householdofpayne Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 So looks as though I’m fighting the ick bug again 😞 gonna add a UV to the tank and am looking for some recommendations. I’m leaning towards and emperor, anyone recommend anything other than that? I have a 60gal system but like to oversize things. https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/emperor-aquatics-smart-uv-25-watt.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateDawg Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 I've only ever used a coralife 3x uv sterilizer and haven't noticed any issues and have seen a decrease in water column bacteria when observed under a microscope. They are about $100 New and are rated for up to 125 gallons. A couple things with any uv sterilizer is one, you want a very slow water moment through them in order to work, like only a couple gallons a minute so the microorganisms have as much contact time as possible. And second, uv sterilizers (at least consumer ones) don't actually generally kill the bacteria, virus, or algae. (Despite what alot of articles say) Uv light breaks the bonds between the DNA strands inside the microorganism, rendering it unable to reproduce and cause an outbreak. To my knowledge at least. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 I really like my AquaUV Classic. They are more compact than other brands which was important for me to fit it inside my cabinet. You can get them with 3/4" or 2" fittings. Maintenance is really easy. I clean my quartz sleeve every 6 months and replace the bulb yearly, and it's a really simple process. Here's the 2" version, which is $40 less than your Emperor model, and 9" shorter: https://www.123ponds.com/a00028.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
householdofpayne Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 (edited) 7 hours ago, SuncrestReef said: I really like my AquaUV Classic. They are more compact than other brands which was important for me to fit it inside my cabinet. You can get them with 3/4" or 2" fittings. Maintenance is really easy. I clean my quartz sleeve every 6 months and replace the bulb yearly, and it's a really simple process. Here's the 2" version, which is $40 less than your Emperor model, and 9" shorter: https://www.123ponds.com/a00028.html Interesting that marine depot carrys the same product in a different dimension. Do you see any other differences I'm missing? The marine depot one has on option for a wiper. Not sure I could utilize that with my space though. https://www.marinedepot.com/Aqua_UV_25_Watt_2_inch_UV_Sterilizer-AV2201-FIUVUU-AV2201-vi.html Found this one also for a very competitive price. Any con to the 3/4" outlet? Almost looks like a coupling that is removable. I was thinking I would be putting barbs there anyways. The smaller inlet shouldn't be a big deal beings you want lower flow anyways yea? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006JDVR4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 Edited April 16, 2019 by householdofpayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
householdofpayne Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 6 hours ago, NateDawg said: I've only ever used a coralife 3x uv sterilizer and haven't noticed any issues and have seen a decrease in water column bacteria when observed under a microscope. They are about $100 New and are rated for up to 125 gallons. A couple things with any uv sterilizer is one, you want a very slow water moment through them in order to work, like only a couple gallons a minute so the microorganisms have as much contact time as possible. And second, uv sterilizers (at least consumer ones) don't actually generally kill the bacteria, virus, or algae. (Despite what alot of articles say) Uv light breaks the bonds between the DNA strands inside the microorganism, rendering it unable to reproduce and cause an outbreak. To my knowledge at least. Have you opened it up? I have read some of the coralife units rust up inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilmca Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 I also have an AquaUV 40 watt unit and like it. it's on my 80g QT setup that i run before i treat the fish with cupramine and prazi. per my research it seemed like it was best to go with an over sized UV so it is effective, especially if you have a high flow rate through it. another option is to have a small dedicated pump or a tee off your return line so you can control how much water is going through the uv. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
householdofpayne Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 42 minutes ago, kilmca said: I also have an AquaUV 40 watt unit and like it. it's on my 80g QT setup that i run before i treat the fish with cupramine and prazi. per my research it seemed like it was best to go with an over sized UV so it is effective, especially if you have a high flow rate through it. another option is to have a small dedicated pump or a tee off your return line so you can control how much water is going through the uv. Going to set up on a dedicated pump for the time being. Getting a variable pump and building a manifold, so a gate valve will be in order for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateDawg Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 2 hours ago, householdofpayne said: Have you opened it up? I have read some of the coralife units rust up inside. Here are a couple pictures of the inside, I've never seen rust in it before, and from what I can see, the only material the water touches are the plastic housing and the quartz tube that encapsulates the uv bulb. And neither of those can rust, so I'm not sure where rust would come from. I know I get calcium build up that has to be cleaned occasionally though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
