How Do You Know If Your Coralife Uv Filter Still Working

Updated: 04/2022.
You've heard near the power of the ultraviolet spectrum, just should you trust your fish tank with it? Are yous familiar with the basics – did you know that a submersible UV sterilizer with its own pump powerhead would work best for your aquarium?

I mean, if y'all already have a strong flow rate on your filter, why would y'all want boosted turbulence to your water, right?

Some other matter I demand to share with you is that the size of your tank affects the power of the UV bulb. That being said, I will show you what's an adequate choice for a larger tank or a modest nano one.

Merely would the UV light from the bulb interfere with fertilizers in a planted aquarium and coral food in a reef tank? How nearly your setup – does that affair too? Is there a difference between an aquarium UV sterilizer for freshwater and saltwater fish tanks or are the units one and the same?

I'm taking the liberty to assist you make the competent option, past clarifying these questions, along with your h2o.

CLICK FOR QUICK NAVIGATION:

1. Heir-apparent'due south Guide on UV-Sterilizing Units for Fish Tanks
2. All-time Aquarium UV Sterilizers – Reviews
3. What UV Filter Do I Demand for my Tank's Size:
   • Water Sterilizers for a five-Gallon Fish Tank
   • H2o Sterilizers for a 10-Gallon Fish Tank
   • H2o Sterilizers for a 20-Gallon Fish Tank
   • Water Sterilizers for a 30 and xl-Gallon Fish Tanks
   • Water Sterilizers for a 55-Gallon Fish Tank
   • Water Sterilizers for a 75-Gallon Fish Tank
   • H2o Sterilizers for a ninety-Gallon Fish Tank
   • Water Sterilizers for a 125-Gallon Fish Tank
   • Water Sterilizers for a 150-Gallon Fish Tank
   • H2o Sterilizers for a 180-Gallon Fish Tank
   • Water Sterilizers for a 200-Gallon or Larger Fish Tanks
4. Tips for Proper Use & Maintenance

If you want to spring right at my experience with the products I recommend taking expect at this overview chart that compares each entry on my list:

UV Sterilizer Name:	Recommended for:	For Aquarium of:
1. AA Green Killing Machine UV	Clearing up green h2o and persistent bacterial blooms	5, 10, 20, thirty, 40, 55, 125, 150, and 180 Gallons
2. Turbo-Twist Aquarium UV Sterilizer	Immigration up green or cloudy aquarium h2o; Long-term pathogen control in freshwater systems	55, 75, xc, 125, 150, 180, and up to 200 gallons
3. AQUA UV Advantage 2000+	Clears upward dark-green or foggy aquarium water	55 to 90 Gallons
4. Jebao PU-36 Aquarium and Pond UV Clarifier	Water sterilization and control of parasitic outbreaks in freshwater fish tanks and ponds	From 55 to 200+ Gallons and larger ponds

A buyer's guide to UV sterilizers and their part in a home aquarium

It's time to bust some myths and detect the truth surrounding these controversial aquarium devices. Here's a comprehensive guide on getting the right UV aquarium sterilizers:

ane. What does information technology do in the fish tank and what to await from it

Many water facilities are already using ultraviolet light equally a ways for sterilization of drinking water. However, information technology'south a common misconception circulating the Internet that UV calorie-free kills waterborne organisms in the aquarium.

That's apparently incorrect.

The ultraviolet spectrum is carcinogenic. The benefits of running a UV sterilizer are rather collateral. It's precisely this characteristic that fish keepers are employing when installing one such unit:

When passing through the tube the aquatic pathogens and parasites will not be directly killed.

The UV seedling will actually bombard their genetic code with high-energy particles, finer causing mutations, and giving them cancer.

From at that place on they will be unable to reproduce with each other and therefore they volition lose numbers in the water column of your aquarium or pond.

The virtually effective wavelength of ultraviolet calorie-free is in the interval between 240 and 280 nanometers. This wavelength is known as germicidal.

ii. Information technology won't brand the aquarium h2o completely sterile

Information technology would be an overstatement to say that a UV sterilizer will render your aquarium water completely free of vermin.

Studies take institute that at whatever fourth dimension there is a number of living microorganisms in a fish tank.

It's overstocked with all kinds of micro-animal, mode college in numbers than if it were in the wild waters. This includes good AND bad microscopic life.

What may cause a "crash" or an outbreak is the imbalance in these numbers, favoring the harmful organisms.

A UV lamp volition effectively reduce said numbers and it volition prevent a possible outbreak for a variety of parasitic creatures. The reduced population density of the vermin allows the allowed systems of fish to handle threats on time, encouraging the development of more than antibodies.

From here, there are ii takeaways:

1. A UV sterilizer can't treat a parasitic infection that has already started. It will simply reduce the population of parasites in the h2o column, simply it won't have intendance of the ones that are already in or on your fish.
2. A UV sterilizer will never make your water completely sterile. This includes both beneficial and harmful organisms. It will only bring in the needed stability for a safe aquarium h2o.

This ways that if you lot have a light-green water problem in your aquarium, getting a UV sterilizer is your best bet. It will make the complimentary-floating microalgae spores unable to multiply further and they will somewhen die out.

Merely if y'all have an Ich outbreak that has already established itself, and then yous'd still need to care for your fish with the needed medication, apart from just the h2o.

Subsequently the Ich infection has been treated the infant parasites will subside in the substrate.

Nonetheless, upon maturity, they will leave the substrate and go free-swimming, in search of a host. This is when the UV sterilizing system comes into play, killing any mature-stage ich parasites, chosen Theronts.

If yous take algae that's already growing on decor and other plants and not micro-algae the UV sterilizer won't be of assistance. In that case, you should offset eradicate the algae through other proven methods and and then run the sterilizer to kill off any costless-floating spores.

Following these thoughts, if your fish tank suffers from cloudy water thanks to a astringent bacterial blossom, that produces a hazy white color, then getting a water sterilization unit will make sense.

In fact, that's i of the most efficient tools to care for these conditions.

All the same, if the haziness is present due to microbubbles or debris you tin't count on the UV lamp to clear it. In that case, you need some sort of fine mechanical filtration such as polyfill filter floss.

