UV Sterilizers, which unit to choose and why?

ScottB · Oct 28, 2021

New&no clue said:
Yes, I’m between the Lifegard Aquatics Pro-MAX 90 watt and the Pentair Aquatics 80 watt. Obviously the price of the Lifeguard is more desirable, and the dimensions are better as well. Overall it seems comparable with the Pentair. However, I can’t find a lot of reviews.

Sorry can't help with personal experience for either of those. I own the older vertical Lifegard and the newer Aqua UV units. Thankfully they have been on the shelf for a while.

I have read here several times that people have bought both, but the context was less about the hardware and only about dinos.

Cory · Oct 28, 2021

1.2 years with the lifegard pro max 90w. No complaints and dinos are gone since day 5 of installation. Clearer water too but i suspect thats because it kills all green phyto. Its going to be part of my system from now on. For dinos or phyto blooms its indispensable.

t5Nitro · Oct 28, 2021

New&no clue said:
What size tank do you have?

75 gallon. Will use it with the next upgrade to a 150 as well.

New&no clue · Oct 29, 2021

Cory said:
1.2 years with the lifegard pro max 90w. No complaints and dinos are gone since day 5 of installation. Clearer water too but i suspect thats because it kills all green phyto. Its going to be part of my system from now on. For dinos or phyto blooms its indispensable.

What size system do you have. I’m looking for a UV because of Dinos as well.

Cory · Oct 29, 2021

New&no clue said:
What size system do you have. I’m looking for a UV because of Dinos as well.

Its a 125 gallon display tank with a 75 gallon sump filled 1/2 way.

New&no clue · Oct 29, 2021

Cory said:
Its a 125 gallon display tank with a 75 gallon sump filled 1/2 way.

Sorry, one more question. What size pump did you use with it?

Cory · Oct 29, 2021

New&no clue said:
Sorry, one more question. What size pump did you use with it?

No worries, its a panworld ps-200. Its about 1750 gph iirc. But its split between my skimmer and tank flow. Im guessing its pumping at least 1000gph through the uv.

dlai · Nov 19, 2021

Glad I found this thread.. was about to order a 25w Pentair but will be ordering a 55w Pro-Max now instead.

Plan is to install this in-stand on a 100g tank for the purposes of controlling Protozoa. Next step is to figure out how I'm going to handle the plumbing.. soo many ways to do this haha

t5Nitro · Nov 19, 2021

I have mine mounted vertically with a small 320 gph pump powering it. Works nicely.

Bitcoin Reefer · Apr 12, 2023

3" Lifegard Pro-MAX™ Ultraviolet Sterilizer, 90 Watt, 120V

Life Support Equipment for Aquariums, Zoos, Universities,Aquaculture, Filtration, Life Support Equipment , Supplies

myaquaticsolutions.com

Is this site reputable? I found this for pretty cheap, about $100-$200 cheaper than all other sites, and I'm wondering why. Thanks!

Bitcoin Reefer · Apr 12, 2023

Bitcoin Reefer said:
3" Lifegard Pro-MAX™ Ultraviolet Sterilizer, 90 Watt, 120V

Life Support Equipment for Aquariums, Zoos, Universities,Aquaculture, Filtration, Life Support Equipment , Supplies

myaquaticsolutions.com

Is this site reputable? I found this for pretty cheap, about $100-$200 cheaper than all other sites, and I'm wondering why. Thanks!

Also why are some of the 90watt by Lifegard Aquatics 1 unit, and some look like 2 side by side units?

On their website and most other places I see single unit. I'd think 1 unit would be cheaper than 2? but 2 seem cheaper generally? https://lifegardaquatics.com/produc...idal-uv-90-watts?_pos=14&_sid=26d780bea&_ss=r

ScottB · Apr 13, 2023

Bitcoin Reefer said:
3" Lifegard Pro-MAX™ Ultraviolet Sterilizer, 90 Watt, 120V

Life Support Equipment for Aquariums, Zoos, Universities,Aquaculture, Filtration, Life Support Equipment , Supplies

myaquaticsolutions.com

Is this site reputable? I found this for pretty cheap, about $100-$200 cheaper than all other sites, and I'm wondering why. Thanks!

Wow those are some awesome prices. I cannot speak to the reputation of this vendor personally.

ScottB · Apr 13, 2023

Bitcoin Reefer said:
Also why are some of the 90watt by Lifegard Aquatics 1 unit, and some look like 2 side by side units?

On their website and most other places I see single unit. I'd think 1 unit would be cheaper than 2? but 2 seem cheaper generally? https://lifegardaquatics.com/produc...idal-uv-90-watts?_pos=14&_sid=26d780bea&_ss=r

Folks will pay extra to get the "better/smaller" footprint is the best logic I can offer. Also, easier to plumb perhaps. One less canister to open and for your annual bulb change.

Bitcoin Reefer · Apr 13, 2023

ScottB said:
Folks will pay extra to get the "better/smaller" footprint is the best logic I can offer. Also, easier to plumb perhaps. One less canister to open and for your annual bulb change.

Thanks for the opinion

so I actually found a 120watt Lifegard Pro Max 3”, brand new, on EBay for $540 with tax and shipping. I went for it lol. Let’s hope it’s actually brand new and not a scam or something, but that seems like insane deal lol. Probably $900-$1000 new. Wish me luck boys!

SCReef'n · Jul 11, 2023

Bitcoin Reefer said:
Thanks for the opinion

so I actually found a 120watt Lifegard Pro Max 3”, brand new, on EBay for $540 with tax and shipping. I went for it lol. Let’s hope it’s actually brand new and not a scam or something, but that seems like insane deal lol. Probably $900-$1000 new. Wish me luck boys!

How large is your system? Any issues with heat?

marinesnow · Jul 11, 2023

I’ll join the necrobump train!

I went with an icecap. They’re significantly cheaper, do the same job, and are made of PVC unlike the cheap China brand stuff that disintegrates over time.

Pyrogens · Jul 12, 2023

marinesnow said:
I’ll join the necrobump train!

I went with an icecap. They’re significantly cheaper, do the same job, and are made of PVC unlike the cheap China brand stuff that disintegrates over time.

I'd be curious to know how you like the Icecap sterilizers? I haven't owned anything Icecap in a loooong time but have looked at these out of curiosity but never pulled the trigger.

marinesnow · Jul 12, 2023

Pyrogens said:
I'd be curious to know how you like the Icecap sterilizers? I haven't owned anything Icecap in a loooong time but have looked at these out of curiosity but never pulled the trigger.

I'm very happy with it. IMO UV sterilizers are hard for companies to get wrong, because their function and design is pretty basic, and companies often over engineer them to stand out from the competition. That said it's far from basic, for example it'll alarm if the bulb is burnt out. I was originally looking at a jebao, but theirs isn't made from PVC and therefore they disintegrate over time from the UV light.

Bitcoin Reefer · Jul 15, 2023

SCReef'n said:
How large is your system? Any issues with heat?

300g+60g sump. No heat issues at all, but I live in Los Angeles with moderate weather and run ac whenever it’s hot.

tlips · Jul 19, 2023

marinesnow said:
I'm very happy with it. IMO UV sterilizers are hard for companies to get wrong, because their function and design is pretty basic, and companies often over engineer them to stand out from the competition. That said it's far from basic, for example it'll alarm if the bulb is burnt out. I was originally looking at a jebao, but theirs isn't made from PVC and therefore they disintegrate over time from the UV light.

Any issues with the iceacap uv? IM looking at either the lifegard pro max or the icecap uv.