(upbeat music)
- Hey, it's Thomas here.
And today, we're doing a quick review
on Aqua Ultraviolet Advantage, hang-on UV Sterilizers.
If you want to add a UV sterilizer to your aquarium,
but don't have the space,
or want to have to plumb in a typical large sterilizer.
Want to be able to use your existing canister filter
or return pump to power your sterilizer,
without complicated plumbing.
Or, want to be able to add
or remove your UV sterilizer easily
for temporary use on a quarantine system.
Then, take a look at the Advantage hang-on Sterilizers
from Aqua Ultraviolet.
UV sterilizers have really started
to become a popular option
for reefers looking to minimize the risk
of parasites, protozoans, and other pathogens in the tank,
keeping our fish safe and healthy,
or as a tool for preventing and tackling troublesome dinos,
cyano, and other pesky algae outbreaks.
One hurdle reefers face is
that most sterilizers worth their salt
are typically large and cumbersome,
and require a fair amount
of planning to get them plumbed in properly.
On the other hand, the majority of small hang-on
or submersible options really lack the quality
and performance required
for tackling those tougher marine parasites.
Aqua Ultraviolet has a great solution
in their Advantage Series of hang-on UV sterilizers.
They're American-made by a company entrenched
in the UV industry, not only
for home aquatics, but also for industrial UV applications.
Their aquarium grade sterilizers are built
to last, they're compact, and affordable.
Their Advantaged Series packs
the same quality and performance
into a simple hang-on sterilizer,
that's easy to install,
or take on and off tanks as needed.
In the box you'll find,
the Aqua Ultraviolet Advantage UV Sterilizer,
the sterilizing bulb, and the ballast.
The Advantage hang-on sterilizers come in two sizes,
There's an 8 watt and a 15 watt.
Both are rated for saltwater tanks, right around 70 gallons,
with similar flow rates
in the low 200 gallon per hour range,
to hit that 90,000 milliwatts
per centimeter square recommended for sterilization.
If your system is between 50 and 75 gallons,
I would definitely recommend going with the 15 watt unit.
But if your tank is under 50 gallons,
and you want to save a few bucks on your electric bill,
you can use the 8 watt sterilizer,
provided you stay at, or under,
that 214 gallon per hour rating.
Now, if you're wondering why they offer both,
given that they perform so similarly on salt water tanks,
it's because on freshwater aquariums and ponds,
when used as a clarifier for algae,
the gap in performance is much larger.
For our purposes though,
they are very similarly rated.
Installation is really simple,
and truly what makes this a really attractive option
to many reefers, including myself.
The Advantage hang-on series are designed
to attach to the output of your canister filter,
or return pump, and rest on the edge of your aquarium.
They have a 90 degree spout to direct the water
down into the aquarium that also acts
as the hook to hold the sterilizer in place,
on rimless or trim tanks, with an edge up to one inch wide.
It is as simple as it gets.
But if you like to run your return pump on your system
at a higher flow rate, you could potentially
add a second return pump tailored to the UV sterilizer,
that will also work as a backup
in case your primary return pump fails,
which is a great redundancy to have.
You can also use them with a small utility pump,
or power head, which might be a better option
if you plan to use the sterilizer temporarily.
A good example of that, is using it
for a quarantine system.
If you don't plan on having
your quarantine running full time,
the Advantage is a really nice option,
since it's small, light, and can easily be added
and removed as needed without complicated plumbing
or rigid inflow and outflow pipes.
That is precisely what I'm gonna be using
this Advantage Sterilizer for.
I have a 20 gallon quarantine tank
that I'm going to be using as the temporary home
for new fish before they go into the 300 XL,
just to be on the safe side.
I'm also looking
at using a full-time UV sterilizer on the display tank.
I haven't quite landed
on which sterilizer I want to get yet.
There's a lot of options, a lot of things to consider.
It can be a little bit daunting.
But thankfully, there's an awesome five minute guide series
on UV sterilizers, you can check out right here.
Goes over everything you need to know.
From what sterilizers can do, what they can't do,
what you want to do with your sterilizer,
and how you can achieve that.
How to plumb them, everything.
So, yeah, don't get overwhelmed.
It's easy to understand, regardless of
whether you're a brand new hobbyist,
or you've been doing it for a long time
and just never really got into UV sterilizers.
So have a watch,
and protect your fish.
'Cause that's all I wanna do now.
Don't wanna lose any fish.
It hurts.
Here.
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