householdofpayne Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 9 minutes ago, NateDawg said: Here are a couple pictures of the inside, I've never seen rust in it before, and from what I can see, the only material the water touches are the plastic housing and the quartz tube that encapsulates the uv bulb. And neither of those can rust, so I'm not sure where rust would come from. I know I get calcium build up that has to be cleaned occasionally though. Interesting I don't see and sources for rust either, but it was a common theme in reviews. Does it have an internal pump maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateDawg Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 1 minute ago, householdofpayne said: Interesting I don't see and sources for rust either, but it was a common theme in reviews. Does it have an internal pump maybe? Nope, no internal pump, I know there's been times when my nutrient levels have been high and the calcium buildup has been a little brown in color, but it's definitely not rust. Maybe others were mistaking that for rust possibly? But I've been looking through this thing all over and I can't see any possible place for rust to come from. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
householdofpayne Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 1 minute ago, NateDawg said: Nope, no internal pump, I know there's been times when my nutrient levels have been high and the calcium buildup has been a little brown in color, but it's definitely not rust. Maybe others were mistaking that for rust possibly? But I've been looking through this thing all over and I can't see any possible place for rust to come from. Thanks for the feedback! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 3 hours ago, householdofpayne said: Interesting that marine depot carrys the same product in a different dimension. Do you see any other differences I'm missing? The marine depot one has on option for a wiper. Not sure I could utilize that with my space though. https://www.marinedepot.com/Aqua_UV_25_Watt_2_inch_UV_Sterilizer-AV2201-FIUVUU-AV2201-vi.html Found this one also for a very competitive price. Any con to the 3/4" outlet? Almost looks like a coupling that is removable. I was thinking I would be putting barbs there anyways. The smaller inlet shouldn't be a big deal beings you want lower flow anyways yea? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006JDVR4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 I'm not sure of the difference between the model I posted and the one at Marine Depot. AquaUV has a pretty wide range of products. Going 3/4" shouldn't be an issue. I originally posted the 2" model since the Emperor you initially posted was 1.5" plumbing. One thing to be aware of though is the recommended flow rates. A lot of people say the flow should be very low, but the longer the water is exposed the higher the radiation will be and it can kill things you might not want to kill. See this sizing chart from AquaUV's documentation, and read the footnotes below the chart: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateDawg Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 No problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
householdofpayne Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 18 minutes ago, SuncrestReef said: I'm not sure of the difference between the model I posted and the one at Marine Depot. AquaUV has a pretty wide range of products. Going 3/4" shouldn't be an issue. I originally posted the 2" model since the Emperor you initially posted was 1.5" plumbing. One thing to be aware of though is the recommended flow rates. A lot of people say the flow should be very low, but the longer the water is exposed the higher the radiation will be and it can kill things you might not want to kill. See this sizing chart from AquaUV's documentation, and read the footnotes below the chart: Interesting, beings the recommended uv rating is so much lower then the fish disease setting, do you think that killed planktonic food supply could be combated with more target feeding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuncrestReef Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Just now, householdofpayne said: Interesting, beings the recommended uv rating is so much lower then the fish disease setting, do you think that killed planktonic food supply could be combated with more target feeding? Absolutely. I target feed my corals twice per week, and I doubt they're getting much food in between. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
householdofpayne Posted April 16, 2019 Author Share Posted April 16, 2019 5 minutes ago, SuncrestReef said: Absolutely. I target feed my corals twice per week, and I doubt they're getting much food in between. Yea I already target feel also. Figured my sock catches any food left in the water that goes down to the sump anyways Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabbyCrabs Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 So how long do the plastic housings last? I got about 2 years out of my pond uv/filter before the UV exposure deteriorated the housing to where it crumbles apart. What's funny is the outside of the housing that's exposed to weather and sun all year looks new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
householdofpayne Posted April 20, 2019 Author Share Posted April 20, 2019 UV sterilizer is plumbed in now. Gave me reason to get ahead of he game and get my chiller hooked up also. Really curious how effective the sterilizer will be with cutting down algae growth on the glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdxmonkeyboy Posted April 21, 2019 Share Posted April 21, 2019 My bet is that it will do little to nothing to kill the algae on th glass. They do clean up stuff in the water column though. Reminds me, I need to get a new bulb for my 75w jebao UV unit. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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