Do I really need a Submersable UV Filter?

[FishLover]

I saw one with 24W and about $99 and rated for up to 105 g.

I have a 125 g tank and I guess that will not be enough. My real question is, do I need one at all?

I know there are few posts about UV filter already but none of them actually address this question as far as I can tell.

[Ben]

No you don’t need one but it does help.

Sterilizing the water against pathogens keeps your discus healthy, stops disease from spreading and if breeding helps prevents fungus/bacteria affecting the eggs.

I own 6 of those units and find them very good. The only draw back is the intake sponge needs to be cleaned daily

Although not necessary they do help.

Ben

[Proteus]

I agree with Ben however I have a personal preference for the larger, higher capacity extrenal units (36w). They only need attention once a year when changing the tube, at the same time the quartz sleeve is given a clean (however usually not required).

[FishLover]

Thanks guys for the advises. Since I'm not breeding the discus, I will wait for a better deal.

[G-1000]

I would go with either U.V setup.

You need to remember that discus can cost many hundreds of dollars, set a U.V like that will cost just over 100 bucks. Think of it as insurance. It is definately worth it.

G

[TomNS]

Just a quick question, where did you find one that was 24W for that price ?

The ones here in Bris are a fair bit more expensive

Thanks
Tom

[Ben]

I believe fishlover is in the states hence the price.

Ben

[AgeofAquariums]

Just a quick question, where did you find one that was 24W for that price ?

The ones here in Bris are a fair bit more expensive

Thanks
Tom

Hi Tom.

We sell the units for $120.00 AUD. Here is a link,

http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/prod1107.htm

Ben

[FishLover]

Yes the price is for the States. I saw their ads here in DiscusForums.com

http://somethingsphishy.com/

Never did any business with them yet.

You can get a better deal from Ben if you are in Aus. I think $120 AUD is about $100 USD anyway. You will save on postage at least.

A question for Ben, how hard is to set up this and does it make noise? How big is it? I have enough things in the tank to hide and one more big piece is not a good sight.

Thanks

[oscar]

Fishlover,

I have two fo the 24W units.

They take a matter of seconds to assemble.

One makes a very minute humming noise, the other is dead silent

There is not much you can do to hide them in the tank, they're always going to be there. If that's a huge issue for you, get an in-line model.

If you get one, try and set it up at a depth that when you do water change that the powerhead can't such air through the top. That way you can leave it running all the time.

Also, regarding the daily cleaning of the intake sponge...i used to have to do this when the units were in my smaller tanks. I've temporarily got both units in my 8x2x2 and i find the sponges are still free flowing after a week now. Mind you my water is pretty heavily filtered in this tank and i'm running a fairly mid-range bio load.