UV Sterilizer from Dr. FS

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jgoal55

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Has anyone ever heard of this sterilizer....it is relatively less than all others and requires no additional plumbing or pumps (which is really the only thing drawing me to it). I can't imagine that the contact time is that great in such a small system but for my 30 gallon tank it would probably be enough....

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=16748&N=2004+113778">http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=16748&N=2004+113778</a>

I am also looking at this one:

[IMG]http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12711&N=2004+113778">http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12711&N=2004+113778</a>

but it requires plumbing....i'd rather not.
 
I have the second one in the 36w version. I really like it and the pluming is nothing special as you can do it all with soft tubing. Also, DrsFosterSmith tends to run that second one on sale a couple times per year. I got mine for under $110 new with shipping.

I haven't used one of these personally and I can't give it a thumbs up, but I have been reading that they actually work well:

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=14">http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=14</a>

I would probably buy a few extra bulbs just in case, but the design is pretty slick and if it performs as advertised (their stuff does work) it is a really good deal. UV isn't exactly a high tech gadget as the bulb really does all the work so I can't really see where they would screw anything up.
 
thanks cam...thing is I still have all that credit at Fosters and Smith (around $120) and so I was wanting to spend it there but man that really is a greaat deal on UV...maybe I'll get that from there and buy some other things on F&S since there is pretty much always something to buy.....just not sure what right now.....I know you had given me a list a while bac kfor some things but I am having a hard time finding that thread......If I do end up buying at F&S you reccomend the second one then?

What type of pump would you use?
 
the Odyssea brand is lower cost brand and many of the items are sold on ebay. I have a set of their PC lights and I havent had any issues except the fan going out on the light. In my opinion not a bad brand and definitly not bad for the price point.
 
i dont know about this certain uv but i have used the aqua 15w and i like it well and it seems with the web reviews that this is a good product.

but do not use this as a firm opinion.
 
Some of Oddyssea products might be alright, but I would not recommend their UV sterilizers for a long term solution. The plastic they use to house the lights tend to corrode over time... as such you get a lot of black plastic residue being spewed into your tank. Not at first, but a few months down the road and you'll see what I'm talking about.

As for this submersible one... I really like the concept. Especially since ich doesn't enter its free swimming stage until night has fallen when fish are asleep on the surface... and since ich likes to stay near the substrate with the sleeping fishies, this would theoretically be a lot more effective than say my sterilizer in my sump... which relies on the overflow.
 
Wouldn't that depend on the style of the overflow, and the All Glass Megaflow draws from 3 points?
 
FutureInterest;60972 wrote: Some of Oddyssea products might be alright, but I would not recommend their UV sterilizers for a long term solution. The plastic they use to house the lights tend to corrode over time... as such you get a lot of black plastic residue being spewed into your tank. Not at first, but a few months down the road and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Click to expand...
I know people who have successfully used their pumps for months without issue. Can't dispute FIs problem, but I am guessing the plastic used on external plastic is likely at least a little different than submerged units.

FutureInterest;60972 wrote: As for this submersible one... I really like the concept. Especially since ich doesn't enter its free swimming stage until night has fallen when fish are asleep on the surface... and since ich likes to stay near the substrate with the sleeping fishies, this would theoretically be a lot more effective than say my sterilizer in my sump... which relies on the overflow.
Click to expand...
It is seriously unlikely this UV will help much with ick. Ick is a relatively complex organism and would have to be run through a low watt UV (or even a large UV) very very slow. I doubt it exposes ick at least the first pass to enough UV to destroy or even seriously damage it at 74gph. This is one of the big misconceptions about UV. To give you some idea, some bugs like giardia which are similar in complexity take up to 1 to 1.5 minutes to destroy using a 5watt UV lamp.
 
I've used their U.V.s, pumps, halides, compacts, T5s, and thermometers. The fans had to be replaced in the light units, but the halides are still burning. I've had the PC ballast burn out several times, and the T5s fail all together. The old 18 watt UVs were not well built and leaked, but they addressed that. The thermometers were horribly inaccurate. The halide bulbs themselves ranged widely when comparing two of the same color spectrum.

They're great for someone that isn't really serious about reef keeping yet, good for somone casualy keeping fish, but if you *really* care about your tank and the most you can get from it, save your money and buy something that's higher quality.

Their lights are what I consider throw-away fixtures. Just toss them and buy a new one if anything goes wrong. Even if it's time to change your bulbs, it's about the same price to buy a new fixture.
 
I can't argue with the ineffectiveness of a 5 watt UV. I gotta think though that my 50 watt UV is doing some damage to those lil *******s.
 
I only have experience with my UV. I do love it though. It is a 40watt Emperor Aquatics T-5 UV. This thing is a monster. LOL.

<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">40 Watt</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">300 gallon</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">4725 gallon</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">1.5" Unions</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">1574/ 943 gph</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">525/ 314 gph</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">43.8" X 3"</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: #336600;">$330.00 </span></span></span>

<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: green;">FREE SHIPPING!</span></span></span>

a>
 
I've been thinking about getting one of the Current USA UV sterilizers from Drs Foster & Smith -- either the 15W or the 25W.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=11472&N=2004+113778">http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=11472&N=2004+113778</a>

Based on the comments I've read at various sites, these are claimed to be more solidly built than the coralife turbo-twists. And the price is competitive.

Cameron, do you think the 25W will really make a difference over the 15W when it comes to ick in a 92-gallon tank? The only think holding me back on the 25W is that it is 6" longer than the already long 15W.

Thanks,
David
 
I did a bit of research before I bought a uv. Everyone seemed to think that the emperor aquatics was the only one worth buying. There is another brand close in quality but I can't remember it's name.
 
I have a hard time with the quality issue when comparing UV units. As long as the bulb is a true UV bulb and the unit doesn't leak... it is going to do its job. I read these same posts about people saying X is better than Y, but they have zero proof one really is better than another in most cases. Most of the bulbs are pretty standard fair without the typical protection put in place on a flourescent. The concept and implementation is extremely simple and very effective so X better than Y is often just a I paid 3 times what you did so it must be better.

UV for parasite control is about exposure time. The more power you have the more water you can pass through the unit in a specified time period. A 1watt UV will kill most bugs, but you have to run the water through REAL slow. Most home units nuke at about 5 minutes per watt.

As for Odyssea equipment... previous generations have been real iffy. However, more recent equipment has been pretty good. Fixtures (other than some loose connections) have been reviewed well. Skimmers seem to be working pretty well. Pumps are actually getting the mod treatment and kicking out some impressive numbers and the new UV systems they produce from what I have read have worked without any significant issues. Even their HOB fuges seem to be getting a thumbs up. Again, I don't own any of their equipment but latest readings from people who do have shown the latest offerings to be some products worth considering.
 
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