UV Sterilizer Use

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Guyver

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Jan 30, 2010
Messages
63
Location
Salt Lake City, Utah
Hey guys, I had a green water problem and upon recommendation from my aquarium store I bought a UV filter at $60 from PetsMart (the aquarium store's lowest buy was $130), which was rated at <50 gal. Ran the filter for ~4 days and my water's crystal clear now. My question is - should I keep it running, or only run it 1-2 days a week, or what? The lower my electrical bill the better, but I also don't want to skimp on getting good filtration in my tank. Thanks!:)
 
I had one that I ran for ten years everyday but it broke last yr and I have not got another one yet. It did a great job for me. Just waiting to see if I need to get another one. Trying to make it without.
 
i dont really think running it every day would add a whole lot to your electric bill. i didnt see a difference when i first went from one tank to three tanks, and thats running filters, heaters, and lights.
 
UV Bulbs need to be maintained

Even though your UV sterilizer bulb may be light up for a long time (never look at it directly) it loses efficiency with age and most vendors recommend yearly bulb replacement along with cleaning the bulb cover at that time.

If the bulb has been on for years, then it probably is having little or a much reduced effect on sterilizing the water compared to being new. The wattage size also has to be matched to the tank size or amount of water flowing through it (low wattage will not have desired effect).
 
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