Theyre great food sources for the fish, and the UV sterilizer may hurt them. A properly matched pump is not only critical for Uv systems but also for the overall functionality of the filtration as well. That being said, I will show you whats an adequate choice for a larger tank or a small nano one. Its actually very durable, despite its very competitive price tag. Pentair/Emperor is the only manufacturer to list their output wattages, and others do not. ya I was thinking the 25w as its rated for 150g and mine is about 90. for nerd reasons I'm thinking a DC pump and an apex flow meter so I can have it decently dialed in. What this means is that you want to pump the entire volume of your pond through the filtration in an hour. This includes good AND bad microscopic life. This is more than enough for me to prevent any outbreaks while saving bulb-life. The whole plumbing thing is not rocket science and, fortunately, it has been made so that everyone could assemble it on their own. What may cause a crash or an outbreak is the imbalance in these numbers, favoring the harmful organisms. With most makers of UV units they list thesuggestedand themaximumflow rate that each wattage is good for in their specs. The installation took me just about 5 minutes as advertised. JavaScript is disabled. This larger unit, despite being 24W is rated for up to 120-gallon fish tanks. This one, unlike the Green Killing Machine ones I recommended so far, does not have its own powerhead, so make sure that you plumb it in your filter or pumps outtake. (Remember, your pump should be sized as such to give you a once an hours turnover rate.). Give the free-floating, beneficial bacteria some time to create the nitrogen cycle. This gives you 1000 gallons. Seeing how efficient both of these units are over my own fish tanks, and also in the hands of my clients (owners of 180-gallon fish tanks or ponds), you can rest assured that they are worth every penny. Its really liberating not to have to worry if Ill crash my whole tank every time Im introducing new fish or other livestock to it.
If you do all that I say here, then Pentair/Emperor guarantees clear water within 3-5 days in most cases. Install your unit of choice and wait out for a couple of days. Its a non-submersible external UV sterilizer. These ratings do not always match reality. Ive run this on a 90-gallon freshwater tank and it did an outstanding job at clearing the water. A bulb with a lower Wattage just means it will take longer (given that you reduce the flow rate in the UV chamber enough for the bulb to be effective against parasites and bacteria). Note that if your budget is really tight you could go for a Jebao PU-36 here which you can find at both Chewy and Amazon. Writing is hard work: when you order through links on my site, I may or may not earn a small commission. There are two ways to size a UV depending on the brand you get. Some folks do have multiple pumps in their ponds for various reasons. I have personally witnessed this UV sterilizer take care of a cant-see-through algae soup in just about 3 days.
I highly recommend that you go for one that has its own pump and heres a solid reason for that: When theres a separate pump, the flow rate is as per the manufacturers instructions, which is very important for the types of pathogens the UV water filter will be targeting.
I added an Aqua UV Classic 25 watt UV Sterilizer to my tank Jan 1st. Anyway, the Turbo-Twist is an overall powerful UV sterilizer that can definitely clear up aquarium water from not only algae blooms but also persistent pathogens. With that said you need to know the size of your pump in GPH in order to do this. Im a die-hard fan of this device and would recommend it to anyone in doubt (which happens often, because of people being skeptical towards the magic power of the UltraViolet spectrum). However, if youre experiencing something more than just green aquarium water you may want to get something with a stronger UV bulb. Its been almost a year since I last changed mine and its still running like a beast, no bulbs replaced yet. However you do not want your turnover rate to be less than the complete volume going thru the filter once per every three hours. So as an example if you have a 5000 gallon pond, and a single pump of 5000 GPH or less you simply take 1/3 of the 5000 gallon pond volume which is 1666 gallons, and pick the proper wattage Uv under theSuggested columnthat is good for 1666 GPH to kill algae!
