Aqua Ultraviolet Sterilizer with Wiper are they worth it ?

slb11106 · 03/23/2006, 12:52 PM

i am thinking of getting a uv sterilizer...are they worth it ?

what is the best one to get and how do i set them up ?

i am looking at a couple on dr fosters, is this a good idea ?

need some experienced input so i dont buy the wrong thing and end up with another item for my fish closet......

jgoodrich71 · 03/23/2006, 01:09 PM

I've never used one on my personal SW tanks, but those would be the ones I recommend, Aqua-Ultraviolet with the wiper, if you were to get one. Pretty dependable and well built.

Johnsteph10 · 03/23/2006, 01:09 PM

Why do you think you need a UV sterilizer?

slb11106 · 03/23/2006, 01:15 PM

i have been having some problems with a couple tangs, i had one die and my two new ones...2 weeks old , are showing signs of illness, my perameters are perfect except my phos are .25 (got phosban and applying that tonight)

but thought maybe it will help kill off any or at least some diseases

what do you think ?

WaterKeeper · 03/23/2006, 03:54 PM

Consider instead a good canister filter using a micron polishing filter. It will remove pathogens at a much higher rate than UV and for far less $$$. My main use for UV is in a multi-tank system that uses a common sump. If you have the bucks go ahead but they won't prevent disease any better than a polishing filter.

skriz · 03/23/2006, 04:39 PM

Tom,

which polishing filter would you reccomend?

WaterKeeper · 03/23/2006, 05:28 PM

I like the Magnum canisters using the 1 micron polishing filters that they offer. If you shop around on the net you can also find even sub-micron filters that will fit the 10" and 15" housings. I personally have a old AquaTec. It works just fine but is no longer made. I still have a supply of 0.5 micron filters for it that I got from U.S. Filter some time back. The plastic fiber filters can be given a bleach soak and reused quite a few times. The Hagens (Fluval) are good but I'm not as fond of the media pads they use and they don't tell you the microns for their products. In general, the two baddies that plague tanks, Ich and Velvet are captured even by 5 micron filters as they are protozoa and much larger than bacteria. A 0.5 micron filter will capture all but the tiniest of bacteria. The only thing a U.V. can get that they can't remove are viruses. However a good canister can produce near sterile conditions in a tank much faster than U.V. because of the greater flow rates.

suasponte2/75 · 03/24/2006, 01:48 AM

Tom,

Are those the same filters used for RO systems? I've been searching on the net and those are the only results that pop up for 1 and .5 micron polishing filters. Are you saying that the magnum polishing filters are 1 micron? Where do you get yours usually?

Thanks,

Minh

Osteomata · 03/24/2006, 07:49 AM

Regarding the canister filter, this is just a sporadic use item, right? How often do you run the canister filter, and for how long?

WaterKeeper · 03/24/2006, 09:43 AM

Minh,

The RO prefilters are fine if they fit your canister. You may need to get an extension tube that goes inside the filter and holds it in place for some canisters. Most canisters and RO modules have 10-18" lengths so measure and use one that fits your model. I bought a case of sub-micron filters some time back form U.S. Filter but they no longer are doing OEM as they have branched out to other fields.

Bone Tumor,

Usually people only run polishing filters to clear cloudy water. However, if disease is present in one's tank full time use is justified. It will not cure the disease (neither will UV or ozone) but it helps hasten its departure. Many people do run carbon or other chemical removal agents either from time to time, or sometimes continuously, in their canister. That is fine but the media needs to be cleaned, I usually say weekly, to avoid it becoming a biologically active filter. With carbon, boiling the material can kill off heavy biological growth that sometime grows inside the carbon structure. With other media, check with the manufacturer about how to properly rid it of biofilms.

03/23/2006, 12:52 PM	#1
slb11106 Moved On Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: tampa fl Posts: 92	Aqua Ultraviolet Sterilizer with Wiper are they worth it ? i am thinking of getting a uv sterilizer...are they worth it ? what is the best one to get and how do i set them up ? i am looking at a couple on dr fosters, is this a good idea ? need some experienced input so i dont buy the wrong thing and end up with another item for my fish closet......