An additional benefit of using a UV sterilizer is that information technology volition remove any traces of chlorine or chloramine. I have learned through my own experience that ultraviolet light is known to remove both chemicals from tap h2o.

For me, it all changed when I got my first UV sterilizing arrangement.

Though I was skeptical at starting time, it turned into a must-have for many of my tanks.

Ever since that ane purchase, I haven't really experienced any nasty diseases in my fish tanks.

I got a carve up unit for all of my tanks, eventually.

It's really liberating non to take to worry if I'll crash my whole tank every fourth dimension I'm introducing new fish or other livestock to information technology. Quarantine tanks are a reasonable option here, but that'south a whole other setup to take intendance of.

3. Consider the size of your fish tank

This may seem kind of obvious, simply I must say it.

For a UV sterilizer to perform well you lot'd demand to match its ability with your aquarium's size and gallon chapters.

If you get a weaker unit of measurement, it will demand a lot more fourth dimension to fully disinfect the h2o in your larger tank.

Manufacturers know this, and so they rate their products according to how big of an aquarium they should be used on.

These ratings practise not always lucifer reality.

In that location are different suggestions on this matter online, that greatly vary.

I remember reading somewhere that yous'd need a 25 W bulb for clearing upwards microalgae blooms in a 55-gallon tank…

That's overkill.

I can only assume these people have never used a 13W bulb on a 75-gallon tank.

However, if you're after pathogenic control in a 55-gallon aquarium (prevention of Ich, Velvet, etc), then a 25 Watt bulb may make sense.

Anyway, if y'all get the correct Wattage on a UV sterilizer, you can expect the unit to fully clear the aquarium's water in less than 4 days.

And that'southward in the nearly severe cases.

Getting a stronger UV lamp volition cyberspace you faster results, but you'll pay more coin upfront.

Weaker UV filters volition just take longer to clear upward the h2o, to a point where it becomes ineffective because the microorganisms multiply faster than the lamp can handle.

For this reason, I put together my personal recommendations for each aquarium size. Visit the link and you'll jump straight to that (below on this page).

At that place, I speak of personal experience and my piece of work with clients. I've had the opportunity to witness hundreds of aquariums and monitor them over time, so there'south that.

iv. Submersible VS. Not-submersible

Generally speaking, there are two types of UltraViolet sterilizing systems – submersible and not-submersible ones. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages:

A submersible unit of measurement is considered safer as if there's a leak, the h2o won't end on your floor.

However, a UV unit tin be beefy and unsightly inside the aquarium.

Many fish keepers are quite picky about the inner aesthetics of their tank, and so this may play a function in their final option.

In my stance, it is not a big deal, as UV sterilizers (contrary to popular belief) should non be on constantly.

If yous get a submersible one, yous can simply take it out of the aquarium when it's not running.

I'd just recommend getting an external UV sterilizer if you have a swimming or a really large aquarium.

Overall, for people that own many tanks, the best UV sterilizers are the submersible ones, because of their mobility.

v. With or Without a Pump

Another thing to consider is if you'd want your sterilizer to come with its own powerhead or if it will exist dependent on your filter's 1.

I highly recommend that you go for one that has its own pump and here's a solid reason for that:

When there's a separate pump, the menses rate is as per the manufacturer's instructions, which is very of import for the types of pathogens the UV water filter will be targeting.

For parasites and tougher bacteria, y'all'd want a tedious catamenia rate to increase the dwell time.

If there'southward no powerhead the speed at which your UV sterilizer works is dependent on your filter's water turnover.

Acquire more about that in the next section.

6. Flowrate and dwell fourth dimension

The operation of your UV sterilizer depends on the dwell time of the microorganisms. The dwell-time is divers by:

• The menstruum rate of the pump that forces water into the tube
• The size of the tube
• The Wattage power of the UV seedling

Generally, it goes similar this:

At a slower flow charge per unit, the pathogens are exposed for a longer time to UV light. This reduces the number of parasites, and more than resilient bacteria and microbes.

At a higher flow rate, in that location'south less time for the organisms to be exposed to the seedling'southward subversive radiation. Such flow rates are recommended when you're dealing with the light-green aquarium h2o syndrome. Microalgae spores are not equally resilient and they can all the same be eradicated with a higher GPH (Gallons per hour).

As yous can see, control is everything here.

Ordinarily, in larger aquariums, the need for filtration is greater, considering they're housing larger, messier fish.

The common practise is to employ a canister filter, every bit they provide higher flow rates, among other advantages over Hang-On-Dorsum filters.

In such systems, it'southward normal (and salubrious) to have the h2o turnover at 6 to 8 times per hour, which oft equals more than than 600 GPH.

This turnover, even so, would often exist too much for a UV sterilizer to practice its task, unless the bulb is really stiff.

A very strong seedling shortens the dwell time needed for parasites to get seriously damaged.

That being said, we can conclude the following:

• If y'all seek a UV sterilizer for a larger aquarium (think 55+ gallons) you'd want to get one that has its ain powerhead.

  This fashion yous'll be able to control the menses rate as it is described by the manufacturer. It will also allow you to get away with a "weaker" UV bulb considering y'all will control the dwell time.

• Whenever a UV sterilizer doesn't have its own powerhead this means that it's dependent on your canister filter'due south flow rate.

  This is often a high GPH rate, which imposes the need for a very strong UV seedling as without a divide pump that'south the only way yous control dwell-time. High-Watt bulbs toll significantly more, sometimes hundreds of dollars.

So, this is where the myth of having to purchase high-Watt UV sterilizers originates from.

It'southward why yous'll come across some sterilizers rated at, say, 100 gallons while having just 15W of a bulb. Where others may exist rated at less while equipped with a more powerful lamp (and coming at a higher price).

In truth, if y'all manage to discover 1 that has its own powerhead, you can cut the cost of expensive bulbs that will besides demand irresolute over time. This leads me to the side by side section.

7. Investment over time

Permit'due south be honest here.

Yous will need to change the bulb over time, but that's non a curt catamenia.

If y'all use your device often and every 24-hour interval yous will have to modify the lamp every 6 months or then.

I run mine every couple of days for no more than than a couple of hours.

