Thoughts of UVs

UV lights are often a frustrating topic. If the wattage and flow rate is set up correctly they can be the ponder's best friend, if not, they are right up there with the worst of them.

They are often times a much larger up front cost compared to standard treatments, but when you look at the long term repeated treatment versus a one time cost, plus replacement bulbs, they are often times as inexpensive or less than treatment. Basically, if you have the wattage and flow adjusted correctly, you will never have green water again. If you do, the bulb has burnt out or the calibration is off.

With how they function, killing all that circulates through them, they do not work on string algae. You still need a barley or other treatment to combat that. Also, is you use natural treatment for the string algae remember to unplug your uv for 24 hours or you are killing your treatment as well as the algae.

They often have roughly 14 month life spans (the bulbs), but if you only use them before your plants have gotten established, they can often work for 3 to 4 years. But remember, as with any other treatment, they are the band-aid, plants are the cure. If you have proper balance of plants and fish you should need minimal treatment of any kind once the plants are established.