Questions about UV Sterilizers
- Thread starter Tman
- Start date
I have the Tetra 5W in my 30 gallon cichlid tank. It kills bacterial and algal bloom and diseases such as ich that free-float in the water, but anything in your filter, sand, etc is not harmed, just the free-floating stuff. It does not kill ich on an infested fish. It helps if you tend to overfeed or overload your tank, but it's not necessary if you are careful. The 5W is about the smallest unit you can get, and not good beyond around 30 gals. For SW reef I don't think it is a good idea, as it will sterilize the live nutrients your corals and inverts eat.
I may go with a unit that is a little larger than the 5 watt model.
When I add bacterial additives like stress zyme to the water are the bacteria
not free floating until they attach to the filter media and other surfaces? Seems as though the UV would kill the beneficial stuff while they are free floating in the water.
When I add bacterial additives like stress zyme to the water are the bacteria
not free floating until they attach to the filter media and other surfaces? Seems as though the UV would kill the beneficial stuff while they are free floating in the water.
I have never used a UV sterilizer but I have read that they shouldn't be used until your bacteria colonies are established and when using something like stress zyme. I don't know what their long term affect on bacterial colonies is. 
No, I operate it with a power head, and dump back into the tank after the water passes through the unit. A simple loop. It cleared my water of bacterial bloom in two days. I have two separate Marineland Bio-wheel power filters, not related to the UV unit at all. It is important to have a powerhead rated at a gph low enough that the UV unit can do something. The slower the flow, the better sterilized the water is. Speed is not good in this case.
My bio-filter was well established prior to my adding the UV unit. I agree that before the bio-filter is established it is best not to use it, or when adding living bacteria in the water, but it's just a click of a switch to turn it off when I have to. Another thing to consider is that it will take time to circulate all the tank's water through the UV unit even when setting my powerhead to max gph, so there are no 'emergencies' where it must be turned off immediately.
My bio-filter was well established prior to my adding the UV unit. I agree that before the bio-filter is established it is best not to use it, or when adding living bacteria in the water, but it's just a click of a switch to turn it off when I have to. Another thing to consider is that it will take time to circulate all the tank's water through the UV unit even when setting my powerhead to max gph, so there are no 'emergencies' where it must be turned off immediately.
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For all that a u.v. can do, if you have the money, its a nice addition. I have a custom sealife(RIP) double helix 18 watt u.v. attached to my canister filter output which is another option for your connection. If you don' want to have the u.v. visible or don't want the powerhead but have a canister filter, attach it to the output of the filter(granted the u.v. is around the same rated gph of your filter)
The Tetra 5 W has maximum ghp of 100, minimum (for best sterilization) of 50 gph. You need a more powerful unit if you are going over 100 gph.