However, its not what I run on MY 125 gallon. It has a 9 Watts UV lamp that will completely filter and clear up the water in a 55-gallon aquarium in about 3 days. It clears roughly 100 gallons of aquarium or pond water in a day. I hope that these reviews and additional guidance gave you the info you were looking for. The higher Watt bulb allows for better sterilization, but thats necessary since the unit is meant for larger aquariums where the flow rate is also higher. You may have a slightly larger pump than the pond volume and get away with it in some cases however, as long as you are within 10% difference between the two. full blast.. but when i run carbon it also runs carbon at times. However, knowing the nature of human error I decided to do some further digging. It will successfully solve your green water problem while getting you rid of harmful organisms in the longer run. An absolute beast, that I actually own and am pretty happy with. Which was still quite a lot, plus I ran 2 of these simultaneously. Dont turn on a UV sterilizer when youve just set up the aquarium. In the case of the chart above you would need the Pentair/Emperor 130 watt Uv. This external UV sterilizer, however, does not come with its own powerhead. Its like the Hulk. Yeah, Amazon keeps randomly removing the Green Killing Machine from their listings. This is because the unit has a superior architecture to most UltraViolet aquarium sterilizers. I notice that you clearly stated those features about the Corallife but Im more interested in the AA Green Killing Machine (GKM) 24W, only because the ease of installation. I am kind of against hundreds of dollars worth of aquarium equipment, especially in this field (water disinfection).
One Min and max flow for just killing algae and bacteria, and another set for killing parasites. A little deceiving to say the least!
Anyway, If you own a reef tank you should likely get the AQUA Ultraviolet Advantage 2000+ as it handles saltwater better than Coralifes X6. Turn the sterilizer on every 3 days or so for a couple of hours. The effectiveness of these UV sterilizers makes them especially useful in very large fish tanks with expensive gear and fish. What I noticed when I asked around was that almost everyone who complained of a leakage installed the unit with the bulb nest towards the floor. You must log in or register to reply here. If thats your end goal order it and be done with it (visit the link to see more details on Chewy).
Ask your questions in the comments and I will get back to you as soon as I see them. I thank you, for being a reader! It makes sense and yes, I would rather purchase two of these units then one of the stronger, external units that you had endorsed, because lacking the proper skills, I would need to hire someone to assemble and neatly attach to my cabinet. From my research, it appears very durable and the price tag is acceptable. Ive used this on a LOT of my freshwater aquariums with phenomenal success so far. I say for some reason, because, at first, it looks cheaply built, but you can actually use it for years to come, provided you interchange bulbs when needed. It may not display this or other websites correctly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You could place one in the display tank (far from the sumps intake) and one in the sump? The reduced population density of the vermin allows the immune systems of fish to handle threats on time, encouraging the development of more antibodies. At the beginning of the 5th day, it was completely clear, as if fish were levitating in the air. The gap between the bulb and the units outer wall shouldnt be more than 1.5 inches.
Havent had any outbreaks of bacteria, parasites, or micro-algae ever since. Weaker UV filters will just take longer to clear up the water, to a point where it becomes ineffective because the microorganisms multiply faster than the lamp can handle. The reason is that these devices will take some room in such a small tank. The 9W version managed to clear the haziness of my tanks water pretty fast (something like 40 hours or so). I was at my wits end so I decided to give this guy a try, after seeing its lighter version clearing the water in my smaller tank.
Some people report having cleared their ponds of over 9000 gallons with this unit. A reliable UV sterilizer that has the right flow + Wattage for clearing up the green tint of water in a 90-gallon aquarium would be the Turbo Twist UV water filter X6 (link to Chewy and link to Amazon for photos and pricing comparison).
Take a look at the 36-Watt Coralife UV sterilizer at Chewys online store here (or click here to see it on Amazon). Thank you again!
It will only bring in the needed stability for a safe aquarium water. The most common complaint I found was that occasionally the sterilizer would leak. The 24 Watt version is an ideal solution for your setup. This may cause the fish to lay around more from exhaustion, which is normal behavior when facing a stronger current. If you have an exceptionally large aquarium or a decently sized backyard pond, then this should be your pick for healthy water conditions. The unit diameter should be about two or three inches for optimal contact time. Whenever a UV sterilizer doesnt have its own powerhead this means that its dependent on your canister filters flow rate. Usually, in larger aquariums, the need for filtration is greater, because theyre housing larger, messier fish. If you have two or more pumps associated with you pond you would most likely need two UVs. Heres a comprehensive guide on getting the right UV aquarium sterilizers: The ultraviolet spectrum is carcinogenic.
