UV STERILIZER

[lachlan]

i've ben reading alot about the uv sterilizers and decided it would probably be best if i invested in one of the blasted things

i was wondering ifa nyone can recomend a good quality uv sterilizer and the wattage i would need for a std. 4ft tank woth a canister filter running at 1200l/hr

cheers guys

[k0b0i]

Pondmaster - ASA have it on special ATM - but 11w is the smallest one they stock at the moment.

They do have smaller W range but don't know if they will stock them.

Best to ask Pro or one of our sponsors.

HTH

[FishLover]

I would go for bigger than 11w. If you are only trying to use it to kill algae, that maybe ok. If you are using it to kill other nasty things in your tank, I would go higher than that. 16w at least, maybe higher.

[DiscusEden]

I was told the DeBarry are best, with Pondmaster (the ultrastep) coming in next.

I was told to aim for a UV which is made for twice the flowrate of the filter. I was also told that you can't really have too high a UV wattage, but too low is pointless having it, and you're better to err on the side of caution and get one that's too big.

If it's any guide, I got a 25w on a 6ft tank.

As k0b0i mentioned, if you went to the ASA website (follow the links from the classifieds) and click on online help, you could check with ASA or I'm sure any of the sponsers here would be happy to help - they're a great bunch!

HTH

[FishLover]

I have a 36 w on my 6f tank and I'm very happy with it.

You need an UV can handle the flow rate of at least turn ove your tank water once a hour. There are two ratings for UV, one is for kill algae, which has a much higher flow rate. The other is for kill other nasty things in your tank, which has a much lower flow rate. You want the lower one that can handle your tank size. The pump you use for UV is important too. You want the water turn over at least once an hours, yet, the rate can not exceed the rating of that UV unit.

The only possible side effect of too much UV is you may increse your tank water a bit. I don't think you have to worry about it unless you are talking about a really big UV for a small tank.

HTH

[lachlan]

do you guys splice the uv into the canister filters or run a seperate power head for it?

[DiscusEden]

I spliced mine into the output hose from the cannister. The UV (pondmaster) came with instructions on how to attach it through a few methods. That was one.

The different gague hoses between the UV & cannister output hoses will change the flow rate through your UV, which is why you want to allow for a higher flow rate through the UV than your cannister is marked at.

HTH

[samir]

i like the small AA ? internals for breeding tanks. I use a 1 foot AA light for the breeders and it has two dc outputs through which i can run two sterilizers.You can turn off the light and they still run.

[Davo]

I have a De-Bary 15E UV on my 4x2x2 planted tank. Since I bought it I have not lost a discus. You get what you pay for.

Dave.

[cruzn2]

have to agree there got 2 units one on each of my tanks and no probs at all