So, in resurrecting my 30g IM AIO, I decided to give a go at some UV lighting. I tend to overfeed and under maintain but know the limits. With this build I'd like to try a UV system to see how it goes.
I'm aware of the plusses and minuses of them but, never having used one before, am curious on other's experiences, thoughts, opinions, etc...
FIrst - This will be run in a rear chamber of an AIO. I will also be cultivating pods and cheato, which will be in a seperate grow tank emptying into the main. Anything not fast enough to hit the rockwork will get sucked into the overflow on the other side of the tank and into the skimmer and UV chambers. For pods I'm assuming this loss is a reasonable percentage that isn't going to wipe the population.
Second - Are all UV's the same? I mean, if a bulb is cranking out 250-255nm is there really a big distinction between them all? Sure, the Chinese bulbs are probably shorter life, perhaps a few months at most, but at the price point it's easy enough to change the entire unit every few months.
A Green Machine or Biocube unit will put me back $60-80 with need to replace the bulb occasionally at a cost of $25-30.
A Chinese make will run $15-18, but has no case, so it presents a considerable danger to people and fish. BUT, if its being dropped into an AIO chamber and covered so there's no leakage, is there really a difference?
Assuming I change the bulbs out every 4 months to be safe, a name unit will run me $120 over the year with an off brand running about $45.
Third - Who here is using one? If so, what brand? Any experience with the off label stuff? How often do you run it, as I've read anywhere form 30 minutes to 3 hiours a day is more than sufficient depending on tank size and bioload.
Although I began with looking at the Green Machine, I'm intrigued by this, especially as it actually turns DNA from red to gray...
I'm aware of the plusses and minuses of them but, never having used one before, am curious on other's experiences, thoughts, opinions, etc...
FIrst - This will be run in a rear chamber of an AIO. I will also be cultivating pods and cheato, which will be in a seperate grow tank emptying into the main. Anything not fast enough to hit the rockwork will get sucked into the overflow on the other side of the tank and into the skimmer and UV chambers. For pods I'm assuming this loss is a reasonable percentage that isn't going to wipe the population.
Second - Are all UV's the same? I mean, if a bulb is cranking out 250-255nm is there really a big distinction between them all? Sure, the Chinese bulbs are probably shorter life, perhaps a few months at most, but at the price point it's easy enough to change the entire unit every few months.
A Green Machine or Biocube unit will put me back $60-80 with need to replace the bulb occasionally at a cost of $25-30.
A Chinese make will run $15-18, but has no case, so it presents a considerable danger to people and fish. BUT, if its being dropped into an AIO chamber and covered so there's no leakage, is there really a difference?
Assuming I change the bulbs out every 4 months to be safe, a name unit will run me $120 over the year with an off brand running about $45.
Third - Who here is using one? If so, what brand? Any experience with the off label stuff? How often do you run it, as I've read anywhere form 30 minutes to 3 hiours a day is more than sufficient depending on tank size and bioload.
Although I began with looking at the Green Machine, I'm intrigued by this, especially as it actually turns DNA from red to gray...