This is more than enough for me to forestall any outbreaks while saving bulb-life.

There are some units that get super expensive and you'll hear that they're recommended for your tank'south size.

Not the truth in my humble observations.

Yous tin can absolutely get away with a water sterilizer for nether $100 if you don't own a decently sized swimming or aquarium (think over 150 gallons).

The investment is admittedly worth it, peculiarly when it comes to sensitive marine life.

In reefing, one could lose hundreds of dollars worth of fish in the course of days, just considering of a single outbreak.

This does non mean that you're safe if you own a freshwater aquarium though…

I run UV sterilizers on most of my freshwater aquariums as well, because nasty parasites can inhabit both salt and freshwater.

viii. Does it eliminate Beneficial bacteria as well?

The wavelength of the ultraviolet spectrum is not picky, it will destroy anything that gets irradiated by it. It will not spare the good while getting rid of the bad. However, this is non the full reply to be had hither. Here'south what happens to your benign bacteria when you run a UV water sterilizer in your aquarium:

The beneficial leaner live on surface areas such as the aquarium's substrate, decorations, and the biological media in the filter.

Since it is not free-floating in the aquarium'south water column, a UV sterilizer won't be able to kill the established bacterial colonies.

Note that if your tank is not fully cycled yet, there'due south a chance that a great portion of the benign leaner may however inhabit the h2o cavalcade.

It's why information technology is non recommended to sterilize the water with UV light, during nitrogen cycling.

"But what virtually phytoplankton and zooplankton in reef tanks?" – the concerned reefer would ask.

Using a UV sterilizer in a reef tank is similar:

The UV sterilizing bulb volition probably kill anything that passes through its tube not-selectively.

However, in reef tanks copepods and crustaceans, for example, mostly inhabit the surface of live rocks then they will not be notably affected.

You may have to dose a little more phytoplankton, but that's a fair trade, knowing that there's a significantly smaller chance of an outbreak in your reef tank. Just be sure to turn the UV off, while feeding the tank.

The best UV sterilizer for a saltwater reef tank would be the 1 that runs on a proper schedule. Y'all can acquire most that in the "tips for usage" section beneath in this article.

Reviews of The Top 5 Ultraviolet Sterilizers for an Aquarium

The effects of ultraviolet sterilization on water accept been proven throughout years of research. There's no distinction between a UV sterilizer for a freshwater aquarium and i for a reef tank. All models in the reviews below will work for both setups.
These are the best UV sterilizers you can endeavour to clear aquarium water with:

1. AA Green Killing Machine 3W/9W/24W – Very Efficient & Decently Priced

Click to see the current toll + MORE photos on Chewy.

This UV sterilizer is my personal favorite. I've used this on a LOT of my freshwater aquariums with phenomenal success so far.

What drove me to buy it was the huge amount of positive user feedback.

What I really like in the Light-green Killing Car (accordingly named) is that there's no external plumbing piece of work. Simply, I unpacked the stuff and hung it in my aquarium.

Here's a real-life example of what the GKM tin exercise in just a couple of days:

Anyway, the UV bulb bedchamber of the sterilizer is submersible.

The installation took me merely virtually 5 minutes as advertised.

That'due south apart from reading the instructions though.

At that place'southward a part of the device that should not be hung over your aquarium water, so brand sure you lot read them carefully.

It has its ain pump, which eliminates complicated calculations of GPH for the best operation.

This is convenient because you only need to go 1 with the right seedling power and everything else takes care of itself.

Anyway, let's talk about the work this UV sterilizer does.

The 9W version managed to clear the haziness of my tank'due south water pretty fast (something like 40 hours or so). I used it for a bacterial bloom, which made the h2o pretty cloudy.

My tank was planted only by following a schedule, this UV sterilizer performed well, without interfering with the fertilizers.

I used the larger 24W version on my bigger tank for light-green water.

The story:

My 125-gallon tank was and so densely populated with microscopic algae that I could barely see anything that was iii inches further from the drinking glass.

I was at my wit's end so I decided to requite this guy a endeavor, later on seeing its lighter version clearing the water in my smaller tank.

I went ahead and ordered it online.

From there everything inverse.

In simply about three days, if I remember correctly, the water in my large tank was dorsum to normal.

Not even normal, really. It looked pristine.

I run the units merely equally a precautionary mensurate.

I run them every iii to four days for about five hours.

Haven't had whatever outbreaks of leaner, parasites, or micro-algae ever since.

I'm very happy with this brand. I sincerely call up the AA Green Killing Auto is one of the, if not, the best UV sterilizer you could utilize for a home aquarium.

The 24W version can handle fish tanks of up to 180 gallons.

The 3W unit is ideal for smaller freshwater aquariums or nano reef tanks.

The low-Watt bulb power choices with the AA GKM is a fantastic thing when you accept to bargain with a nano tank that's getting cloudy.

Other brands dedicated to this tank-size range, that I've seen are not well congenital and won't final long. For this reason, I besides consider the GKM one of the best and nearly adequate nano UV sterilizer choices for smaller aquariums.

No joke, the Green Killing Machines are worth every penny (in fact, I recollect they're underpriced).

Drives me mad that I didn't try them earlier.

 Advantages:

• Super-fast installation
• Has a congenital-in pump of its own
• Sturdy design
• Special UV bulb chamber for an extended dwell-time
• No piece of work with external plumbing

 Disadvantages:

• The suction cups don't e'er concur well from the first fourth dimension
• You can't command the flow rate (the manufacturers claim that's on purpose, and information technology does seem to work, and then I'm somewhat fine with that)

ii. Turbo-Twist UV Sterilizer – Best for Decision-making Pathogens in the Aquarium

Click to compare pricing + come across More than photos of this product at:

• Chewy.com
• Amazon.com

The Coralife Turbo-Twist is my go-to UV sterilizer when my freshwater aquarium is having issues with external parasites or persistent bacterial blooms.

This is because the unit has a superior architecture to most UltraViolet aquarium sterilizers. The compages allows for maximum dwell fourth dimension (read the guide above if you lot don't know what that is).

The "twist" of the h2o flow forces the water to screw around the UV bulb more so than with other units on this listing.

