Uv Filters ?

[MadMan-JaMeS]

Hey,

are UV filters really worth it ?

i've got a 550litre tank and wondered if i would benefit from having one ?

Clearer water and all that ?

any ideas which would be a good model for my tank ?

 

[rabbut]

I have no direct experience with them, but;

They kill green water caursing algea in the water column and disease caursing parsites and bacteria when used correctly. This reduces the chance of disease, but does not go as far as elliminating it. They won't remove floating debris or algea in the tank, only the stuff that passes through the unit If the water is cloudy, you need some floss or similar media in the filter to remove your floating waste.

Of help, I don't know as I don't use them , needed, from my 14 years experience I'd say they aren't nessisary I haven't even looked at the units available, so I couldn't recomend one for you, sorry

All the best

 

[Colin_T]

Some people swear by them and others swear at them. As mentioned by rabbut they help keep the disease organisms low, and the free floating algae at bay, but don't stop disease outbreaks in a tank. If you quarantine all new fishes before putting them in the main tank you will do more to reduce the chances of a disease occurring. Regular partial water changes and gravel cleans, along with proper filter maintenance will keep the water clean and the fish healthy.
I don’t use them at home but they do use them in the shop. The shop has new fishes coming in all the time and the tanks are all connected to each other (on a recirculating system). The UV unit stops diseases spreading from one tank to another. You still get diseases in the tanks but they are generally kept in those tanks and do not infect other tanks.

 

[adamgreen240]

i believe vecton are the best units - you would need the v2 600 unit (up to 600 litres) heres the cheapest price ive found them at:

http/www.biorb-aquariums.com/p/449907/v2...on-600-25w.html

thanks, Adam

 

[T1KARMANN]

i wouldnt run my tank without a UV

i have had them running on my tank since the late 80s and never had any parasite out break no white spot nothing

they do help with algue BUT a pond UVC and a tank UVS are designed diffrent a UVC for pond is desighned just to kill algue and blanket weed

a UVS is designed to kill parasites

when buying a UV make sure you dont buy one for a pond they are a waste of time

also dont take any notice of what size tank they say they are for with a tank UV its all about flow rates
you can have a very low rated UV as long as the flow you are pushing throw matches the UV

its all about contact time how long the water comes into contact with the light from the UV bulb

find out the flow rate of your exturnal filter then get a UV to match

im not sure about the other vectrons but the 25w lets you pass 1700 lph throw it

its always a good idear to pass less water throw than stated to much UV is good it kills bacteria and parasites better not enought UV light is a waste of time it wont do anything

their is a internal filter/UV on the market now some people say its great the only thing i can see wrong with this idear is it may boil your water in the summer

A UV MUST BE TURNED ON 24/7 the bulbs must be changed every 6 months to 1yr depending on what bulb you buy you have to change it at the time scales stated or its a waste of time it wont be working after that time

 

[rabbut]

T1KARMANN, how would a UV on an internal boil fish in a tank? I thought that most UV's were relatiely low wattage, thus possible won't be able to make a big impact on water temperature?

Thanks a lot
Rabbut

 

[T1KARMANN]

the internal UV filters are made in china by some unknown make so i wouldnt trust the design

i have 2 x 25w UVs running back to back on my tank giving me 50w and the water that comes out of the pro3 running them is warm if i didnt do large water changes twice per week i wouldnt need heaters

i have never use the internal UV but if the external UVs are anything to go on i would think if you put one is a small amount of water in the summer you may have problems

you may not notice it as much in the winter as your heater just wont work as hard But the internal UV doesnt have a themo so will just keep heating on hot summer days

just my thoughts i may be wrong

 

[rabbut]

That's a fair point. I think I am forgetting just how much heat a 25W light source makes, and unkonwn brands can often be dodgy....