Recommend me a UV sterilizer!

[DC_40gallon]

I'm considering investing in a UV sterilizer and would like your opinions.

I'm going to go with a 9 watt I think (I have a 40 breeder but I buy everything to expand into a larger tank later such as a 75 or 125).

All suggestions and why you like those would be appreciated!

[woofu]

ive used one for about 6 months until bulb went bad.. just havent changed bulb yet.. its been 3 months and i see no diffence.. i have been still debating to buy a new bulb.. id say a good protein skimmer and a media reactor is all you need if you stay up on water changes

[MaLi]

I use a TurboTwist 9W for about 85g of water. I keep it since I got hit with ich once in the past and I don't want this to happen again.
Btw. I buy the $10 UV bulbs from Lowes. They work perfectly and you don't have to buy the $30 one from Coralife. :bounce3:

hope it helps,
Marian

PS. It is rated 125g and in my case I have around 50gph flow through being installed after GFO reactor.

[seafloor09]

yes the turbo 9W

[elegance coral]

What are you wanting a UV to do for you? Before you spend a bunch of money on a UV, I would suggest doing some research on what they actually do and don't do for a reef tank.

[DC_40gallon]

I'm starting to have a green algae problem after 4 months on my 40 gallon breeder. I scrub the glass walls weekly when I do my weekly 10-15% RO/DI water change.

I've limited my light usage, down to bare bones feedings and I run a 330 gph tetra advanced HOB filter with charcoal media that I change the first of each month. I have a Eshopps skimmer running on top of that. 50lbs live rock and a argonite sand bed.

I'm mulling either a UV sterilizer or a media reactor and running phosban in it.

[lordofthereef]

Your UV sterilizer is going to do very little, if anything, to your algae growing on the glass. If you are having an algal or bacterial bloom in the water column (cloudy or green water) that is a different story. IMO UV sterilizers do absolutely nothing in 99.9% of tanks. Get that reactor and run phosban. That will get you much further.

If you have algae issues, it is nutrients in the water that are the issue. Eliminate those and you have won the battle. That said, weekly cleaning of the glass is going to be quite typical IMO. You will get a film of algae built up every 1-2 weeks. IME (and based on what others here say) there really is not way to eliminate that. This is on reason to invest in a magnetic glass cleaner. Not sure how bad the algae on your glass is, but if all you need to do is a weekly cleaning my feeling is that things are normal.

[DC_40gallon]

Ah ha! Thanks lordofthereef, tis the reason I started the thread! I'm looking at both and from a unknown persons standpoint, the more you read the more the info becomes neutral and lack of depth on WHY you should get a UV sterilizer and give more information on why this unit is better than the competition.

Media reactors are cheaper - I like that! They seem like something everyone should be using imo. having a chamber to funnel the water through and force it through a phosphate remover or charcoal to filter the water even more.

[rkelman]

I don't recommend one either. I'd go with the reactor and cure the problem.