This in itself provides maximum exposure to the UV light which is more than enough to irradiate and neutralize persistent leaner or pathogens such as the Ich parasite.

That existence said, I'd only employ Coralife's X6 UV sterilizer model on fish tanks that hold no less than 55 United states of america gallons of aquarium h2o.

The UV bulbs that come with these h2o sterilizers have immense ability and exercise an fantabulous job of making the water in my aquariums crystal clear.

Don't get me wrong, if you're experiencing a unproblematic blossom of algae that has turned the water in your fish tank green, this UV sterilizer will likely take care of the outcome nearly immediately.

From my feel, the X6 tin can clear up a astringent algae flower in a 55-gallon aquarium in less than 20 hours.

However, I'd strongly recommend this unit to aquarists who take problems with their tank getting constantly cloudy or has recently suffered from an Ich outbreak.

The strong UltraViolet bulb of this UV sterilizer will keep the parasites in the water in cheque, reducing their numbers to nearly zip.

This allows fish to build up their amnesty and slime coat, and easily handle the few spores that are left on their own.

What I besides similar about this super-strong UV sterilizer is its compact size.

It is no larger than the Green Killing Motorcar (previous on this list), yet it harbors twice the power and potential to irradiate harmful pathogens.

The Turbo-Twist does not come with its own pump, but you lot tin can easily install it anywhere in your aquarium, and fifty-fifty hang it on the drinking glass.

And so, like whatsoever other production, this UV sterilizer is not an exception and does have its own problems.

I'm obviously obligated to mention those, equally I'k trying my best to be equally transparent as possible in my reviews.

Before getting my first Turbo-Twist UV water filter I obviously did some research on the production.

The virtually common complaint I found was that occasionally the sterilizer would leak.

Naturally, this is something that I would similar to avert in my aquariums.

However, knowing the nature of human being error I decided to do some further excavation.

What I noticed when I asked effectually was that almost everyone who complained of a leakage installed the unit with the bulb nest towards the flooring.

I figured that the combination of gravity and improper handling or associates could be contributing to the leaks.

I decided to guild anyway and give the Turbo-Twist a try because I was having serious issues with a continuous bacterial bloom that I did non have the nerves to fight anymore…

When the unit arrived, I watched an online video on how to set it upward properly and made certain to position the bulb nest pointing upwards.

Here's what I mean:

I wouldn't go every bit far equally saying that this method of installation would absolutely solve any leak problems with this unit.

I volition only say that I was personally involved in the buy of 5 units (mine and my friend's) and we did not feel any leak issues by doing the setup similar this.

Anyway, the Turbo-Twist is an overall powerful UV sterilizer that tin can definitely articulate up aquarium h2o from not only algae blooms but also persistent pathogens.

I would recommend it to anyone who owns a larger freshwater fish tank or has issues with continuously cloudy water and external parasites such as Ich and Velvet.

 Advantages:

• Does a fantastic chore at keeping harmful pathogens and bacterial blooms in check
• "Twist flow" engineering allows for maximum dwelling time and exposure of microorganisms to UltraViolet lite
• Very strong UV bulbs
• Piece of cake to install and tin can even be hanged on the back of the aquarium
• Does not take space inside the aquarium
• It'southward meaty

 Disadvantages:

• May leak if not installed properly (only and then will any other UV sterilizer)
• I would not use it in a marine aquarium, every bit it appears that saltwater makes information technology rust

3. AQUA UV Advantage 2000+ 15W – Durable & Sturdy

Click to see the current price + MORE photos on Amazon.
As the title goes, the AQUA Reward Serial are very durable and reliable units.

This external UV sterilizer, however, does non come with its own powerhead.

As much as I'grand a fan of UV sterilizers that pump water on their ain I'k pretty happy with this one's performance and then I included information technology in this list anyway.

It'southward of high quality and it clears the h2o like a beast.

You can either plumb information technology in the return waterline of your reef tank'due south sump or on the outtake of your freshwater fish tank's canister filter.

The whole plumbing matter is not rocket scientific discipline and, fortunately, it has been made so that anybody could assemble information technology on their own.

Moving on to the performance.

The higher Watt bulb allows for better sterilization, but that's necessary since the unit is meant for larger aquariums where the menstruation rate is also college. Nevertheless, the UV bulb is particularly durable and strong enough to handle aquariums of up to 125 gallons in volume. I've run this on a 90-gallon freshwater tank and it did an outstanding chore at clearing the water.

The canister I was running on that system was a SunSun HW304B, which claims to turn the water for 520+ gallons per hr.

That, however, is not realistic (from my observations) and it actually turned effectually…350 GPH.

Which was even so quite a lot, plus I ran two of these simultaneously.

Anyhow, the Advantage 2000+ did its magic – the water got perfectly articulate and no leaner, algae, or parasite outbreaks were had ever since.

A "con" I would like to mention if I tin phone call it this way, is that the hose of your filter may not e'er fit with the unit of measurement.

In that example, you'll only have to purchase an adapter.

Hardware stores volition take the fittings as they are pretty generic.

Merely an extra walk to the store, that'south all.

Overall a very sturdy unit with huge potential. I similar and recommend this UV sterilizer to fish keepers with above-medium-sized aquariums for the best functioning.

 Advantages:

• Durable blueprint is manufactured in the The states
• UV bulb is one of the most durable ones I've personally seen
• Like shooting fish in a barrel installation, despite being an external sterilizer (hither, accept this video for the setup)

 Disadvantages:

• May demand adapters to fit with your filter's hose
• No powerhead, period rate will depend on your filtration arrangement

four. Jebao PU-36 UV sterilizer 36W – For Big Dwelling systems & Outdoor Ponds

Click to compare pricing + see More than photos of this product at:

• Chewy.com
• Amazon.com

If yous have a swimming of your own you are probably familiar with the Jebao equipment.

They make quality pond gear at very reasonable prices.

This 36W unit is the upkeep beast on this listing.

It's like the Hulk. It's beefy and it destroys your aquarium's enemies.

The Jebao PU-36 UV sterilizer is best used in very large aquariums of over 200 gallons or outdoor ponds. It's designed to be weather-proof and it is non a submersible unit. It does not have its ain powerhead, but that's understandable, given that you'd likely need separate filtering systems for such-sized bodies of water.

