UV's - worth having?

[glo]

I have a 240l planted community tank with discus, bb's, cardinals, corys etc. Things have been going well the past year or so. I was just wondering whether I should add a uv to reduce the bacterial load?

I know it should help keep diseases at bay but are they worth the money? Will I get more problems when introducing new fish into the system (I don't have a quarantine tank - no spare room at present).

If uv's are recommended, do I get one that will connect to my canister (will this slow down the flow rate?) or do I get a submersible one that sits inside the tank (will this create too much water movement?)? What is easier to maintain and what maintenance is required? Any recommended brands? Aquapro?

Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated. I was especially after some first hand practical experience.

[Proteus]

Given the price of UV units these days, a very wise investment.

I would strongly recommend an external inline unit, either a Pondmaster or DeBary (Laguna is good as well).

I run 2 x 11w & 5 x 36w Pondmasters which come with high grade Philips tubes and have not had an issue over the past few years on any of my tanks.

[Joe]

I have one one on my 150gallon display running off a canister...they seem to do the trick. I think all models require an annual bulb changing to remain effective

[Nathan]

for the price of your discus an other fish i definitely think it is worth buyng somethn else that costs a little more mney but it definitely does help with diseases and other nasties, so yeah if i was you id be buying one. joe is right they do need an annual bulb change as after a while the ev isnt as effective at killing the bacteria.

HTH

[glo]

Thanks all for your advice.

Proteus, where did you source your Pondmaster uv from? I saw a second hand Aquapro advertised for sale, so was wondering whether you had any feedback on this brand?

Thanks
Graham

[Roy]

For Pondmaster check out APW, one of the sponsors.
I picked up an 11W last month, good for 200ltr tanks, and its inline with the cannister filter output.

Roy

[vince]

There is one thing i found about UV, others may not agree.

There should be some good nitrifying bacteria in the water.

UV not only kill the parasites, flowing algea, but also kill all the good bacteria.

Unless you have really eficient filter, UV does have some drawbacks. on water quality.


I am sure many people may not agree with me. Opposite opinion is welcome.

[samir]

it will take longer to cycle a tank if you have a uv , but if your filter is already cycled, all the bacteria you need are attached to the filter and not floating around in the tank so it is not an issue at all.

[Proteus]

...this is why a UV should be placed after the filter.

It is widely known that UV's should not be used when cycling a tank, after that, no problem at all

[Ben]

well worth the money and the time setting them up.

[razvan]

The uv-c device use a uv bulb. This bulb cost more than 60% of the device's price. The finest filtration method, the R/O system remove bacteria over than 99%. I do a lots of water changes and I mix the tap water with the R/O no bacteria water. To keep discus in a profi mode it means to have a R/O system. If you have this system, the uv-c is useless. The water changes are more important. A nitratreductor (http://www.aqua-medic.de/freshwater/en/11/nitratreductor5000/) with mV contoller can diminuate the quantity of water changes. Also, if in australia the prices are good, the best uv-c is the this (http://www.aqua-medic.de/freshwater/en/20/HelixMaxFrei/). I've had bad experience with an tetratec device and more than that, i changed the bulb 4-5 times last year.

[rytis]

i've kept discus well for the past year without UV... my theory was low fish load, good filtration lots of thriving plants (meaning bright lights+CO2, meaning shelves for discus to hide from light under)....

[Proteus]

Low load has nothing to do with parasite erradication, plants cant kill parasites either.

The use of UVC/UVS is like insurance, it may not be required, but when it is you will not regret it.

Funny that of just about every public aquaria and zoological society use UV to minimise parasite issues, and to clear the water of free floating algael spores.

[glo]

Thanks all for the comments. Most informative. I plan to buy one.

[fish_r]

does a uv light affect the nutrients for planted tanks ?

[Proteus]

does a uv light affect the nutrients for planted tanks ?

No, if anything they assist as they nulify free floating algae

[fish_r]

ok thx for that :)
i would really like to add one but i also have a C02 reactor running inline with my filter output and dont think i could fit it ? will have to have a look at a suitable one and c if i can fit it ?

[Phlipper]

Doesn't it also depend on the type or strength of UV steriliser as to what it will control ? not all UV's will control algae from what I've read ? and the bulb needs replacing every 6 months or so.

[Proteus]

Quality tubes such as Philips, DeBary etc need replacing every 12 months. All UV's will control algae, however a lot of it has to come down to exposure time (i.e. pump speed etc).

On my new tank that I am setting up, the filter will return water to the tank at the rate of approx 8,500lph which is too fast for good UV exposure. I will be setting the UV up on a seperate loop system running off a 500-1000lph pump/powerhead.

(the longer the exposure the more nasties get killed)

[DR.V]

Does replacement tube for pondmaster easy to find in Sydney ? Does LFS sell them ? Or do I need to buy them from electrical shop ?

Thanks

[ashley]

If UV eradicates free floating algae, will it prevent algae on the interior surfaces of the aquarium such as plants, rocks and wood?

[Proteus]

Does replacement tube for pondmaster easy to find in Sydney ? Does LFS sell them ? Or do I need to buy them from electrical shop ?

Thanks

The Pondmaster tubes are very easy to obtain, I believe SLS, APW & Xtreme stock them (if they dont have the size tube you are after it only takes 1-2 days to get it in)

[Proteus]

If UV eradicates free floating algae, will it prevent algae on the interior surfaces of the aquarium such as plants, rocks and wood?

No, but it will slow down the process. Surface algae is usually due to excessive light, or an imbalance with your water chemistry