Ultra Zap UV Steriliser

I recently had a tank turn green, and despite doing almost anything and everything (apart from using chemicals) I decided to invest in an UV Steriliser.
Research showed that a UV Steriliser would be better than the UV Clarifier, even if it cost a bit more.
My choice finally came down to the Ultra Zap 15W Professional.

I decided on the UV Steriliser as opposed to the UV Clarifier, as though my main problem in the tank was free-floating algae, I wanted the other benefits a Steriliser gives, when compared to a Clarifier.
A Clarifier basically gets rid of free-floating algae in the tank, while the Steriliser performs the same function as the Steriliser, plus it destroys bacteria, viruses and fungus.
According to many sites on the internet the Steriliser is effective at combating 99.5% of bacteria in the tank.
The anaerobic bacteria living in your filter and substrate are not harmed however, as they do not pass through the Steriliser.

A few additional items had to be purchased which did not come with the UV Steriliser.
PVC nipples for the piping.
16mm hose
Hose clamps
PVC Cement
3 pin plug for the ballast on the UV Steriliser.

Installation was fairly straight forward.
I decided to install the UV Steriliser in-line before the canister inlet, to enable the filter to remove any treated algae and other nasties that may exist before it flows back into the tank.
After applying PVC cement to the inside of the joints, I inserted the PVC nipples, and waited 15 minutes for the PVC cement to dry and harden.
Measuring the hose to ensure that there would be no kinks, loops or bends in the line, I cut the original filter inlet hose, and added a new piece of hose between the suction uptake and the UV Steriliser.
Judicial use of hot water to soften the hose made slipping it onto the PVC nipples much easier.
Hose clamps were used to ensure that the hose did not leak.
The UV Steriliser was plugged in together with the filter, ensuring that it is running as long as the filter is on.

I struggled to get the Cascade 1200 to prime, and finally cleaned the filter and then tried to prime it again.
That seemed to work, and the canister filled with water after a few pushes of the priming button.

The end caps on the UV Steriliser glow a light blue when it is switched on, enabling me to see that it is on at a glance.

Within 2 hours of switching on the UV Steriliser I could see a difference in the colouration of the green pea soup that was in my tank.
3 Days after installing the UV Steriliser the water was crystal clear, with the fish appearing to be floating in space.

In my opinion the UV Steriliser is the next best thing to sliced bread.

Tank before.


36 Hours after installing the UV Steriliser


UV Steriliser installed and hidden in the cabinet.

 

Great to hear about something that works! Thanks for info.

 

Awesome info I might also buy one soon. What is the size of the pvc nipples needed for the install. Thanks for the informative info.

Sent from mTalk

 

The nipples reduce in size, from a 12mm right up to 50mm.
Depending on the size you need you can just cut it down to size with a hacksaw.

 

So just to clarify this, the outlet from the tanks goes into the UV sterilizer then from the sterlizer it goes into the inlet section on the canister. Sure I will get one. Buying my awesome wife a new iphone soon. So I can then get a new canister with one of these sterilizers and enough matrix to fill the baskets of the dophin c1000 canister.

The Tranquility Effect

 

You would be better off buying the wife a new Samsung Note 7, even if it has an exploding battery, than an iPhone.... :tongue:

The UV Steriliser is installed in such a manner that water flowing from the tank to the canister goes through the Steriliser.
Any nasties are taken care of by the Steriliser before they enter the filter, where they are filtered out.

 

Hehe no my wifey loves her iphone think its really worth it. Just asked for pricing from aqua empire getting my dolphin c1000 from them so told the guy if he can give me a good price on the sterilizer then I will buy all from them

The Tranquility Effect

 

The difference is incredible, the only question I have is the cost of the setup and how long a UV tube lasts. I think this is the cost vs the outcome equation.

Great review, thanks for the info.

 

The price for the UV Steriliser varies considerably, depending on where you buy.
I shopped around for price, and the best price I could get was at Dory's Pets.
The Professional 15W that I got cost R1100-00.

Like any lighting tubes, they suggest replacing the tubes every 9-12 months.
At a price of about R200 for a tube, I can live with that.

 

Not as bad as I thought, the benefits certainly out way the costs..........

 

In the 2 weeks since I have installed it, I have not lost a single fish. :tongue:

During all the research I did before deciding on the UV Steriliser, I read many reviews of people saying that their fish appeared healthier, and that any outbreaks of Ich, parasitic problems and such were eliminated.
I decided on the Steriliser instead of a Clarifier for that purpose.

 

These are standard items for most koi keepers so I'm surprised there aren't smaller models available for tanks. That 15W is used for ponds up to 12000L.

 

The larger units designed for Koi ponds are different to the UV unit I got.
Dimensions are different as well.

The pond units consist of 90mm PVC pipe, that houses the UV light, and is about 100cm long.

The Professional series I got, consists of a 70mm PVC housing, with a quartz sleeve housing the UV light, and is 45cm long.
Apparently it is the quartz sleeve that causes the unit to be a Steriliser, compared to the other units being Clarifiers.

 

Very informative