There's no need for whatsoever adapters, equally it comes with variously-sized fittings for tubing.

The manufacturers claim that it will tolerate upwardly to 4400 GPH.

The water inside of the chamber travels in a spiral effectually the UV bulb, maximizing dwell-time.

It's actually very durable, despite its very competitive price tag.

I do not currently own an aquarium that's 200+ gallons, but I have personally seen this device at work.

It tin definitely handle heavily algae-infested ponds and aquariums spectacularly fast.

From seeing a couple of fish keepers using it, I tin conclude that it clears roughly 100 gallons of water a day.

And by that I mean, it makes that book of h2o crystal articulate over that menses.

If you have an exceptionally large aquarium or a decently sized backyard pond, and so this should be your choice for healthy water conditions.

Mind that if y'all utilise it outside, you shouldn't run it during the cold months.

The Jebao PU-36 is the best UV clarifier and sterilizer for large aquariums, in my opinion.

Definitely requite it a chance to prove itself if you lot have one of those.

 Advantages:

• Best bang for your buck
• External – it does not interfere with your aquarium'southward inner aesthetics
• Special bulb chamber pattern for maximum dwell-time
• Can handle extremely big volumes of h2o
• Durable build

 Disadvantages:

• It's bulky
• The instructions are outright garbage ( It's really simple though, lookout this guy's video and you'll get the hang of it)

What UV light sterilizers to choose for the differently-sized fish tanks?

The in a higher place reviews are an overall evaluation of a certain unit. Notwithstanding, it's time for me to give you lot some suggestions on where and how to employ them. Here'due south the all-time UV sterilizer in accordance with a fish tank's gallon count:

1. Superlative UV sterilizers for 5-gallon fish tanks

For a 5-gallon tank, I wouldn't recommend using a UV sterilizer unless you lot've already tried everything else. The reason is that these devices will take some room in such a small tank. In such a case, information technology is best to run one until information technology clears the water and and so remove it. For this task you'd need something with no more 3W of a UV bulb, that is submersible:

The perfect candidate for a v-gallon aquarium is the clip-on UV h2o sterilizer, manufactured by AA Aquarium, which yous tin bank check at Chewy.com and also at Amazon. The AA Dark-green Killing Machine has a depression-Watt bulb that would be plenty to rid any nano fish tank of cloudy h2o. It is submersible with its own pump and it works perfectly fine for small 5-gallon freshwater or saltwater tanks.

This magnificent lilliputian thing will definitely impale any free-floating algae spores and parasites that are populating your small nano tank.

Information technology's rated for upwards to 36 gallons per hour, so information technology may add slight turbulence to the tank's water.

Note that if y'all take a Betta with large, beautiful fins it may experience some difficulties swimming around.

This may cause the fish to lay effectually more than from exhaustion, which is normal behavior when facing a stronger current.

For this reason, I recommend that you use this sterilizing unit only when needed and not all the time.

You won't regret it, simply mind the fourth dimension information technology is running.

I would non keep it on for more than 12 hours a twenty-four hours.

2. Top UV sterilizers for 10-gallon fish tanks

In a 10 gallon aquarium it is really all-time to accept a UV sterilizer that has its ain powerhead:

For an aquarium that has ten gallons of water volume, having 3W of UV seedling power would exist more than than plenty, given the flow charge per unit of the device is decent. The best unit, in that case, would be the clip-on Light-green Killing Auto (check it out at Chewy.com or Amazon.com). Information technology'due south an internal, submersible UV sterilizing system that will do its job as information technology's rated for up to 20 gallons.

The water turnover of the pump is ideal for clearing upward such volumes of water (around 37 gallons per hr).

The product is nigh 7 inches in length and roughly 2.5 inches in diameter and so it fits a 10-gallon fish tank nicely.

3. Top UV sterilizers for 20-gallon fish tanks

To be honest the above recommendation ( AA Green Killing Motorcar, 3 Watt bulb ) would be sufficient for a xx-gallon fish tank likewise:

The AA Green Killing Auto UltraViolet sterilizing device fits in the 20-gallon aquarium range upon manufacturer guidelines, because it has a 3 Watt bulb. Y'all don't demand a unit with a more powerful bulb for this kind of setup. If it'due south not your simply h2o turnover unit it will exercise a fantastic job at eradicating the harmful pathogens and microalgal blooms in your fish tank's water.

From what I've seen with clients, you should be set, with crystal articulate water in less than 2 days, or in some heavy "green water" cases – 3 days.

4. Top UV sterilizers for thirty and 40-gallon fish tanks

If y'all have either xxx or xl gallons of a fish tank (or a pond for that affair) you lot'd want a sterilizer with roughly 5 to vii Watts of bulb power. For these two particular cases I've seen a fantastic event with a 5W UV bulb:

The device I used on my forty gallons was this one (link will show y'all some photos on Chewy). It has 5 Watts of bulb power and its own pump, which is platonic for whatever fish tank in the volume range of 30 and twoscore gallons.

It thoroughly cleared up my water that had turned into a pea-soup color in simply nigh 6 days.

From dense green where I couldn't run across the other side of the tank to super clear and transparent.

From then on I occasionally ran the sterilizer every 3 to 4 days for about iv hours, which seemed to provide enough UV sterilization.

I used it in a freshwater setup but I'm not sure whether you could use the Coralife Mini sterilizers for nano reef aquariums of up to 40-gallons as well. Y'all can also read more user reviews near this product on Amazon by clicking here.

5. Summit UV sterilizers for 55-gallon fish tanks

To best clear upward 55 gallons of green aquarium water y'all'd need a UV sterilizer with a calorie-free bulb of betwixt 7 and 10 Watts:

The GKM UV sterilizer may work best for medium-sized fish tanks. It has a 9 Watts UV lamp that will completely filter and clear up the water in a 55-gallon aquarium in well-nigh 3 days. This water sterilizer works for both freshwater and saltwater reef tanks alike.

Click here to run across the 9-Watt GKM UV sterilizer at Chewy or here to cheque information technology out on Amazon.
It's currently dominating the market place and for a reason.

