column. It will help improve water clarity, assist with oxygenation, provide good water flow throughout the tank, and keep the water surface free of protein film.
Many saltwater hobbyists swear by them, and I wouldn't be without one in my discus tanks.
Many saltwater hobbyists swear by them, and I wouldn't be without one in my discus tanks.
I've heard both ways. The bacteria also does use the water column to spread. Going 12 on, 12 off, is just about as effective as 24 and doubles the life of the bulb, which is only good for around 8-10 months at best.Just a FYI, there is really no reason to ever turn it off. There is very little beneficial bacterial in the water......99.9% is on surfaces of the aquarium, filter, etc.
UV is effective for parasites like Ich but only if they pass through the UV. I am running 200gph through my 18 watt which is very slow so it is as effective as a UV can be.
Plantgate brings up a question that seems important when deciding on UV.
How does one know when the UV bulb needs changed? Since we can't see it or measure it's effects, do we try to keep some record of use and change when it has run long enough?
Looking at my new filter, I now realize it can't be the UV which cured my ich so fast. I failed to turn it on! Since I have not used it , I did not feel it was worth the bother as I set up the new filter.
How does one know when the UV bulb needs changed? Since we can't see it or measure it's effects, do we try to keep some record of use and change when it has run long enough?
Looking at my new filter, I now realize it can't be the UV which cured my ich so fast. I failed to turn it on! Since I have not used it , I did not feel it was worth the bother as I set up the new filter.
Coming from the reef side, I would not have a tank without UV. The effectiveness of UV is based on the strength of the bulb, contact time with water, and the clarity of the water. If you are going to run UV, you need to buy the biggest unit you can afford and fit into wherever you need it to go. The small units are useless in my opinion just because the water would need to be slowed WAAAAAY down to keep it in contact with the light....which would render the unit useless in any but the smallest of tanks. I run a 4 foot high unit on my 105g reef tank and was very successful in combating Dinos which are bacterial. If I needed to keep ICH in check, I could slow the water flow way down which is needed for parasites. One thing you need to remember with UV though is that it will never eradicate anything on its own......it only treats water that passes through it. In regards to the bulb, I have always read to change them every 9-12 months but it might be different based on the bulb. That is what my UV manufacturer recommended.
This tends to fit what I have thought about UV for our use. In drinking water, the equipment specifies leaving the 16 oz of water exposed to the UV for a full minute. So if we run UV on tank water that is simply passing through the UV exposure, I find it is almost impossible to imagine design to leave the water exposed for very long. In those I have looked at, the design is so short that each oz of water would be exposed more like three seconds?Coming from the reef side, I would not have a tank without UV. The effectiveness of UV is based on the strength of the bulb, contact time with water, and the clarity of the water. If you are going to run UV, you need to buy the biggest unit you can afford and fit into wherever you need it to go. The small units are useless in my opinion just because the water would need to be slowed WAAAAAY down to keep it in contact with the light....which would render the unit useless in any but the smallest of tanks. I run a 4 foot high unit on my 105g reef tank and was very successful in combating Dinos which are bacterial. If I needed to keep ICH in check, I could slow the water flow way down which is needed for parasites. One thing you need to remember with UV though is that it will never eradicate anything on its own......it only treats water that passes through it. In regards to the bulb, I have always read to change them every 9-12 months but it might be different based on the bulb. That is what my UV manufacturer recommended.
So my question becomes one of how much effect. If each portion of water is exposed for even ten seconds each trip through the UV, does it have to go through six times to be effective?
Seems like it may need to be an extremely large or powerful UV with very slow water flow to really does the job we expect.
This is where my cynical side comes around to asking more questions. If UV works so well, why do the major, better known filter makers not add it on all their highest quality filters? It would seem that it would be automatically built into those filters where money is no question. If it isn't on Eheim filters, why do we find it on SunSun? Kind of like finding the best sound system on a Ford but not a Cadillac!
At this point, it is not something I will call a major advantage.
Pathogen's take a lot more to kill than algae and smaller bacteria. Also keep in mind that the UV used on an Aquarium is continuous. For drinking water you need it right now. At 200gph, my UV turns over my tank @ 32 times/day providing continuous exposure.This tends to fit what I have thought about UV for our use. In drinking water, the equipment specifies leaving the 16 oz of water exposed to the UV for a full minute. So if we run UV on tank water that is simply passing through the UV exposure, I find it is almost impossible to imagine design to leave the water exposed for very long. In those I have looked at, the design is so short that each oz of water would be exposed more like three seconds?
So my question becomes one of how much effect. If each portion of water is exposed for even ten seconds each trip through the UV, does it have to go through six times to be effective?
Seems like it may need to be an extremely large or powerful UV with very slow water flow to really does the job we expect.
This is where my cynical side comes around to asking more questions. If UV works so well, why do the major, better known filter makers not add it on all their highest quality filters? It would seem that it would be automatically built into those filters where money is no question. If it isn't on Eheim filters, why do we find it on SunSun? Kind of like finding the best sound system on a Ford but not a Cadillac!
