Heartlander

Hi folks. I am re-entering the hobby after several years off. I just bought and installed a 9W Green Killing Machine UV filter in my 55 gallon, freshwater tank to help clear up a little cloudiness. Should I be able to see any light from the unit itself?

The control unit (I assume a ballast) is located outside the tank and has a little red LED which is to indicate the unit is on and the bulb is good. It is on however, in one of the ads I saw for the filter it looked like you could see a blue band light up around the canister.

So, is it really on?

I've also seen conflicting info on running the filter. Forums indicate leave it on 24/7 but the mfr web site says run it till the water clears then stop. Run as needed I guess. Does this sound right?

Now that I thought I had done my research and bought the unit, I've come across some disparaging comments about it. Leaks which cause bulb failures and too high flow rate. However I read the specs and the mfr says the bulb canister must be replaced entirely because it is sealed to prevent leaks and the flow rate works out to 37GPH, well within the recommended rate for proper filtration. So, has the mfr recently updated the filter to address previous problems?

Any other comments on the unit are welcome. Thanks.

Silvering

I have one, and it doesn't leak any light (and I would be very suspicious of it if it did). I would suspect the ads of being photoshopped, myself. I leave mine on 24/7, but then I'm using it primarily for pathological microorganism control than algae control. I've recently read something that implied UV could help with water chemistry, but I didn't understand much of that.

I do bear in mind that it's, like, the cheapest UV filter on the market, so I'm not expecting the world out of it. Of course, the light canister being sealed means we do kind of just have to trust that it's working... unless somebody has some spare fiber optic cable lying around. XD

HeyPK

If you have green water you can find out in a few days whether or not the unit is working. If it is, the green water will start to clear up after two to three days of treatment. The algae may be killed quicker than that, but it takes time for it to disappear from the water column.

Diana K

I do not see any blue light from either of mine.
I just run them as needed, 24/7 until the problem is gone, then put them in storage until needed again.

Yes, seeing how fast a unit deals with green water algae is a good way to see if it is working. (Now, if I could only grow GWA!)