I discuss turnover rate in more detail in the article The Science of Water, and I would suggest you read it now. It does not have its own pump, so you just connect it to your filter. I like and recommend this UV sterilizer to fish keepers with above-medium-sized aquariums for the best performance.
Id like to think its smart of me to run it every couple of days instead. In Aquanswers, Momchil shares knowledge about freshwater and saltwater home aquariums with the people from his community. Its best to turn the UV sterilizer off when dosing the tank with plant fertilizers because the UV light may alter their chemical structure. It does however work with Pentair/ Emperor due to their excellent output wattages.Do not attempt the bypass method with any other brand of Uv. That, however, is not realistic (from my observations) and it actually turned around350 GPH. Post Here. This leads me to the next section. Think of it as a balance between enough flow to sweep any nasties into the sterilizer and enough dwell time to eliminate them. If its 200 to 300 gallons this pump is a great solution link. 10W Model flow rate: 500 l/h max 230 l/h min, 20W Model flow rate: 1000 l/h max 460 l/h min, 39W Model flow rate: 2000 l/h max 920 l/h min, 80W Model flow rate: 4000 l/h max 1830 l/h min, (Max flow rate will give an approximate exposure of 35,000 microwatt's/sec/sq.cm. A con I would like to mention if I can call it this way, is that the hose of your filter may not always fit with the unit. High-Output Sterilizer Seriesdeliver optimum protection against harmful pondpathogens and destroy green water algae.
Note that if you have a Betta with large, beautiful fins it may experience some difficulties swimming around. The mounting is easy, just follow the manufacturers instructions. I do not currently own an aquarium thats 200+ gallons, but I have personally seen this device at work. You may have to dose a little more phytoplankton, but thats a fair trade, knowing that theres a significantly smaller chance of an outbreak in your reef tank.
This may seem kind of obvious, but I must say it. The first reason is the size of the housing on all of their units is such that you truly get the proper water dwell time through the unit. I sincerely think the AA Green Killing Machine is one of the, if not, the best UV sterilizer you could use for a home aquarium.
Please be aware that when choosing the pump to run the UV the actual pump flow rate should be calculated not the max flow rating listed on the pump. Preferably I would never have less than once every two hours . I decided to order anyway and give the Turbo-Twist a try because I was having serious issues with a continuous bacterial bloom that I did not have the nerves to fight anymore. Again, thank you very much for the excellent article and for the personal advice! I used the larger 24W version on my bigger tank for green water. With this fact you can have a smaller wattage UV as compared to other brands and this alone will save you big! This is a little misleading, especially when we are talking about their use in outdoor Koi and Goldfish ponds. With multiple pumps this may not be the case depending on the exact situation and design.In some instances if you had two pumps and one pumps was substantially larger than the other in GPH, you may be able to get away with just putting a UV on the larger of the pumps. For these two particular cases Ive seen a fantastic result with a 5W UV bulb: The device I used on my 40 gallons was this one (link will show you some photos on Amazon).
Whether you understand what I wrote above or not is not very relevant, so dont be intimidated if you dont. At a higher flow rate, theres less time for the organisms to be exposed to the bulbs destructive radiation. That being said, we can conclude the following: Water Sterilizers for a 5-Gallon Fish Tank, Water Sterilizers for a 10-Gallon Fish Tank, Water Sterilizers for a 20-Gallon Fish Tank, Water Sterilizers for a 30 and 40-Gallon Fish Tanks, Water Sterilizers for a 55-Gallon Fish Tank, Water Sterilizers for a 75-Gallon Fish Tank, Water Sterilizers for a 90-Gallon Fish Tank, Water Sterilizers for a 125-Gallon Fish Tank, Water Sterilizers for a 150-Gallon Fish Tank, Water Sterilizers for a 180-Gallon Fish Tank, Water Sterilizers for a 200-Gallon or Larger Fish Tanks, 4. Its a great unit for pathogenic control in large aquariums of this or similar volume capacity. What I also like about this super-strong UV sterilizer is its compact size. Theres no need for any adapters, as it comes with variously-sized fittings for tubing. This water sterilizer works for both freshwater and saltwater reef tanks alike. That is all there is to it! If theres no powerhead the speed at which your UV sterilizer works is dependent on your filters water turnover. The fact that these others dont list that important stat is a clue that they do not want you to know their low output wattage. Ever since that one purchase, I havent really experienced any nasty diseases in my fish tanks. Ive witnessed this monstrous UV clear the green water in a 200-gallon fish tank in 2 days. Its really motivational for me when someone tells me I helped them. The UltraViolet bulb is as durable as it gets and you should probably run it on a timer after killing off the initial microalgae bloom in your 150-gallon tank. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - FishTankreport.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon website (amazon.com amazon.in etc) and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. If you have a pond of your own you are probably familiar with the Jebao equipment.
