Uv Sterilizer question

[lyquidphyre]

I just discovered what a UV sterlizer does, and now I want one =o)

I was looking on ebay and I saw some great deals.. well.. what I thought were some great deals. Are there any brands I should stay away from?

Im pretty sure I only need an 8w for my 75gal FW tank, right?

Any comments/advice are appreciated!

 

[fishfreek]

If you havent seen these yet I would suggest reading them first

UV Sterilizers and Their Use in Aquaria - written by Timbo2

An Introduction to UV Sterilizers
Written by: LoganJ

As far as brands Im not sure but as logans article points out the wattage of the UV is more designed around the flow thru the UV rather than the size of tank the UV will be connected to. ALso remember the UV bulb needs to be changed out yearly at least.

 

[lyquidphyre]

thanks! that was a really good article

I want a Uv sterilizer becauase ive been fighting an algea bloom for a while now. Im about to move, and since the tank will be in a different place, with less sun, maybe the algea bloom problem will stop.... but if not I might invest in a UV sterilizer

 

[Guest]

thanks! that was a really good article

I want a Uv sterilizer becauase ive been fighting an algea bloom for a while now. Im about to move, and since the tank will be in a different place, with less sun, maybe the algea bloom problem will stop.... but if not I might invest in a UV sterilizer

8W is going to be too low for your tank. Although it all depends on flow rate, with my UV if I ever have an outbreak of ich or some other disease I would have to turn my filter down to 55 gph for it to kill paracites. On my tank, thats turning over the water only once an hour, on yours it would be even worse. Go with a 16W or better. Jebo makes some cheap models that are said to work well, with their prices you could even get the 36W model. Only problem is the thing is huge. Anyway, hope that helped, UVs are great and I love mine!