New meeting location for the 2023/2024 Season will be at J.A. Dulude arena.  Meetings start at 7 pm.

UV Sterilizers

Started by Kelly, March 12, 2017, 08:50:40 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Kelly

I've recently been researching the benefits of UV sterilizers, from what I gather they reduce the limit of watching what your lighting is doing. If your lighting is on a little too long you start to get algae blooms and this is what UV lights do, eliminate algae blooms. I just ordered 2 Aquatop - IL10-UV In-Line UV lights for the 65 gallon tanks I plan to have planted with CO2. What I experience with my 220 gallon tank that broke and had some very nice and comfortable plants with CO2 but I had the odd algae bloom that was an issue at times.   
Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.

ajm1961

I was looking at those Aquatop UVs a while back but hesitated to buy one because there were a number of people who said you couldn't get the replacement lights. Just noticed though that the light is available as a "companion buy" on Amazon. Let us know how this system is working for you!
SHARE YOUR PASSION FOR THE HOBBY!

phatty

I would love to hear your review on it too,

Kalinkacat

I have three of these going.  I bought them all from Pets And Ponds and I got replacement light bulbs and filter media from them as well.  I like them - both the product and Pets and Ponds.

The light bulbs are easy to replace and you can also add bio-balls to the filter to keep your bacteria going when you change the filter cartridge.

Only down side (debatable) is that you need two plug outlets for it.  One for the filter and one for the light so if for some reason you can't get a bulb, you can still use the filter.

phatty

how effective are they to kill algea? and how clear the water did you achieve?
as I have a eheim 2217 for my 120 gal, how many of these do you think I need to hook inline with my filter?
and why do you need multiple of them if you are hooking it inline? one in the intake one on the outtake?

Kalinkacat

Algae still comes and grows.  UV Sterilizers will not stop that - believe me, I've tried that route.

The UV Sterilizers are to kill bad bacteria, to achieve clear water you need to use polishing wool in your filter.

These Aquatops are Hang on back filters and do not hook up in-line.  I have three going on three different tanks.  The Aquatop HOBs that I use are for 40 gallons but I have them running as additional filtration for the sterilization advantage.  I still run my Fluval system on the one tank and Aquafin 75 gallon HOB on the other two in addition to the Aquatop.

Hope this helps.

Mike L

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=429169
This might be of some assistance. The poster narwhel is part of aqueon R&D group and I think head or close to the top for many many years . And there is full discloser. I find it interesting that he doesn't run the uv all the time. He posts under the same name on many forums including planted forums I think. Maybe others could comment.
Mike

George2

I once had an outbreak of green water algae, which lasted months. I tried everything including blackouts for 5 days but I could never get rid of it. Eventually I tried a UV sterilizer and it did a fantastic job. The algae in the water started to clear up after a few days and within a week, it was completely gone.

I actually tried two different sterilizers. The first one had no effect because the flow rate across the UV light was too high and the the light was not powerful enough. The second one had a much slower flow rate and longer exposure to the UV light and it worked very well.

From what I have read online, UV lights will kill most things in water given a long enough exposure to it, including algae spores. This means UV lights should slow down the spread of algae, but it won't kill existing algae that does not pass through the UV sterilizer.