I purchased a 7W UV Sterilisation system from All Pond Solutions for around £30… a bargain compared to what you’d have to pay in your local fish shop. I originally ordered the 18W version, but it was way to big to fit in my cabinet comfortably.
My particular device is made in China by a company called SUNSUN. If you can read mandarin, you can find out about this product from the manufacturer: here.
The product specification from the manufacturer:
Model Number: CUV-207
Power Consumption: 7W
Suitable for aquariums: 180 litres or less
Inlet/Output adapter size: 0.5 (1/2) and 0.75 (3/4) inches
Cable length: 2.5 meters
I think the manufacturer is being a little cautious with it’s estimates. This particular model would be fine for aquariums up to 300+ litres. I don’t think I’ll even run mine 24/7, as a few hours of zapping each day should be fine for what I want – algae control.
You can read more about how these devices work here: Aquarium UV Steriliser blog
Figure 1 – Box, the device, a pipe (12mm internal, 16mm total width) connected to the inlet with jubilee clip, and a gas lighter used to gently heat the pipe to make it fit.
The manufacturer has specified this device with 1/2-3/4 inch connectors. I wanted to connect it to the outlet of my CristalProfi e900. In order to achieve this, I had to gently heat the end of the hose in order to fit it over the connector. I then waited for the hose to cool and used jubilee clips to hold the hose in place. It makes a really solid hold. My only criticism of the COV-207 is that it does not come with hose fixings, meaning in order to have confidence in the hose staying put, you need to buy jubilee clips!
Figure 2- Jubilee clip holding the 12mm internal, 16 mm total width hose in place.
Figure 3 – The device hooked up to the outlet of the Cristal Profi e900
I’ll report back on how thing go in the algae control stakes.
Martin
