Hanzo

I'm getting a De Bary UV-filter 25 watt this week for my tank, hoping to clear up my wather and kill of algea! Not that I'm having a problem, but I have been making some money lately by selling of excess plants from my tank, and I kinda figured the money should go the the one who earned them

But from what I gather, a UV filter is not all good. It's supposed to affect the trace elements or iron, right? So, for how long periods of time should I keep it running dayly? I was thinking about getting a timer, and sett it to the first 15minuttes of every hours. How's that, to much or just perfect?

Kind regards,
Hanzo!

MiamiAG

Hanzo,

I'm not a fan of UV unless absolutely necessary to keep discus or clear up green water. I would not run them continuously or even on a daily basis because of the impact to the trace elements. It will likely break the chelation bond and cause more problems than it will solve.

If you do need it, I would suggest you let the water cycle through once (1x tank volume) on a per day basis.

Hanzo

I don't need it, I just figured it could clear up the water, and maybe make my Rams enjoy the stay in the tank more. What to do, what to do... Any other opinions on this then, I know there are many that use it for plantet tanks with succes. But I already dose hard to keep up the iron level, and this sure wount help. Thansk for your reply Art, I will note your opionon

Daemonfly

I'd agree with Art, they can be handy, but only use when you really need it. I'd just use it until the GW is cleared up, and the just leave it off or disconnect it (also save $$ on the expensive bulbs this way).