Frankly, the nine Watt version is among the best budget-friendly even so super productive aquarium sterilizing units.

Though information technology's rated for up to 50 gallons, it will do an outstanding job in a 55-gallon aquarium.

It shows noticeable results fast and y'all don't need to run it 24/7 when using it equally a preventive measure.

I am a huge fan of these units, and I personally own 2 of them (1 9W and one 24W for a larger tank I have).

Information technology'due south reasonably priced for the chore done, and then I would say information technology's absolutely worth it.

By the way, going through some reviews, you may find that many users say that yous shouldn't purchase the 9W version unless your tank is 40 gallons or less.

My experience, along with my crystal clear water on the 55-gallon I have has proven otherwise.

Information technology will do the task, so no need to pay actress cash for a stronger unit.

However, if you lot're experiencing something more than than merely green aquarium water you lot may want to become something with a stronger UV seedling.

For controlling parasitic outbreaks and cloudy aquarium h2o that keeps coming back, I'd recommend getting the Coralife Turbo-Twist X6 UV Sterilizer (see it here on Chewy.com and here on Amazon.com).

It has twice the irradiating power of the green Killing Machine, which is what I would use to manage nasty pathogens in a 55-gallon fish tank.

In my experience, it volition efficiently reduce the harmful microorganism colonies that inhabit the aquarium and eliminate any anxiety that you may accept over external parasites.

Make sure to read the review that I shared earlier in this article for more data on the unit.

6. Height UV sterilizers for 75-gallon fish tanks

If you want to clear up greenish water in your 75-gallon fish tank in a affair of days you're looking into getting a UV sterilizer with a xiii to 15 Watts seedling. A expert recommendation I can give here is this AQUA UV Advantage 2000+. The Advantage 2000+ packs enough bulb power to show the best performance in a 75-gallon aquarium with a astringent algae bloom.

So as the title goes, you'll clear 75 gallons of aquarium water with this unit in a matter of days.

I have personally witnessed this UV sterilizer take intendance of a tin't-run into-through algae soup in just nearly 3 days.

On the fourth day, the h2o was still partially cloudy, merely not dark-green by any means. At the beginning of the 5th day, it was completely clear, as if fish were levitating in the air.

Anyway, you've probably already noticed the price tag.

The AQUA UV Advantage is of high quality and the cost is justified, as you could encounter in my review of it above.

Since this unit has a controllable flow rate, I'd advise keeping it at the lowest possible setting, after initially clearing your water.

Anyhow, if you are like me you're likely paranoid nigh parasitic outbreaks that could crash your whole aquarium organisation in days.

If that's the example, I can recommend getting a UV sterilizer with a more powerful light bulb.

For a 75-gallon fish tank I would recommend going with a UV water filter that has at least 18 Watts of UltraViolet bulb power.

This way yous'll keep parasites and harmful pathogens in check.

A proficient recommendation that won't break the bank would be the 18-Watt UV sterilizer made by Coralife. For your convenience – hither's a link to check this UV sterilizer on Chewy.com and some other one to see the device on Amazon.com.

On peak of having the needed irradiation strength, the unit has a special "twist flow" build which maximizes the dwell fourth dimension of microorganisms under the bulb.

Past running this powerful UV sterilizer on your 75-gallon fish tank, you won't feel cloudy h2o that keeps coming back or parasitic outbreaks that could wipe out the entire fish population in the tank.

Notation that you lot should not run the Coralife X6 every single day.

This way yous'll prolong the lifetime of the bulb.

Turn the sterilizer on every iii days or and so for a couple of hours. My success has been with keeping information technology on for near iv hours a day.

7. Top UV sterilizers for 90-gallon fish tanks

For immigration up the water in your 90-gallon fish tank you'd need between 15 and 18W of a UV bulb. Scaling the Wattage is important because the bigger the aquarium, the more flow is needed to maintain its full chapters under protection from harmful organisms.

The higher the catamenia rate, the more than UV power you desire, because the dwell fourth dimension (time in which the microorganisms are exposed to the UV light in the tube) gets reduced.

In this case, a 15 to 18 Watts bulb compensates with its raw ability for the naturally higher flow rate in larger aquariums.

A reliable UV sterilizer that has the right menses + Wattage for clearing upward the green tint of water in a xc-gallon aquarium would be the Turbo Twist UV water filter X6 (link to Chewy and link to Amazon for photos and pricing comparing).

The Coralife Turbo-Twist X6 is a animal in the industry, that forth with being really efficient comes with extra durability (for some reason).

I say "for some reason", because, at first, it looks cheaply built, only you tin can actually employ it for years to come up, provided you lot interchange bulbs when needed.

It has a slightly higher price on it, though I can confirm that's justified.

This particular aquarium UV sterilizer tin can be used for freshwater fish tanks that are up to 125 gallons with great success.

This i, different the Green Killing Machine ones I recommended then far, does not accept its own powerhead, then brand certain that y'all plumb it in your filter or pump'due south outtake.

The mounting is easy, just follow the manufacturer's instructions.

An absolute brute, that I actually ain and am pretty happy with.

Anyhow, If you own a reef tank yous should likely get the AQUA Ultraviolet Reward 2000+ as information technology handles saltwater improve than Coralife'southward X6.

Plug the Reward 2000+ UV sterilizer right afterward any form of filtration in your sump.

This way the UV light will be more efficient and it won't interfere with, say, the nutrients needed in your reef'southward refugium.

For decision-making pathogens in a 90-gallon freshwater fish tank, I recommend doubling the Watt power of the UV lamp.

You lot can go abroad with the Turbo Twist X12 (Chewy and Amazon both offering it), which has a seedling power of 36 Watts.

A UV sterilizer of this bracket volition easily keep the free-floating pathogens in a 90-gallon aquarium under control.

Go the X12 if y'all're struggling with parasitic outbreaks such as Ich, or persistent fogginess of the aquarium h2o caused by massive bacterial blooms.

8. Top UV sterilizers for 125-gallon fish tanks

Sterilizing 125 gallons of water is not an easy task unless you buy the right equipment. Here's what I've plant works for me:

Yous could absolutely use my previous recommendation here. Though it's a smaller Wattage, this UV sterilizer's pattern and size are made to serve large aquariums such equally the 125-gallon one.

