To UV or not to UV

[TmeLrd11]

Will a UV sterilizer help with hair algae? I know ro/di is best but I can't afford one at the moment. Will a sterilizer be a temporary fix?

 

[tonedogz]

Well there's different opinions about uv's some like them some think there a waste of money. I have one myself and I think if you can afford one they can't hurt they can only help. They are suppose to help with water clarity and algae. One thing though a good uv will cost you more then an ro/di unit, if you had to pick one or the other I would go with the ro/di unit. you could always add the uv at a later date. By the way how big is the tank. You can get a ro for around $150 a good uv like aqua ultraviolet would cost more then $200

 

[Mrc8858]

Uv sterilizers are much easier to find second hand for a great price then just replace the bulb since they tend to get changed/upgraded setup to setup while Ro/Di units usually are kept for the majority of the hobby. With that said I would reccomend the Ro/Di first since the longer you go with out the longer it will take to fix the problem and the more phosphates and TDS that'll build up in your tank. The sterilizers imo are great for precautionary measures but don't really "treat" any problems in the tank.

 

[TmeLrd11]

I have a 55gal. I will wait on the UV than. What's a good ro/di that won't cost too much?

 

[Mrc8858]

Get in on a group buy with bulkreefsupply.com which will save you about 15% and possibly free shipping depending on the price of the unit.

 

[TmeLrd11]

Is there a brand that's better than the others?

 

[Mrc8858]

That's very debatable but most users on here use brs units including myself.

 

[tonedogz]

try pure water club .com there very reasonable and ship for free. Cheaper then brs

 

[Biouser]

Does anyone know what effect a UV filter has on the good bacteria in the tank?

 

[tonedogz]

Most of the good bacteria is in the sand on the rock or in the filter media it would have to pass through the uv . uv only kills what passes by the bulb not what's in the tank.

 

[ccCapt]

Does anyone know what effect a UV filter has on the good bacteria in the tank?

It kills it. A UV kills anything that passes thru it.