product review "Aqua Pro UV Sterliser 8 watt "

[axelfaz]

hi all i thought i would do a review on the Aqua Pro UV Sterliser 8 watt i have had this product for awhile retail price is $151.00 which i found cheap for a U/V of this size. The construction of the U/V seems to be sturdy at first look and lasted without problem for the first 3 months. The unit comes with several different size hose fitting which fit to the unit by a screw lock fastener I found this teadease and painful to get a good seal with out leaks. The hose connections them self over time became brittle and breakapart ( see photos) causing mass water leakage from the tank (lucky i was there at the time or the tank would have emptyed killing fish and destroying the filter and heater) As i said at the start this unit is cheap and u get what u pay for i would recommond buying a unit that may cost more but has a tested and tried name for piece of mind. And leave this unit where it belongs in the bin.


Cameron

[Proteus]

Sorry to hear of your problems.

Of all the brands I dont like, especially when it comes to UV sterilizers, that is one of them. I know people who have been electrocuted by them, have had them explode, break, etc etc plus numerous other stories I wont get into.

Yet, I do know people who have them and have never had an issue... ???

Yes you do generally get what you pay for, however thee are some cheap alternatives that dont cost much more than what you paid, and they are as solid as a rock (I have had 4 of these in use for several years, with no problem at all)

[marg]

Proteus what brand are the alternatives that you are referring to?

I intend to buy one in the near future, and would be interested in one that others have used and can recommend that is reasonably priced.,

Regards,

Marg.

[jim from sydney]

Marg

thanks for the pm reply.

i bought mine from Ben and have 4 UV sterilisers running in various tanks. all are great and no problems at all..I cannot see the water it is so clear...Jim.

[Proteus]

Pondmaster.

I have several 36w units, plus an 11w & 18w and have never had an issue with them.

They come supplied with Philips tubes which are the same type used by the expensive marquee brands.

If you have a few more dollars to spend, I would also recommend DeBary.

[jim from sydney]

Marg

these are the ones i bought.....AA Internal UV Steriliser 24 watt...Jim

[Merrilyn]

Thankyou for the product review on this UV Cameron. You've made some very valid points.

It's important that we hear of people's experience, both good and bad, so keep the product reviews coming folks.

[ozarowana]

Proteus

What size tank do you run the Pondmaster 36w on? It seems to be able to handle quite big flow rates.

[Proteus]

I have one each on a 5x2x2, 6x2x2 & 4x2x2

I am a believer that the bigger the UV wattage the better

[DarrenJThomas]

This is the AquaPro UV i use on my aquarium

All stainless steel, very nice :)

http://www.water-terminal.co.kr/product/index.php?mode=pview&cid=4&pid=163

Picking up another one next monday for around $220.

[Proteus]

Just an FYI and warning.

The model shown in the link Darren is not the same AquaPro brand that we have here.

First question, does it have an Australian approval number?

plus, being that it is a 14w tube, where are you going to get replacement tube supplies from? (14w is not a standard Australian UV wattage - Philips dont have it on there available list)

[DarrenJThomas]

The product and its spare parts can be purchased for a local shop in Adelaide.

I will ask the shop owner about Australian Standards.

As this product is normally used on RO units for Marine Boats and the shop fits them to a lot of government agencies like schools etc i would have thought that it would have been approved.

How much are normal replacement globes?

[Proteus]

How much are normal replacement globes?

from approx $25 right up to over $100 depending on the size and wattage.


I will ask the shop owner about Australian Standards

It isnt so much about Standards or ISO compliance, it is a permit, that the electricals are sound.


As this product is normally used on RO units for Marine Boats and the shop fits them to a lot of government agencies like schools etc i would have thought that it would have been approved.

Given this, there is a good chance it has a permit/approval number. My statement was based purely on what is available in the Aquarium & Aquaculture market, plus the fact that the unit you referred to was of the same name as another company which already has product in Australia.

:wink:

[discus21]

REQUESTING THIS PRODUCT BE REMOVED FROM SPONSOR SITE

thank you so much for putting this item on the forum

i also bought this product from one of our sponsors and the exact same thing happened to us after only 3 months
please note it is sold in a different packaging and picture on his site

HE INFORMED ME THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED
WELL WE KNOW NOW!!!
ONLY BUY NAME BRAND not his china XXXX!

it flooded my house
ruined my carpet and curtains
and i almost lost my fish
ruined the heater etc in the tank
please be very aware!!!! CHEAP AND NASTY

beware be very aware!!!
discus21
ps. i did not know we can reveal the item as i sought advise from others

[Proteus]

HE INFORMED ME THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED
WELL WE KNOW NOW!!!
ONLY BUY NAME BRAND not his china XXXX)

We must be careful directing comments like this as the business in question might not have been informed of prior issues etc. The benefit of the doubt must be given unless we know and can prove otherwise, even then, we need to err on the side of caution.

As for the name brand comment, that isnt totally accurate. A lot of the products that come out of China are quality made, and on the other hand there is the cheap stuff (you can generally tell by the pricing).