It will successfully solve your green water problem while getting yous rid of harmful organisms in the longer run.

Yet, it'south not what I run on MY 125 gallon.

On my tank, I run this (visit the link to come across it on Amazon.com).

Reason is that I was super happy with the nine West version. This larger unit, despite being 24W is rated for up to 120-gallon fish tanks.

Anyway, I really wanted to effort the scaled version, and so I asked around and information technology turns out many were using information technology non only on their 125s but also on up to 180-gallon aquariums.

And so I went alee and purchased the thing because I wanted to keep my Coralife Turbo-Twist x6 for my other smaller tank with fish.

Oh, boy, am I glad that I did.

This UV sterilizer (the GKM) worked perfectly, made my aquarium's water crystal clear, and I've never had a "crashed" 125-gallon tank subsequently getting it.

Turns out it'southward a low-cost alternative to other, more expensive brands, and it really does the task.

It has its ain pump, making information technology fashion easier to install and you don't actually have to calculate flow rates. Just enjoy the salubrious water.

I'chiliad a dice-hard fan of this device and would recommend it to anyone in doubt (which happens oftentimes, because of people existence skeptical towards the magic power of the UltraViolet spectrum).

Anyway, to keep harmful aquatic pathogens at bay in your freshwater aquarium you'll likely need a UV sterilizer that has at to the lowest degree xxx W of UV bulb power.

A good recommendation I keep making for 1 such unit is the Turbo-Twist X12 UV Sterilizer and y'all tin can get it at both Chewy and Amazon.

It's a rather compact unit of measurement that packs a serious punch of UV and extended dwell time, enough to neutralize most costless-floating parasites and uninvited bacteria in a 125-gallon fish tank.

Make sure to read its review at the beginning of this article if y'all're subsequently pathogen control in your aquarium.

Let'south summarize:

If yous desire to have a disease-free large aquarium and keep your expensive fish healthy for the rest of their days, buy a 36 Watt Coralife Turbo-Twist X12 Ultraviolet Sterilizer and call it a year.

If you take a reef tank, get a Jebao PU-36 as an culling because information technology as well has a 36-Watt bulb, but is more than resistant to salty h2o than the Turbo Twist.

If you lot want to chop-chop clean up any green h2o in a 125-gallon aquarium, go the Greenish Killing Machine with the 24W bulb.

On a side notation, I've seen the 24W UV sterilizer work for cloudy reef tanks of over 100 gallons.

I've personally used both units in freshwater systems.

They're probably the best units for this aquarium size range.

9. Elevation UV sterilizers for 150-gallon tanks

A UV sterilizer that will best fit and clear the water of a 150-gallon tank would be the Green Killing Car 24W.

As I mentioned in the in a higher place department (I suggest you read that if you lot just jumped straight to hither) the GKM UltraViolet h2o sterilizer will perform fantastically for this range of water volume.

The UltraViolet seedling is equally durable equally it gets and you should probably run information technology on a timer subsequently killing off the initial microalgae bloom in your 150-gallon tank.

I run mine that mode, and I don't keep it on for more than 5 hours as a precaution for algae blooms.

The pump comes with a iii-year warranty and the bulb should be changed every 6 months.

That's according to the manufacturers, with a daily usage implied.

I'd like to remember it's smart of me to run it every couple of days instead. This fashion I make certain to prolong the bulb's life for well-nigh a year or so.

Information technology's been almost a year since I last changed mine and it's still running like a animal, no bulbs replaced even so.

An overall great product, in my opinion. I tin totally vouch for this UV h2o sterilizer serving your 150-gallon fish tank well when it comes to green aquarium water.

For a 150-gallon aquarium that experiences frequent parasite outbreaks, all the same, I would recommend the 36 Watt Coralife X12 which you tin can find at either Chewy.com or Amazon.

It's a great unit for pathogenic control in large aquariums of this or similar volume chapters.

Information technology does non accept its own pump, so you lot simply connect it to your filter.

The 36 Watt bulb is very effective, fifty-fifty with the strong GPH rates of larger aquarium filters.

The "twist menstruum" technology maximizes the dwell fourth dimension of aquatic parasites and leaner under UV low-cal.

My experience has been that a UV sterilizer of this size works best for pathogen control in this kind of aquarium system.

10. Peak UV sterilizers for 180-gallon tanks

To clear the greenish from the water in your 180-gallon aquarium you'd need betwixt 24 and 30W UltraViolet sterilizer:

In that case, the same recommendation will practise.

The Green Killing Machine 24W is powerful plenty to articulate the water of 180-gallon fish tank in simply nearly iv days.

The Coralife Turbo-Twist X12, however, volition be powerful enough to keep your water gratuitous from parasitic outbreaks and persistent bacterial blooms (see this unit at Chewy and also Amazon).

Choose depending on your goal.

The size of the UV sterilizer is not of importance here, but rather the power of the UV light combined with the fourth dimension of exposure.

Install your unit of measurement of choice and wait out for a couple of days. Later the water gets crystal clear all the microalgae or blooming bacteria will be dead.

You'd want to occasionally run either every couple of days, to ensure a dwell time to which parasites or free-floating algae (depending on your choice of UV) are exposed to the ultraviolet spectrum.

This way you'll be able to keep your fish tank or pond's water vermin-free.

The effectiveness of these UV sterilizers makes them especially useful in very large fish tanks with expensive gear and fish.

Seeing how efficient both of these units are over my own fish tanks, and also in the hands of my clients (owners of 180-gallon fish tanks or ponds), you can rest bodacious that they are worth every penny.

And given how high the pricing on UV sterilizers can get, that's not a lot of pennies, while still getting the work washed.

I recommend trying either according to your goal.

xi. Top UV sterilizers for 200-gallon or larger fish tanks

For a 200-gallon fish tank we'd demand to calibration upwards the wattage:

Honestly, the 24 Watt Dark-green Killing Machine from the previous recommendation might work for clearing your "pea soup". Even so, this will likely take a long time and the bulb won't be potent enough to protect your 200-gallon aquarium from pathogenic outbreaks.

