# UV Sterilizer For Planted Tanks



## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

If you have multiple tanks, 1 UV *might* be worth the investment. I have a 9w TurboTwist collecting dust. I used it exactly once in about 5 years, mostly to learn what it does and how to use it. My personal conclusion is that it is a good addition to a bare QT tank.

As any specialized tool, it does its job within a narrow band of parameters a) whatever you are trying to kill has to be in the water column b) it has to be exposed to UV for a minimum amount of time (contact time) c) your entire tank's water has to pass through the UV. A stand alone unit hooked to a pump with gph appropriate to the UV's power rating is the the only configuration that makes any sense to me personally.

The claims that UV kills bacteria and parasites and algae are a bit misleading as each organizm requires different contact / exposure times for erridication.

Treating the symptoms instead of the cause usually results in the symptoms reoccurring. When it comes to green water and milk water, I would rather learn what it is, what conditions cause it, and fix that instead.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

Got by without one for nearly four decades.
Bacteria bloom is what it is to me, and part of a tank maturing.
Save my money for fishes,shrimps,plant's.
I might be tempted if I had ever had green water, but have not ever seen it in my tank's (knocks wood).
Parasites and bacterial pathogen's are dealt with in quarantine with appropriate med's I hope.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

I don't think it is a good investment for us. I would use one on a bare bottom tank or a pond though. But that is no where near a planted tank.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

AWolf said:


> There are many types of UV for aquariums that will fit your needs. Get one and see your cloudy water days disappear.


Do you write ads for a living. :grin2:

All kidding aside certainly it's not a must, but many swear by them. It does give you water that extra bit of clarity that sometimes you have to look twice to see if there's water in it. 

If you look at the saltwater side, pretty much everyone uses one since the fish are a bigger investment and it's a proactive approach to prevent disease. 

On the planted side, "if it ain't broken" usually applies since it's more about GW algae issues than preventing ich or something else.


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

houseofcards said:


> Do you write ads for a living. :grin2:


I'd love the job! 
It does read like an ad. Not really my intention, but trying to be brief. 

I'm so impressed with my UV that I get a bit excited.:bounce:


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

I haven't needed it for 7 years now suddenly I find myself needing it.
Just ordered a new filter with it and a stand alone unit for use in various tanks.
Guess it's like a spare tire or a handgun.
You never need it till you do.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk


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## DaveK (Jul 10, 2010)

houseofcards said:


> ...
> 
> If you look at the saltwater side, pretty much everyone uses one since the fish are a bigger investment and it's a proactive approach to prevent disease.
> 
> ...


While there are people that use UV on SW systems, it's somewhat rare today, except for a large multi tank installation like you would find in an LFS. 

It takes a heap of UV to kill diseases, compared to algae control. UV will also kill off all plankton, which in a reef system can be very desirable. 

In general for both SW and FW I'd say use UV only when you have a specific problem that UV will solve, otherwise, you don't need it.


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

I'm under no illusion that the 9W and 13W respectively units I ordered are going to kill diseases or even many organisms.
Between the low wattage and high flow rate I would doubt they would be even lightly successful.
But against this blasted sudden attack of greenwater, that after 7 years I suddenly and inexplicably I have and cannot seem to get rid of despite massive amounts of water changes, well that according to YouTube and various members here as well, THAT they should handle


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## AWolf (Jun 13, 2014)

I believe an internal UV (hung in tank) is a better alternative for flow than a powerhead (if a powerhead is too strong, and a bubbler too light). So you can pay 35 dollars or more for a powerhead that pushes water, or you can pay 45 dollars or more for a UV light that pushes water more gently, and it serves more purpose. My 23 watt Green Killing Machine pushes just the right amount of water for my 55g (very low current). In a 10 gallon, the 9watt works to create easy movement perfect for fish that don't like stronger currents. 

I don't like one trick ponies.:wink2: I prefer a piece of equipment that has multiple uses, if I'm putting out the money.
Although, a UV needs to be replaced once a year, where a powerhead will last much much longer.


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

AWolf said:


> I believe an internal UV (hung in tank) is a better alternative for flow than a powerhead (if a powerhead is too strong, and a bubbler too light). So you can pay 35 dollars or more for a powerhead that pushes water, or you can pay 45 dollars or more for a UV light that pushes water more gently, and it serves more purpose. My 23 watt Green Killing Machine pushes just the right amount of water for my 55g (very low current). In a 10 gallon, the 9watt works to create easy movement perfect for fish that don't like stronger currents.
> 
> I don't like one trick ponies.:wink2: I prefer a piece of equipment that has multiple uses, if I'm putting out the money.
> Although, a UV needs to be replaced once a year, where a powerhead will last much much longer.