The investment is absolutely worth it, especially when it comes to sensitive marine life. This is the dwell time as discussed previously. In this example you would be picking a UV that is way too small in wattage because a 40 watt unit is only rated at a maximum flow rate of 943 GPH! However, this will likely take a long time and the bulb wont be strong enough to protect your 200-gallon aquarium from pathogenic outbreaks. So as you can see you need to size the unit based on flow rate and not pond size! My success has been with keeping it on for about 4 hours a day. The best UV sterilizer for a saltwater reef tank would be the one that runs on a proper schedule. The other option here would be to use a valve at the pump discharge to slow the GPH of the pump down to the required 2000 GPH for a 2000 gallon pond. This means that if you have a green water problem in your aquarium, getting a UV sterilizer is your best bet. However, the flow rate going through the UV is 4500 GPH. Wait until they attach themselves to the filter bio-media or substrate. It can definitely handle heavily algae-infested ponds and aquariums spectacularly fast.
On top of having the needed irradiation strength, the unit has a special twist flow build which maximizes the dwell time of microorganisms under the bulb. Be it a 200, 300, or even 500-gallon tank, this unit will do its job, without breaking the bank. Frankly, the 9 Watt version is among the best budget-friendly yet super productive aquarium sterilizing units. This is one reason they are guaranteed to clear green water in 3-5 days if properly sized and installed! This in itself provides maximum exposure to the UV light which is more than enough to irradiate and neutralize persistent bacteria or pathogens such as the Ich parasite. In just about 3 days, if I remember correctly, the water in my large tank was back to normal. This way youll keep parasites and harmful pathogens in check. My tank was planted but by following a schedule, this UV sterilizer performed well, without interfering with the fertilizers. In this case you may most likely need a UV for each pump! The effects of ultraviolet sterilization on water have been proven throughout years of research. (Tips & Fixes), 13 Largest Public Aquariums in The World (2+ Million Gallons), Clearing up green water and persistent bacterial blooms, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 55, 125, 150, and 180 Gallons, Clearing up green or cloudy aquarium water; Long-term pathogen control in freshwater systems, 55, 75, 90, 125, 150, 180, and up to 200 gallons, Water sterilization and control of parasitic outbreaks in freshwater fish tanks and ponds. Though its a smaller Wattage, this UV sterilizers design and size are made to serve large aquariums such as the 125-gallon one. I think twice per hour is fine and youre broadly at 10 GPH per watt which is what I typically aim for. You can see that I highlighted the column to use below. Great information here, thank you so much. Theyre probably the best units for this aquarium size range.
Its truly one of the best ones out there, Ive no idea why Amazon keeps doing that, Hi Alvi. Heres the best UV sterilizer in accordance with a fish tanks gallon count: For a 5-gallon tank, I wouldnt recommend using a UV sterilizer unless youve already tried everything else. An additional benefit of using a UV sterilizer is that it will remove any traces of chlorine or chloramine. It also means that, yes, you may be able to use a weaker UV bulb and let it run for extended periods of time to serve your purpose, but I cant guarantee that it will be super-efficient when it has to turn 180 gallons of water with a low-enough GPH to kill pathogens.