Uv Steriliser For Freshwater ?
- Thread starter zub-typer
- Start date
They prevent free floating algea (green water) and slow down the growth of other algeas by removing spores from the water before they can fix themselves to a substrate. They also destroy parasites that have a free floating cycle such as ICH and velvet.
They are a nice addition if you don't mind the extra cost of running them and are certainly worth while if your stock has cost you a lot of money.
They are a nice addition if you don't mind the extra cost of running them and are certainly worth while if your stock has cost you a lot of money.
aibo210
Fish Crazy
I run one in mine and it has never affected my plants or tropica plant feed. They arnt that expensive if you search about on the net. One thing is that your water goes crystal clear after a few days and the fish get more colourfull and I supose less prone to illness!
squeakytoy
Fish Fanatic
I have a 77 Gal, and I just added a 25w Current USA "gamma" to mine, and I have to say that the water is absolutely sparkling. Some important considerations are how fast are you going to pump water through it, and how much are the replacement bulbs. The big thing with the sterilizers is what is referred to as dwell time. This is the amount of time that the water stays in contact with the UV light. More dwell, less bad stuff in the water. So if you use low GPH pump, you can use a smaller sterilzer, within reason of course. I have mine attached to the output of a Magnum 350 pushing a 5 ft head, so the water isnt going that fast, plus the 25 watt bulb is good for a tank about 66% bigger.... I subscribe to the theory of overkill. As far as plants go, I have some swords and some spangle in the tank, and they seem to be doing just fine.
Anyway, here are my impressions of the gamma
ease of use: 5/5 Very easy to configure. Comes with a full complement of fittings (in 3/4" black PVC) that you would most likely use, as well as plumbers teflon tape for the joins. Very thorough instruction set, with options for different mountings, such as inline or honging on the tank. My only complaint here could be personal preference, but the transformer to unit cord is only about 18 inches, maybe 2 ft... I didnt measure, but the transformer to wall cord is about 6 ft. It would maker more sense to me the other way around, as far as mounting flexibility.
effectiveness 5/5 Again, for my tank and flow rate... overkill. But you cant argue with results, and my fish look brighter and the water is much much clearer, to the point that my guests have commented on how clean the tank looks
Quality control 3/5 This is the only gripe that I have with the entire system. While the thing looks and feels bombproof, ( I didn't check
) There were a few production issues that bit me. One of which was a fairly large amount of excess teflon tape that was made it past the threads and into the UV chamber. it took me about a half an hour to dislodge it to my satisfaction/frustration level. Another was a large blob of black sealant that had driped and hardened into the bulb passage, that had to be scraped out before the bulb could be installed. And last, the wires going into the transformer were stripped too far back and as a result the waterlock seal on the cord is pretty much useless unless I want to take it apart and re-wire it. Not a problem if the box stays dry and properly drip looped, but it should not have been an issue to begin with. It's kinda like buying a hammer, and having to finish the handle before using it.
Overall, I still give it a 5/5, because most of the faults that I have with it are one time things, and the results seem to be fantastic. I just dont have the ability to test the water for micro-organisms.....
My two cents.... oh, and I plan on using them again on most of my tanks!
Anyway, here are my impressions of the gamma
ease of use: 5/5 Very easy to configure. Comes with a full complement of fittings (in 3/4" black PVC) that you would most likely use, as well as plumbers teflon tape for the joins. Very thorough instruction set, with options for different mountings, such as inline or honging on the tank. My only complaint here could be personal preference, but the transformer to unit cord is only about 18 inches, maybe 2 ft... I didnt measure, but the transformer to wall cord is about 6 ft. It would maker more sense to me the other way around, as far as mounting flexibility.
effectiveness 5/5 Again, for my tank and flow rate... overkill. But you cant argue with results, and my fish look brighter and the water is much much clearer, to the point that my guests have commented on how clean the tank looks
Quality control 3/5 This is the only gripe that I have with the entire system. While the thing looks and feels bombproof, ( I didn't check
) There were a few production issues that bit me. One of which was a fairly large amount of excess teflon tape that was made it past the threads and into the UV chamber. it took me about a half an hour to dislodge it to my satisfaction/frustration level. Another was a large blob of black sealant that had driped and hardened into the bulb passage, that had to be scraped out before the bulb could be installed. And last, the wires going into the transformer were stripped too far back and as a result the waterlock seal on the cord is pretty much useless unless I want to take it apart and re-wire it. Not a problem if the box stays dry and properly drip looped, but it should not have been an issue to begin with. It's kinda like buying a hammer, and having to finish the handle before using it. Overall, I still give it a 5/5, because most of the faults that I have with it are one time things, and the results seem to be fantastic. I just dont have the ability to test the water for micro-organisms.....
My two cents.... oh, and I plan on using them again on most of my tanks!
aibo210
Fish Crazy
http
/www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/fish/technic...ccessories/uv_c
take alook at them on there, there is a nice tetra one on that site its a good website an ive used it plenty of times for bits you cant buy elsewere!
/www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/fish/technic...ccessories/uv_ctake alook at them on there, there is a nice tetra one on that site its a good website an ive used it plenty of times for bits you cant buy elsewere!
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