Shall I get an UV internal filter?

[Vervo]

for breeding tank.

I am not too sure their up and downs, but i heard they kills alge and bad bateria and virus?

Will that be ideal for a discus baby tank (6 month old)?

mean while, still using a sponge filter, don't want to spend too much money.

thanks

[Ira]

for breeding tank.

I am not too sure their up and downs, but i heard they kills alge and bad bateria and virus?

Will that be ideal for a discus baby tank (6 month old)?

mean while, still using a sponge filter, don't want to spend too much money.

thanks

They kill algae that's freefloating in the water. If your water isn't green they are a waste of money.

They kill some of the bacteria, viruses and parasites in the water. But only what goes through it and if your fish are not infested they are a a waste of money.

Unless you have a specific need for them, they are a waste of money.

[Vervo]

Thanks

[Cricketman]

from : http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=58229

UV is good when your facing a particular problem.

Excessive Algae, Parasites, Infection etc can all be AIDED by adding the U.V element.

Remembering the actual amount of sanitation that is achieved is reliant on:

The amount of U.V being produced by the bulb (as already stated, drops considerably over a fairly short perod of time - actual times will vary with manufacturer) Watts is a good general guide when NEW!

The surface area of exposure -

The flow rate through the U.V section - these last two will give you the "exposure length" or "exposure time" - a high surface area is worthless if the water is barrelling past at a rate of knots...

similarly, you could slow the flow through a smaller surface area of exposure, but at a point it becomes un-economical.

In fact, there are some mega-U.V units that aquariums use, with one main centre light, and glass tubing spiralled along the outside to increase the exposure time. different tanks can have seperate "coils" around the bulb.

How clear the water is - higher turbidity, lower effective exposure

The size of the organism that you are trying to zap - bigger organisms require more exposure

and number one - you can't zap what isn't inthe water column. That fat blob of algae that is on your rocks ain't going to worry about the U.V on the other side of the tank...

BUT! in saying that, spread of algae is reduced by the use of the U.V, as spores/ free floating cells will be zapped.

All in All, U.V treatment is a useful tool that we have in our arsenal.

Is it a fix-all? -No. But it can help in particular circumstances, And even then, You'd want to run it continuously for about a month (again, depending on what your trying to zap) and then turn it off.

If you are not using it for a particular purpose, then you're wasting your bulb-life. :thup:

If you cannot turn off your U.V seperately, Don't bother with the unit. :sage:

[Vervo]

That's useful, thanks