Is UV Sterilization needed?

[htsou]

Hi
I wonder if UV Sterilization really needed in my 46g FOWLR tank. IF so, what brand should I buy? I am thinking about Coralife Turbo-Twist 3X. Is it good?

Thanks

 

[Pete1399]

What kind of filtration do you have? IMO just get a skimmer and you will be fine.

 

[Blown 346]

UV's arent needed but dont hurt anything, they wont guarantee a disease free tank. They do improve water clarity, but they also kill off anythingthat passes by the UV light.

 

[PiNaPLeX]

i've been reading around and i've decided to get a UV sterilizer also. i'm gonna be getting a coralife turbotwist 3x also. from what i've read, the pros outweigh the cons. If it can help reduce algae in a tank, then i'm all for it.

 

[Blown 346]

I have heard that people have had problems with the Turbo twists. Cant remenber what exactly but they were directed towards another UV. Something to look into, so you dont have problems with a new one.

 

[drgnl8i]

Hey PiNaPLeX,
Did you get the Coralife UV hooked up yet? Just wondering what you think of it. I have a 30g cube that I think could benefit from having one. I have ozone on my 55g and it works great. But it think it would be too hard to manage on the smaller tank. So I'm looking at the Coralife 9w UV. Would like to get some opinions on it.

 

[bbfatty49]

i have a 3x turbo twist on my 20 and 46. i love them.. they are excellent UV lights

 

[drgnl8i]

How do you have it hooked up? I was told to tap it in to the return pump. Is that the recommended hook up?

 

[PiNaPLeX]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7305034#post7305034 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drgnl8i
How do you have it hooked up? I was told to tap it in to the return pump. Is that the recommended hook up?

no, that's not the correct setup. For the coralife 3x, the recommended flow in order to kill parasites is 52gph. Any return pump would be way too fast for that. I'm running it off of a microjet606 which is around 50gph. I have it setup in my intake section of my sump.

 

[sales weasel]

Yep, me too. I run mine from the sump and the sterilized water passes right back into the sump. A return pump just blast the water right through and not allow enough contact time w/the UV bulb. The other day, I noticed a pod of some sort had come out of the refugium and gotten cozy with the pump. I don't know if he ever go sucked in but he's dead if he did.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7305160#post7305160 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PiNaPLeX
no, that's not the correct setup. For the coralife 3x, the recommended flow in order to kill parasites is 52gph. Any return pump would be way too fast for that. I'm running it off of a microjet606 which is around 50gph. I have it setup in my intake section of my sump.

 

[drgnl8i]

Hey thanks guys. I haven't been online to check for responses and that was a bad move on my part cause I already hooked it up. Looks like I've got some rework to do. thanks for your responses.