which UV sterilizers do you recommend, please

[kjjoseph74]

Hello everyone,

I hope that I am posting this in a correct spot. I have had terrible outbreaks of ick and have heard some positive things regarding some preventative advantages of UV sterilizers, but have no idea which kind to buy; there are so many brands. It will be for a 75 G, FOWLR system. Does anyone have any recommendations, please.

thank you
kj

 

[reefrunner69]

Hmmm, this is a very debatable subject. I personally do not feel that UV's are necessary in a well maintained aquarium, where quarantine is the first line of defense. I do however, acknowledge the fact that uv's may be useful to the hobbiest in some instances. I would recommend a UV that takes water from the tank and replaces it back to the tank with a very slow flow rate, maybe one to 2 tank volumes per hour. In a closed loop type thing. Brands that I like and have heard good things about are Emperor Aquatics and Rainbow Lifegard. I would recommend a wattage of 25W or higher, with the understanding that at that slow of a flow rate, it will likely be a large heat source for your tank.

 

[michealprater]

How bout Double Helix? any good?

 

[fishfreek]

Here check this out. This page has alot of good info on UV units.

http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/sterilizers.html

A UV is a UV. The only difference between models is the design. The double helix design appears to effectifly maximize the exposure time because the time the water is exposed to the light is longer. The longer your exposure time the more effective the UV light will be.

The double helix design is shown below.