UV sterilizer

Hey everyone,

I'm looking into getting a UV for my 40 breeder. I need it to be very small so I can put it in my aqueon 55 HOB that I grow chaeto in. I found this:

Oceanic BioCube Mini UV Sterilizer V2 (Version 2.0): UV Sterilizers for Nano Aquariums

However, I want to know if would be ok to hook the pump up to it so it sucks water in through the UV and the shoots it out the pump. Instead of forcing water through the UV with the pump. Reason being because I need a powerhead that shoots straight down to keep an area of my BB clean and I would like to kill two Gazelles with one adeladle. Please let me know if you think this would be ok.

 

IME yet HO, 5W won't do much if anything. My 18W with a new bulb doesn't do much on my 125 REEf. Changes such as algae growth mainly. They can help with parasites and larvae, if that's a problem, but at higher power.

That's my 2cents.

 

I have an 18w coralife turbo twist on my 150. I feel like it helps with the algae, but as others will tell you there is no proof that it really is making a huge difference. But I feel better!!

 

I'll sell ya my green machine for $40 total! I don't use it and barely did, prob 3 weeks run time on it. I just don't think they're worth it if your system is set up right. IMO, many disagree with tha though.

 

Well the only reason I'm thinking of one for my reef is because I have a 13 watt on my freshwater piranha tank. He eats 12 large comets a week. This is a nitrate disaster and when I tested my water I got a blood red color from my API test kit. As I wondered how my fish was still alive and there was ZERO algae on the glass or in the tank and the water looked crystal clear I remembered the sterilizer which is on for 12 hrs daily. What other reason could there be for water that clear with nitrate levels that high?

 

Not sure trate is a direct correlation to algae, I had a piranha tank in college for years with similar results. the UV isn't a bad idea, just don't look at it as a solution

 

I'm not really having any problems with my reef, its only 3 months old though so I know algae blooms could happen. I just love the way it polishes the water and being 2.5" in diameter by 8" long it can be completely hidden by my HOB, except the pump which I need anyway to hit a dead spot. Do you think there's any problem with sucking water through the UV rather than forcing it through?