03/23/2006, 01:09 PM	#3
Johnsteph10 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: The South Posts: 2,537	Why do you think you need a UV sterilizer? __________________ John Current Tank Info: None

03/23/2006, 03:54 PM	#5
WaterKeeper Bogus Information Expert Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 16,147	Consider instead a good canister filter using a micron polishing filter. It will remove pathogens at a much higher rate than UV and for far less $$$. My main use for UV is in a multi-tank system that uses a common sump. If you have the bucks go ahead but they won't prevent disease any better than a polishing filter. __________________ "Leading the information hungry reefer down the road to starvation" Tom Current Tank Info: 130 Now out of service and a 29

03/23/2006, 05:28 PM	#7
WaterKeeper Bogus Information Expert Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 16,147	I like the Magnum canisters using the 1 micron polishing filters that they offer. If you shop around on the net you can also find even sub-micron filters that will fit the 10" and 15" housings. I personally have a old AquaTec. It works just fine but is no longer made. I still have a supply of 0.5 micron filters for it that I got from U.S. Filter some time back. The plastic fiber filters can be given a bleach soak and reused quite a few times. The Hagens (Fluval) are good but I'm not as fond of the media pads they use and they don't tell you the microns for their products. In general, the two baddies that plague tanks, Ich and Velvet are captured even by 5 micron filters as they are protozoa and much larger than bacteria. A 0.5 micron filter will capture all but the tiniest of bacteria. The only thing a U.V. can get that they can't remove are viruses. However a good canister can produce near sterile conditions in a tank much faster than U.V. because of the greater flow rates. __________________ "Leading the information hungry reefer down the road to starvation" Tom Current Tank Info: 130 Now out of service and a 29

03/24/2006, 09:43 AM	#10
WaterKeeper Bogus Information Expert Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 16,147	Minh, The RO prefilters are fine if they fit your canister. You may need to get an extension tube that goes inside the filter and holds it in place for some canisters. Most canisters and RO modules have 10-18" lengths so measure and use one that fits your model. I bought a case of sub-micron filters some time back form U.S. Filter but they no longer are doing OEM as they have branched out to other fields. Bone Tumor, Usually people only run polishing filters to clear cloudy water. However, if disease is present in one's tank full time use is justified. It will not cure the disease (neither will UV or ozone) but it helps hasten its departure. Many people do run carbon or other chemical removal agents either from time to time, or sometimes continuously, in their canister. That is fine but the media needs to be cleaned, I usually say weekly, to avoid it becoming a biologically active filter. With carbon, boiling the material can kill off heavy biological growth that sometime grows inside the carbon structure. With other media, check with the manufacturer about how to properly rid it of biofilms. __________________ "Leading the information hungry reefer down the road to starvation" Tom Current Tank Info: 130 Now out of service and a 29

03/23/2006, 01:09 PM	#2
jgoodrich71 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Mobile, Alabama Posts: 849	I've never used one on my personal SW tanks, but those would be the ones I recommend, Aqua-Ultraviolet with the wiper, if you were to get one. Pretty dependable and well built.

03/23/2006, 01:15 PM	#4
slb11106 Moved On Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: tampa fl Posts: 92	i have been having some problems with a couple tangs, i had one die and my two new ones...2 weeks old , are showing signs of illness, my perameters are perfect except my phos are .25 (got phosban and applying that tonight) but thought maybe it will help kill off any or at least some diseases what do you think ?

03/23/2006, 04:39 PM	#6
skriz Moved On Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 502	Tom, which polishing filter would you reccomend?

03/24/2006, 01:48 AM	#8
suasponte2/75 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The Bay Area (Fremont, CA) Posts: 514	Tom, Are those the same filters used for RO systems? I've been searching on the net and those are the only results that pop up for 1 and .5 micron polishing filters. Are you saying that the magnum polishing filters are 1 micron? Where do you get yours usually? Thanks, Minh

03/24/2006, 07:49 AM	#9
Osteomata Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Miami Beach, FL Posts: 794	Regarding the canister filter, this is just a sporadic use item, right? How often do you run the canister filter, and for how long?