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UV STERLIZER OR NOT???
- Thread starter gg291
- Start date
It has it's pluses and minuses.
Those on the side that believe it helps minimize the motile stage of parasites such as ich and velvet will say go for it. Make sure you get it sized correctly though.
On the other hand it's not exactly a replacement for quality husbandry skills or even just using a QT before adding new fish in.
If you have the extra money - go for it. Otherwise - I do not consider this a "must" purchase as I might a skimmer or a new tunze/vortech pump.
Those on the side that believe it helps minimize the motile stage of parasites such as ich and velvet will say go for it. Make sure you get it sized correctly though.
On the other hand it's not exactly a replacement for quality husbandry skills or even just using a QT before adding new fish in.
If you have the extra money - go for it. Otherwise - I do not consider this a "must" purchase as I might a skimmer or a new tunze/vortech pump.
mr_X said:it kills whatever goes through it.gg291 said:
PERFECT wording! LOL. Good or bad, as Mr.X said, it "sterilizes" the water that passes through it. Will also contribute to heat, but not sure to what extent. I'd be more inclined to invest the money spent on UV in other areas. Better skimming, better water flow, better lighting, etc. But if you have all that already? Get a nice new coral or fish! LOL!
my 2 cents. it would be better for a LRFO system than a reef.
Not so fast. Flow rate through the unit is very important. If the dwell time is not long enough, it will not kill the little buggers. If you go with one of these, make sure your flow rate is within the manufacturers specs for flow. Also, it does not discriminate…it will kill the good stuff too. Even though I have used these on freshwater tanks, I’d be more inclined to use these for outbreaks of crypto or velvet on saltwater tanks.
Ditto what Refishbluefish said. I think it's a matter of personal preference. I've run my tank WITH UV for several months and noticed I had to clean my glass less frequently. I stopped using it, however, as I find more benefits in using a little more "dirty" tank.
Overall I'm pretty sure you'll get the 50/50 responses.
To sum it up: Personal preference. BUT: Experiment, and form your own opinion. More importantly: Share your findings.
Overall I'm pretty sure you'll get the 50/50 responses.
To sum it up: Personal preference. BUT: Experiment, and form your own opinion. More importantly: Share your findings.
JerseyWendy said:Ditto what Refishbluefish said. I think it's a matter of personal preference. I've run my tank WITH UV for several months and noticed I had to clean my glass less frequently. I stopped using it, however, as I find more benefits in using a little more "dirty" tank.
Overall I'm pretty sure you'll get the 50/50 responses.
To sum it up: Personal preference. BUT: Experiment, and form your own opinion. More importantly: Share your findings.
I've used one as well and what everyone has said above is true. My glass was a bit less dirty and the water seemed to be a bit cleaner but good tank maintenance can do that for you as well. The key to getting any value out of a U/V is FLOW. I had a 36w unit on my 125 for a while and used a maxi-jet 900 which is 247 gph and had to throttle it back a bit to get the correct flow rate where it could actually kill parasites if there were any to kill.
I dont remember the formula to figure out the correct flow rate for you. If I can find it or remember what it was I'll post it
gg291 said:is a Turbo-Twist 6X UV Sterilizer - 250 gallon - 18Watt good enough? OR do you guys suggest bigger or something better? :
NO WAY......18 watt on a 250 your wasting your time and money. On a 250 you are going to want at least a 80 watt unit maybe even a 100. Just as someone else mentioned your flow rate thru it is just as important. The larger the unit the faster you can have the flow rate and the less chance of it heating your water. In my opinion based on some discusion I had with the folks at Emperor Aquatics half your water volume is a good rough idea of the size UV you want.Emperor aquatics told me I should have a 120 watt unit on my 300 gallon system. So its a little less than half water volume. But you get the idea.
Rbu1 said:
Wow simmer down, why so harsh? The design matters. Lifeguard UV- 25 watts rated for 200 gallons. Turbo twist- 18 watts rated for 250 gallons. So the lifeguard treats about 8 gallons per watt, where the turbotwist treats about 13.8 gallons per watt making it more efficient cause you get away with less watts.
And this is from the manufacturers websites so it's not my opinion it's facts. Like you said your going by someone that " SELLS THEM " If you buy a unit with MORE watts don't they make MORE money? The amount of watts you stated seems like overkill to me but hey that's my opinion.
Anyway just giving GG my opinion, Not trying to start a UV war with you
Another thing to watch for with a U/V when you buy it is how it is rated from the manufacturer. Most can be used for multiple applications IE ponds freshwater setups and salt setups.
So a U/V unit may be rated for say 200 gal but that could be when used on a pond and not a salt water tank. Flow rates change due to application too.
I cant seem to find the formula anywhere that tells you how many gph flow you need per watt in a salt water setup but it is a lot different then what you would use in a pond or even a freshwater tank. Manufacturers tend not list the saltwater info on the box of the units.
So a U/V unit may be rated for say 200 gal but that could be when used on a pond and not a salt water tank. Flow rates change due to application too.
I cant seem to find the formula anywhere that tells you how many gph flow you need per watt in a salt water setup but it is a lot different then what you would use in a pond or even a freshwater tank. Manufacturers tend not list the saltwater info on the box of the units.