cheap uv sterilizer that takes cheap bulbs?

I'm looking for a cheap uv steralizer like the ones on ebay, green killing machine, aquatop etc. I had decided on the aquatop il10-uv ($40 on amazon). It is an inline 10w one with no pump. It can be used outside the tank or hanging on the tank. I went to look for bulbs to see what they cost and that is what is now making me hesitant. If I understand right it uses a 4 pin t5 base bulb. That alone makes it the less common one and more expensive to replace. One place selling bulbs for them showed one with a cutout at the base saying that is the one that must be used for it. Perhaps they have a cutout on theirs to prevent you from using generic bulbs? It wouldn't make much sense to get a $40 unit that it going to take $20-30 shipped cheap generic bulbs, when others use t4 that you can get for about 6$ shipped. I know some bulbs are better than others but I'm guessing a unit that cost $40 for the whole thing with bulb isn't going to use a high end bulb. I liked this one because it is inline so it can be used outside the tank and it doesn't have a built in pump so I have control over water flow (slower flow for disease etc).

Am I right that this is a 4 pin t5 bulb and are there different kinds or will any 4 pin t5 fit it? Am I correct that many use t4 bulbs and that they are a lot more common/cheaper? I don't mind paying $20 for a bulb if it is because it is better than a $6 one but don't want to pay $20-30 for a cheapo because its a less common type and has a notch to make you use their bulb.


This would be for occasional use but maybe a week or two at a time for water clarification, disease outbreaks, fungus problems (I have one of those right now) etc.

My bigger tank is a 55 gal and the smaller is a 15 gal (might eventually try to upgrade it to a 20 or a little bigger, hopefully a tall as space is limited). I also have a betta tank (actually 2 tanks connected that are 2.8 gal (1 gal and 1.8 gal). I also have a 10 gal that is not running right now (will probably be used as my quarenteen tank). I have everything for the 10 gal. I just generally want one (have had past disease problems where I wished I had one). Right now, the tanks have crystal clear water so that is not a problem.

The one I was originally looking at was this one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/140826343239?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649

It looks like the same one you linked to but the 9 watt version and $5 cheaper from this seller.

I gather they use these bulbs

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Light-Bulb-...778?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20cc658922

Unless I am misunderstanding it, they use the same bulb as the coralife and some other brand ones so I have the option of cheap or better quality brand bulbs (unless I am mistaken).

I have heard good and bad about these (barbs that split, seals that leak, both not to terribly hard to fix, maybe and old and new version where the new version resolves some of the issues).

This is the aquatop 10w one

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HJYXNO/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

It seems to be a better quality, well reviewed unit. Its only $10 more. At the last minute before ordering, I realized they may take a size bulb that is harder to find and or more expensive but I'm not completely sure.

Ok I get it. I didn't realize at first that you were saying it wasn't big enough. I'm also aware that a uv filter can never remove all the pathogens from water, they can just reduce the number of them and can not remove them from sub strait, the fish or anything else solid in the tank. I wanted it to assist in treating disease by reducing the number of pathogens in the water used alongside regular treatment. My corries recently laid eggs but they got fungus (would have been useful then too). I'm aware that there are other things I should have done for the eggs that I didn't know at the time, but again, its just to assist in the situation, not to fully handle it. In the long run, I wouldn't mind having a smaller and a larger one. Would the 9 watt be suitable for assisting with disease in a 10 gal hospital tank, as well as perhaps algae and or fungus control in the larger tanks? Is that 36 watt one on ebay about the best I'll get in that price range, or might a little more money get me something a little better? I have no immediate need for them and have plenty of time to shop around if that matters.


Also, not sure if it matters, but I have 125gph, 225 gph, 250gph, 380? gph and 4?? gph power heads. The 125, 250 and 380 can be operated outside the tank as a pump. The one that is over 400 gph is the only one that has reverse flow though I think its only 250 gpr or so in reverse. Of course the ones that can be used externally could just be put backwards (not sure that any of that matters for these).

Also if you don't mind, I do have one more question. The higher wattage ones are quite a bit larger (actual physical size), right? Thats part of the reason I would like a big and a small eventually.

I wound up lucking out (I think) but karma got me back a bit. I found a new emperor aquatics 25 watt smart uv sterilizer for $50 on craigslist. It's the bigger one (smaller 25w one is rated for 100 gal tanks and this one is rated for 150 gal fish tanks). Basically I got it for a little less than the price of the bulb. It cost about $25 for gas and tolls and $70 for a lock smith when I locked my keys in the car. In a way it cost me $145 (still good I guess as they sell for about $250-300 from what I can tell). All I can say is it is huge!!! The listed UV dimensions (I assume this is the internal size of the treatment chamber) is 29" by 3.5".

Is it safe to assume that this would at least have some effect on a 55 gal (its rated 150 gal which I assume is for algae)?

I already bought the emperor aquatics one. I couldn't pass up a new $300 uv sterilizer for $50. If I need more I'll get another to assist it. according to the chart on the link you gave its plenty big enough for level one and seems big enough for level 2 (maybe barely). For level 2 the chart says under 8 gph per watt (8-12 for high exposure UV). I am guessing mine is high exposure (so far as I can find it is considered a high dwell time one). The link says compact ones may need more and this is anything but compact. At 8gph, it has 3.64 turnover rate (a little under the recommended 4). At 12 gph, it has 5.45 turnovers per hour.

Going off the recommended flow rates on the box specifically for this unit and for protozoa (which includes parasites like ich) the suggested minimum flow rate is 157 gph (around 3 turnovers per hour) and the max recommended flow rate is 262 gph or about 5 turnovers per hour. Am I wrong or does it seem like its just barely big enough for parasites and such?

Fyi, does size help determine the dwell time? This is it next to a cd.