At this point, it is not something I will call a major advantage.
More and more filter makers are including UV in their filters. However, IMO, filters run water too fast through them to be as effective as a standalone UV sterilizer with an adjustable pump. People use UV for different reasons. Having the granularity to adjust flow is actually very important and not something available within commercial filters. Unified products typically do several things mediocrely but nothing well. I would prefer separate products.
I can assure you, UV sterilizers are very effective.
I thought about getting one from Emperor Aquatics. Then I saw how physically large a good UV sterilizer is....
Here is a good video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GncTmZqOIU&spfreload=10
Here is a good video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GncTmZqOIU&spfreload=10
The two posts above both fit into what I think on UV.
I feel it is effective when done right. However most are not done right and doing it right is so out of what I will do for my tank, that it is not something for me.
The need has to exceed the amount of effort before I try to correct an issue that is not a current problem.
I feel it is effective when done right. However most are not done right and doing it right is so out of what I will do for my tank, that it is not something for me.
The need has to exceed the amount of effort before I try to correct an issue that is not a current problem.
This is really the only thing that jumps out at me in this thread. What is the "problem" we are attempting to fix with this? UV sterilizers are relatively new as far as our hobby goes.....we've done pretty well without them for the most part! Sometimes I think we all just like new stuff for the sake of trying new stuff. Nothing wrong with that necessarily but it also doesn't make something like this a requirement. I personally wouldn't go out of my way to add UV to any of my tanks.....I have a sunsun with the uv bulb. I think of it like the thunderstorm setting on my current usa fixtures. It was awesome to play with the first day I got it, but have never used it since!...... before I try to correct an issue that is not a current problem.
I agree with PlantGate regarding drinking water vs our aquarium water. UV has been proven to kill parasites, algae, bacterial in aquarium water, as long as the correct size UV is used. Regarding the major filter manufacturers, it won't be feasible to add UV without quadrupling the size of filters. Most (if not all) public aquariums run UV for a reason :wink2:This tends to fit what I have thought about UV for our use. In drinking water, the equipment specifies leaving the 16 oz of water exposed to the UV for a full minute. So if we run UV on tank water that is simply passing through the UV exposure, I find it is almost impossible to imagine design to leave the water exposed for very long. In those I have looked at, the design is so short that each oz of water would be exposed more like three seconds?
So my question becomes one of how much effect. If each portion of water is exposed for even ten seconds each trip through the UV, does it have to go through six times to be effective?
Seems like it may need to be an extremely large or powerful UV with very slow water flow to really does the job we expect.
This is where my cynical side comes around to asking more questions. If UV works so well, why do the major, better known filter makers not add it on all their highest quality filters? It would seem that it would be automatically built into those filters where money is no question. If it isn't on Eheim filters, why do we find it on SunSun? Kind of like finding the best sound system on a Ford but not a Cadillac!
At this point, it is not something I will call a major advantage.
I fully agree that UV does good work, just not at the level that we find it in the cheaper filters we see. Big UV like commercial aquariums is not something most of us are going to want to run under our tanks.
I feel it may be kind of like the bug zappers we use for killing mosquitos. The zapper may kill a hundred mosquitos every night but that just means I have 36 chasing me rather than 48! In a tank, it helps but I feel like I can do a better total job using other methods.
I feel it may be kind of like the bug zappers we use for killing mosquitos. The zapper may kill a hundred mosquitos every night but that just means I have 36 chasing me rather than 48! In a tank, it helps but I feel like I can do a better total job using other methods.
Yes but if you have 36 instead of 48 chasing you in a small square box (not a vast backyard), that is a definite improvement lol. Like I stated, UV normally won't irradiate any problem on its own but along with other methods, it sometimes (especially when dealing with Dinoflagellants or anything bacterial) can be what is needed to get you over the hump. Now I do agree that UV is less effective on parasites due to the fact that the parasite has to pass through the UV which can't always happen depending on what part of the life cycle the parasite is currently in. It can help keep them in check though.I fully agree that UV does good work, just not at the level that we find it in the cheaper filters we see. Big UV like commercial aquariums is not something most of us are going to want to run under our tanks.
I feel it may be kind of like the bug zappers we use for killing mosquitos. The zapper may kill a hundred mosquitos every night but that just means I have 36 chasing me rather than 48! In a tank, it helps but I feel like I can do a better total job using other methods.
I'm with Paul!With a properly regulated flow a UV sterilizer will destroy many undesirable pathogens in a tank, and remove any free-floating algae spores from the water column. It will help improve water clarity, assist with oxygenation, provide good water flow throughout the tank, and keep the water surface free of protein film.
Many saltwater hobbyists swear by them, and I wouldn't be without one in my discus tanks.
Here is the one i use
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/images/graphics/v2vecton400.jpg
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