If my calculations are right, using the Dark-green Killing Automobile's 24 Watt calorie-free bulb would have around a week to destroy any traces of microalgae, which is okay.

If that's your end goal – order it and exist done with it (visit the link to encounter more details on Amazon).

All the same, if you'd like to be able to protect your large home aquarium or outdoor pond from hereafter outbreaks of parasites, you'd want a stronger bulb.

I can propose something that I've seen work for aquariums and ponds that were over 200 gallons, actually:

Information technology'due south a Coralife with 36 Watts of ultraviolet sterilization. It clears roughly 100 gallons of aquarium or pond h2o in a twenty-four hour period. It'southward a non-submersible external UV sterilizer.

I've witnessed this monstrous UV articulate the green h2o in a 200-gallon fish tank in 2 days.

It'due south an external UV sterilizer, not submersible. Do non submerge it underwater, and as the manufacturers suggest, install it after the outtake of your pump/canister filter.

That'southward a good tip for any water sterilizer out there, as this manner they're only targeting microorganisms and not gunk or debris.

Take a look at the 36-Watt Coralife UV sterilizer at Chewy's online store here (or click hither to run into it on Amazon).

Be information technology a 200, 300, or even 500-gallon tank, this unit will exercise its task, without breaking the bank.

I am kind of confronting hundreds of dollars worth of aquarium equipment, specially in this field (h2o disinfection).

Most "cheaper" units will absolutely do the task and this device is the perfect case of that.

Annotation that if your budget is really tight y'all could get for a Jebao PU-36 here which you tin discover at both Chewy and Amazon.

It's a rather inexpensive UV sterilizer that'south mainly used on ponds considering information technology's weatherproof.

Nevertheless, I've seen people use it successfully on large aquarium systems of 200 or more than gallons as well.

I've also witnessed it brand the water of a 700-gallon pond crystal clear in merely about a week.

Some people report having cleared their ponds of over 9000 gallons with this unit. It's that efficient.

Obviously, for pathogenic control in such a large aquarium, you could employ the 55 Watt Jebao.

However, for an aquarium of this size I'd recommend something like this.

Information technology packs a 55-Watt bulb.

From my research, information technology appears very durable and the price tag is adequate.

I accept not personally used this unit, simply based on my experience with other UV sterilizers I'd say it'due south a pretty solid choice for keeping the pathogens in a 200 to 300-gallon fish tank nether control.

Tips for proper usage

To ensure optimal performance when using your UV sterilizer you lot should:

• Install information technology after your filter or pump's outtake. Aquarium water is densely populated by microscopic organisms, while high on other organic and non-organic matter. This means that some of the intruders you lot'd want to zap may 'hide" backside the mass of other bacteria or debris. By installing the UV sterilizer right after the return line of your filtration system yous are making sure that no debris volition compromise the reach of the UV light.
• Use with filter floss for a crystal clarity. Fine filter floss, such equally quilt batting volition brand your water pristine on its own (look up my commodity on that in the Search bar). When combined with a UV sterilizer y'all will reach a 100% transparent look, along with reduced chances of illness or an outbreak.
• Don't use during nitrogen cycling. Benign bacteria live on the surface area and not in the water column. When the tank is still cycling, however, the population will withal be sensitive and therefore imbalanced. There'due south a gamble that yous'll reduce the numbers of other organisms that help the establishment of nitrifying bacteria. Simply resort to a UV aquarium sterilizer if your fish tank experiences continuous bacterial bloom (vii days or more than). After you lot plough off your UV unit, you tin utilize bottled bacteria to ensure stability in the colonies of beneficial nitrifiers in your aquarium.
• Run information technology on a schedule. To run a UV sterilizer 24/7 would exist overkill unless otherwise stated past the manufacturer. A expert disease-preventive schedule would exist to run it every 3 to 4 days for no more than 5 hours.
• Turn it off while feeding your corals. Since coral nutrient is costless-floating organisms, there'south a high run a risk that your UV sterilizer will subtract the value of the meal. Running it in a reef aquarium volition never sterilize its h2o from beneficial phytoplankton, just yous will have to add together a piffling more food for your corals than usual. It's well justified to spend a little more on nutrient than hundreds of dollars for new fish every couple of months, because of a crash.
• Turn it off while dosing fertilizers to aquarium plants. The UV lite may alter the chemical structure of aquarium fertilizers, then you should not run it constantly when dealing with a loftier-tech heavily planted aquarium. If you follow my recommended schedule you lot will exist completely fine.
• Clean the drinking glass sleeve. The glass sleeve is where the gunk of expressionless bacteria and other pathogens will accumulate. As with every other degrading thing, this may cause a spike in ammonia or nitrite if left for too long in the fish tank. Clean the glass sleeve every month or so if you're running the UV sterilizer constantly.
• Never use it with medicine. Virtually chemicals can also be broken downwardly by high-energy ultraviolet photons. Running your UV sterilizer along with medicine in your tank is not a good idea. It may return the medicine useless or even worse, make information technology toxic.
• Alter the bulb when the fourth dimension comes. Otherwise, yous'll simply waste electricity. These are special UV bulbs that practice clothing off.
• Control the period rate if possible. I may be repeating myself, but a slower menses rate increases dwell-time, ensuring damage to the more than resilient parasites, bacteria, and fungi.
• Monitor the water temperature. Logically, a potent UV-C lamp will give off some heat. These devices practice enhance the temperature in the aquarium, merely that's by a mere degree or 2. The only time you should be concerned with that is during the extremely hot summer days, when some sort of cooling may be needed. My cloak-and-dagger solution for this kind of situation is my air-conditioner.

A light conclusion

Choosing the all-time performer amongst the many UV sterilizers is really quite simple, every bit long as you know your stuff. I hope that these reviews and boosted guidance gave you the info you were looking for.

What model did you cull in the terminate? Is your setup freshwater or saltwater? Do you want an additional recommendation? Ask your questions in the comments and I will get back to you as soon as I see them.

How Do You Know If Your Coralife Uv Filter Still Working,

Source: https://aquanswers.com/best-uv-sterilizer-aquarium-clear/

Posted by: perrywhearommens.blogspot.com

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