I have used a Chinese made UV for years, and I would swear by it to anyone. I also am a huge fan of the more expensive Euro & Japanese products, but a lot of the time price dictates.

All I can suggest when buying equipment, ask lots of questions, seek other opinions, and do some research...

[discus21]

i am not saying all product just this one
if you saw how it broke
you would disagree

it was certainly the quality of the plastic used
the plastic broke in your hand - brittle

this is not acceptable!!!! there must be a standard
and i am sure this product is not up to this standard
by far!

i do not want others to go thru what i have

i run an internet site also but am true to my customer
how can you order one thing on site
and recieve another that looks totally different when arrives

that is called false advertising when phoning him he
informed me that all products from him that are made in china
can be different than on packaging

discus21

[Proteus]

I am not saying all product just this one if you saw how it broke
you would disagree

I am not disagreeing at all, some may remember only a year ago I had a discussion topic going about how dangerous one of the UV products was. If I remember correctly, it was recalled, but only in NSW.

[DarrenJThomas]

Like everything

"You Only Get What You Pay For" :lol:

[fishgeek]

uv light will cause most plastics to become brittle with time
so using them in the housing of a uv bulb has it's risks'
special products (that generally cost more) should be used

andrew

[nicholas76]

HOLY coW!


I had the exact same item and it broke the exact same way!!!


i lost 70 litres of sea water onto my timber floors.. THANK GOD I was in the office at the time.

I had the ducted heating,, all my bath towels and my poor girlfriend working to clean up the mess. ( with me )

owell internal U/V for me :D

[endless]

Damn, i've got the same unit and the plastic broke exactly the same way. Lucky for me though, it broke when i was removing the hose fittings so it didnt cause too much dramas. I've since put a different size plastic connector on (since the unit comes with a few different sizes) but having read the above i think i better disconnect the unit rather than risk having a flooded living room.

[nicholas76]

endless!

seems like a great idea.

these plastic parts clearly dont last very long.. hmmm off to find a better unit.

[endless]

Looks like i need to visit aquarium products warehouse again. Does anyone know how long the 36w pondmaster uv is? I want to know whether it will fit inside my cabinet. Also would running this uv with a 1000lph filter be ok?

[Proteus]

Does anyone know how long the 36w pondmaster uv is?

Let me go check....

ok, 50cm/20in

It can be mounted Horizontally or Vertically.


Also would running this uv with a 1000lph filter be ok?

I have one attached to a 4500lph return pump, another attached to a 6500lph water pump and one on a 1200lph Canister.

You should be fine.

[APW]

FYI

Pondmaster UV-C 36w are now on special - $199.95

http://www.aquariumproductswholesale.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=588

[endless]

awesome! order placed for the uv and some hikari discus pellets

[fishgeek]

APW , i find the product description a little confusing
steriliser's and clarifier's have differnet internal void's to ensure enough UV contact to allow damage to either just unicellular algae or in the case of sterilisation more exposure to allow damage to higher organisms ie virus/bacteria etc that we want as fish keepers


asto endless question about water turnover , each UV unit will be able to function as a steriliser only with enough contact time, slower flow rates needed, and with minimal depth of water passing light source(internal void)
if running a UV at rates that are in excess of stated manufacturers recommendations then sterilisation will not be acheived

for faster/larger turnover multiple units need to be run in parralell

andrew

[Proteus]

i find the product description a little confusing
steriliser's and clarifier's have differnet internal void's to ensure enough UV contact to allow damage to either just unicellular algae or in the case of sterilisation more exposure to allow damage to higher organisms ie virus/bacteria etc that we want as fish keepers

What is confusing about the fact that both UV-S's & UV-C's use identical tubes. Therefore the micro-orgs are exposed to the exact same spectrum of light. The difference largely comes down to what pump or flow you use. As a reference, some of the cheaper models actually have a better designed internal chamber than others (example Pentair) yet they are till called a clarifier.

Summing it up with either system (or what the manufacturer decide to call it) the slower the flow, the better the result. Either way, having a UVC or UVS is better than not having one IMO.

[fishgeek]

proteus i think the water depth actually has a bearing on the uv energy's ability to degrade protein in the dna of organism's it is trying to kill, so water thickness/depth flowing over the bulb will be the most crucial factor in sterilising or clarifying
well that was my understanding

if the water is too thick as it passes the bulb then the enrgy can not be transmitted in high enough levels to kill some organisms

and yes i totally agree about with your last statement about slow and better

andrew

[FishLover]

I agree largely on slower is better. There is a catch on too slow flow rate. It may cause damage to the uv unit if the rate is too slow due to over heating. I don't think that's a problem most of us have to worry. I have a 36 watts UV system and the rate is set at 127 gph because I use a different pump. I think the system is rated to 500 gph as a steriliser and 1500 gph as a clarifier.

Just my two cents.

[Merrilyn]

Great to have all this feedback. Thanks everyone :D