UV Sterilizer?

rk4435

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You guys did such a great job with skimmer recommendations that I am back for more. Sadly the money is drying up due to the custom stand / canopy etc.

What is a good uv sterilizer to use for my 90 gallon set up? I am including a link to show the sump if that matters for recommendations.

Sump2_zps0f169534.jpg.html
 
You dont have to necessarily go UV right away. They are pricey and you will have quarantine time I would guess before you add your first fish. The 2 you should be looking at for 90 are:

Emperor Aquatics Smart UV 25 Watt ~ $330
Aqua UV 25 Watt UV Sterilizer ~ $275

Emperor has a lot more recommendations than Aqua but the Aqua will work on your system at the needed 150 - 175 gph to kill marine ich.

Good read:
http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=36805">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=36805</a>

I also just had a thread on UV here:
[IMG]http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=81846">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=81846</a>

You may also want to ditch your bio balls. They can trap a lot of ditritus. If you can retro fit the sump for a filter sock you will have an easier time with your nitrates.
 
What Korkus said. Personally, I think Emperor &gt; Aqua UV. I've dealt with some older Aqua UV sterilizers and they don't seem to hold up that great over time.

Just don't get ANY other brands other than those two. Most UVs are garbage.
 
I would recommend either Emperor or Aqua UV. There are others that may work, although do not have the reputation these do.

My experience with UV over the years is that most work, and 'some' are poorly designed/made.

There always seems to be very strong, even extreme, opinions on this topic as to which units work, are 'best', etc. This might be one of the few true facts you find when researching UV sterilizers ;)

I believe that such strong opinions are bred in part by the fact that these units are so expensive to purchase. Everyone wants to think that they bought 'the best', and no one wants to think they made a bad purchasing decision.

UV technology has been around a very long time. I have not seen a quantum increase in effectiveness nor reliability, since buying my first one almost 30 years ago. I still own it and it still works, and is all original, except for the bulb. In fact, the company isn't even still in business. Such reliability may be partly to blame for the company failing.

You might consider buying one used, though inheriting someone else's headache (or junk) is always a possibility.

Rule of the day:
Caveat emptor (buyer beware)

Also:
Bio balls are not inherently a bad thing. The problem is what to do with the nitrate byproduct. Using a denitrator in tandem will yield a 'complete' solution to handling nutrients.

The healthiest system I ever had used both. Most hobbyists are just not familiar enough with these systems to get such results, so they avoid them, IMO.

My $0.02
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. As it is the bioballs are out. I have a more experienced reefer coming by this week to help me set the plumbing up for a trial run in the garage. As it is I think I may use Seachem Matrix in place of the bioballs. Since I know little about sumps and refugiums I'll defer to his years of experience.

I have a "Mean Green Killing Machine" that has done wonders in my 36 bowfront. It is only 9 watts though, would it do any good for a few weeks until I could get a better one.
 
Now that I read the provided links I know that the 9 watt "Mean Green" is useless.
 
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