Experienced UV sterilizer user

[mscichlid]

I'm looking for a UV for my 120 and one for my 75. Can anyone recommend a brand that hangs on the outside of the tank and has a powerhead included?

I intend to run them 24/7.

Also, I don't want to spend a lot of money 'cos I'm poor.

Thanks,
Francine

 

[fischfan13]

Just wondering...
Why do you want to use a UV in the first place?

 

[mscichlid]

I think I want to try this route on wild fish when they come in.

 

[fischfan13]

I think I want to try this route on wild fish when they come in.

Understood.
Some Reading...

Caring For Wild Caught







.

 

[mscichlid]

Thanks for the link.

I will be working with fish that will come from water with minimal or no conductivity, no general hardness, no carbonate hardness. Fish that have evolved in these waters have a comparatively weak immune system. So, I'll be starting them off in rainwater to slowly acclimate them to the tap water.

 

[Frank Cowherd]

I have been using a Misty Mountain UV sterilizer now for over 20 years on my pond and it keeps it clear. It is in a stainless steel pipe which I believe is why it has lasted so long. The plastic encasements even if lined with a metal foil do not seem to last more than a few years. SO you might check put Misty Mountain, probably out of business since they made such a durable product.

The cheap route to such a system as you are looking for is to by the sterilizer at auction and plumb it to do what you want. New one are rather expensive. and the bulbs are also, so you have to design the flow so that if the wanter flow stops, that the bulb is still covered with water, otherwise the bulb will get hot and burn out or the water will come back on and when it touches the hot bulb it goes boom.

 

[BevN]

I have heard that the UV lights that keep clear a pond of algae are not as strong as the ones needed to kill pathogens.

I have never used them for wild fish or any others for that matter so I'm no help in recommending one.

 

[mscichlid]

I thought that what the sterilizer kills is determined by how long the water passes over the bulb.

 

[Frank Cowherd]

What is killed when water passes through a UV light is dependent on the flow rate of the water. To stop an algae bloom, you can have fairly high flow rate. The UV actually causes the algae to clump together and therefore drop out of the water column. To kill disease organisms you must have a slow water flow even with a high intensity light, but of course the flow rate and the intensity of the light are the critical factors. The higher the light intensity the higher the flow can be and still kill disease organisms. But for most cases, you still need a low flow rate in order to kill diseases. You could consider a longer tube of UV light to get a higher flow rate, but most UV sterilizers seem to be make with a tube of less than 6 inches. THe longer the tube the longer the pathogen is subjected to UV light and therefore the more likely it is to be killed. Practically you should look for the longest tube you can get if you want to kill disease organisms.

 

[BevN]

Ahhh...so that is what the difference is. I remember reading there was a difference but didn't remember what.