I agree it looked like a great piece of equipment but since I was also needing a bigger filter my budget necessitated my choice.
I did indeed seriously consider the Green Killing Machine.
Just given the budgetary constraints and the fact I am very tired of looking at a green mess I made the choice I did :wink2:


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## Desert Pupfish (May 6, 2019)

Lonestarbandit said:


> I haven't needed it for 7 years now suddenly I find myself needing it.
> Just ordered a new filter with it and a stand alone unit for use in various tanks.
> Guess it's like a spare tire or a handgun.
> You never need it till you do.
> Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk


I know this is an old thread, but which unit did you get? A Green Killing Machine, or something else? 

Anyone have experience with the SunSun UV filters, and how they compare to the GKM?


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

13W no name in tank power head model.
I moved and that cured my apparent water issues allowing the bloom.
But until I moved the 13w no name ebay unit did the job on the green water.
I have a big sunsun filter with a 9w in it I think it didnt do much good but the stand alone in tank model destroyed the green.

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk


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## Desert Pupfish (May 6, 2019)

Thanks--good to know the cheapo ebay unit will do the job. Did it look like this: [Ebay Link Removed]


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

No idea they blocked your link.

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk


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## Desert Pupfish (May 6, 2019)

Well that's annoying--hard to know exactly what we're talking about, and a picture is always worth a thousand words.....

So the 13w no-name sterilizer that pops up on ebay is identified in the description as: JUP-23 UVC sterilizer, an upgrade from the older model JUP-01 by SUNSUN with new feature of ADJUSTABLE FLOW RATE. 

Is that the same? It's only $32, $36 with an extra UV bulb, so a good deal if it works as advertised. 

Thanks


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

You can post the auction or listing number.

We automatically exclude fleabay links because too many people were promoting their own items.


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

I have a cheap hang on tank Ebay unit. I used it twice for green water until, I realized I created the problem by disturbing the entire substrate. Since then, I disturb no more than 1/3 of the substrate at time. So, the UV has been on the shelf for years now. The UV is so big an ugly, I used it only when necessary.


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

Desert Pupfish said:


> Well that's annoying--hard to know exactly what we're talking about, and a picture is always worth a thousand words.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes. That would be the correct one.

Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk


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## Desert Pupfish (May 6, 2019)

somewhatshocked said:


> You can post the auction or listing number.
> 
> We automatically exclude fleabay links because too many people were promoting their own items.


Gotcha. Thanks for the explanation about the issues with Fleabay. Knew I'd seen links to other sites, so that seemed kinda random. Makes sense now.



Lonestarbandit said:


> Yes. That would be the correct one.
> 
> Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk


Glad to know these cheaper ones worked on green water--will give it a shot when I'm back again in a couple of weeks. Wanna finally be able to see inside my tank again LOL


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## CarissaT (Jul 1, 2019)

I used to have chronic issues with parasites (fish 'flashing') which went away completely when I installed an in-tank filter with UV led's built in. After a few months noticed them 'flashing' again, checked out the filter and grime had built up on the led cover. Cleaned that off, and within a few days the flashing went away again. This was an inexpensive filter (but think the company went out of business, can't find them anymore). The UV consisted of two small LED's, not a lot of surface area compared to the tube ones. So my opinion, cheap UV may have some benefits to fish even if it won't eradicate all diseases.


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## Desert Pupfish (May 6, 2019)

Thanks--others have said the same thing about them reduce disease as well as eliminate green water. 

Turns out the local Petco had Green Killing Machines in stock, so pulled the trigger, bought & installed one after doing a 30% WC. Leaving in the morning for 2 wks, so here's hoping I'll come home to a clear tank for a change......


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

OVT said:


> If you have multiple tanks, 1 UV *might* be worth the investment. I have a 9w TurboTwist collecting dust. I used it exactly once in about 5 years, mostly to learn what it does and how to use it. My personal conclusion is that it is a good addition to a bare QT tank.
> 
> Treating the symptoms instead of the cause usually results in the symptoms reoccurring. When it comes to green water and milk water, I would rather learn what it is, what conditions cause it, and fix that instead.


I completely agree with the first part. I wonder how many hours I have on my (probably the same) 9w TurboTwist compared to the 15 or so years I have had it. However, I did by it for green water, fixed it quickly, and it never came back. However, I wasn't able to rid it without one, using various techniques people told me, so it did alleviate that frustration. In line or in tank, it will not help any other algae. Even in a perfectly clean tank, it can polish the water, but IMO, it's only interesting because you thought the water was crystal clear and didn't think it could be more clear. When you turn it off, you don't notice, even for long periods of time, until you turn it back on so it's not really worth it for that, but it does happen. I am debating if I plumb it into my new tank, I probably will, but it may not even get plugged in.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

@talontsiawd, welcome e back, it has been a few years. I do miss our talks and beer fueled lazy summer afternoons.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

OVT said:


> @talontsiawd, welcome e back, it has been a few years. I do miss our talks and beer fueled lazy summer afternoons.


We should definitely do them again. I apologize for being out of touch, life got a bit crazy for some time, much more stable now. I haven't had a tank in years, just starting a new one with DSM and probably trying to keep it as simple as possible but high tech most likely, not likely high light though.


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