Coralife UV sterilizer

[Softpaws]

Hi all,

I’m purchasing the coralife UV sterilizer 6x, and I’m having a little trouble understanding everything I need to hook it up to my 150g.

I plan on hooking it in my sump, but I dont really know what else I need to buy besides the pump. Could ya’ll chime in and perhaps add some links to the other items I need?

Thank you all.

 

[Foothill Corals]

If you have not purchased it yet I recommend looking at the Pentair units that BRS sells instead.

 

[Softpaws]

If you have not purchased it yet I recommend looking at the Pentair units that BRS sells instead.

I’ll take a look at them

 

[Eagle_Steve]

If you have not purchased it yet I recommend looking at the Pentair units that BRS sells instead.

I second this. The coralife will work, but quality in the long run is not the greatest. I have a pentair on my koi pond that has been going for 7 years now and is a tank. As with any UV be ready for yearly bulb replacements. They do degrade over time and yearly is a good rule of thumb. Also, think of this when you take it into account when planning on where you are going to mount it. Do not want to make it hard to get to for service and cleaning in the future.

 

[Softpaws]

I second this. The coralife will work, but quality in the long run is not the greatest. I have a pentair on my koi pond that has been going for 7 years now and is a tank. As with any UV be ready for yearly bulb replacements. They do degrade over time and yearly is a good rule of thumb. Also, think of this when you take it into account when planning on where you are going to mount it. Do not want to make it hard to get to for service and cleaning in the future.

Okay. I’m looking at the other ones.

 

[Softpaws]

The pentair are a bit above my Patrice range at the moment.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

The pentair are a bit above my Patrice range at the moment.

Again the coralife will work and no shame in using it. Just know that it will not be the tank the pentair is. Same rule applies for it as well. Yearly bulb replacements, shut it off if the pump for it gets shut off, and be sure to clean it every now and again.

 

[Foothill Corals]

The pentair are a bit above my Patrice range at the moment.

I understand they are pricey. Personally I would not waste the money on the Coralife unit.

 

[Softpaws]

I understand they are pricey. Personally I would not waste the money on the Coralife unit.

Good advice

 

[UCF Alum]

Why do you want a UV sterilizer?

 

[Softpaws]

Why do you want a UV sterilizer?

To control my algae blooms

 

[Foothill Corals]

To control my algae blooms

What kind of algae?

Another brand to look at is Aqua. I have never used this brand but have seen it recommended by many people. I believe it is a little less expensive that the Pentair models.

 

[UCF Alum]

Aqua UV is about the same price as Pentair.

Do you know why you’re having algae blooms? How old is the tank?

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

It’s neat that you are taking the step to get a uv steralizer. What concerns me the most is nobody has mentioned that your only getting a level c uv w coralife and pentair. They are not any better than the petco green killing machine for 79.00.

Why is this? Because they don’t use 185nm bulbs and their flow and cortex sleeve are not made to kill alage blooms. It will help turn green water to clear water, but if you want something that kills alage bacteria viruses marine ick marine velvet etc then you need a level 2 or better level 1. Tcm makes a good one and they are level 2 some level 1 and cost about the same. They do use the proper sleeve and only 185nm bulbs.

The one I use is a tad more spend since it also has ozone section built in. But if you go with one that has ozone as well, learn it extremely well and never deviate from the instrument. Not only will it kill your viruses and parasites etc but you as well and cats dogs family.
So again study it well and have the proper gauges. The best way to run a uv is to have its own dc pump with a flow meter, then have it just dump right back into your return section. Doing in line was way to hard specially for maintenance, and if I have to take mine off line then I don’t have to tear anything else apart.

 

[Softpaws]

I should be more clear.

I have green water that’s why I want a sterilizer.

My tank is about 8 months old.

 

[Foothill Corals]

I should be more clear.

I have green water that’s why I want a sterilizer.

My tank is about 8 months old.

If it is just for green water you could probably get away with a cheap undersized one. I still would be hesitant on the coralife unit based on the Amazon reviews though.

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

Before I had a scare with marine ick I ran two green killing machines in my 240. My tank was a absolutely clear as one can get. Now they will kill some alage etc but no blooms or bacteria like cyano etc. I ran mine 24/7 every time and plus they tell you when the bulb is bad. Which is nice but still change every 6 months regardless. Now with my new one it’s every 9 months, but they come with their own pump designed for perfect flow and no need to plumb into anything and easy to swap bulbs out. No issues with correct flow, just install and go that’s it. If your going from green water to clear those are really good and have better reviews than coralife

 

[litenyaup]

I have used a turbo twist for 8 years with no issues at all. Only other thing besides the pump and tubing would be a ball valve to get the correct flow rate. I would recommend it to anyone.

 

[Softpaws]

Just a follow up. I cleared up all my green water within two days. All I bought was a green killing machine. My question is, now that my water is cleared up how often, and when, should I keep the green killing machine running? Should I run it 24/7??

I also had some major damage to my corrals. I think I lost them because the light wasn't reaching them effectively.