Hello

Ive been seriously thinking about getting a UV sterilizer for my community tank but am a bit confused as to which would be the best one to use.

Ive been looking at the Vecton range, are they any good?

Id like it to be an external one that can be attached to my Ehiem Ecco.

My tank is 125l tropical freshwater.

Any advice would be much appriciated.

Thanks guys

Vecton was recommended to me when I was looking for a UV steriliser, seems ok so far Mine is for tanks up to 400 litres and is about 2 feet long for the whole unit, it fits inline with the filter tubing but it has to be mounted on something, it can't just 'dangle'. They do them for smaller tanks, obviously, but I'm not sure how big that would make the unit. I was quite surprised by the size of mine, I was expecting it to be smaller for some reason. Easy to fit, got it from Charterhouse Aquatics and they gave me a spare bulb for free It does make starting up the filter a bit of a pain but that's more to do with my hoses being too long really so the filter is having to shift a large head of water which is made worse with the UV unit in the middle holding more water - if that makes sense

Thanks for that suey2

I had a brief look at the Vectons in the lfs today, they are big arnt they!

What do you think than.. Would the V2 Nano be big enough or should I go for the V2 200?

Isnt it possible to get a UV that is too big and cause harm? Or if theyre too small they wont work?

ARG!

Ok, so the nano goes up to 30 gallon. My tank is 27.5 gallons.

Will this still be as effective as the 200? Or is the 200 overkill?

I think thats the same question?

Am I making sense yet?

yes as long as you don't exceed the lph through put the nano would be ok. The 200 would be better and I seriously doubt you can over UV a tank. I'd go for the one that can run at the speed of your filter's return so it fits inline without the need for extra pumps.

Thanks EagleC

I must have dreamt it that you could over UV a tank.

Ive been searching for the LPH rates for the Vectons with no luck. You would'nt know where I can find them would you?

Is the flow rate through the device more important than the size of the aquarium? What I mean is, because I have a filter for up to 300l would I need a UV sterilizer for a tank that large?

Theres quite a price difference between the Nano and The 200 so I want to get it right. I'd rather spend the extra £20 and get something that works than get the cheap option and for it to be useless. Having said that if the nano will do the job I'll save the cash! (quick economics lesson for you )

Sorry for seeming a bit slow on this. I like to make sure I understand what im doing before I spend the baby's shoe money.

Thanks again

The original vecton series:
http://www.theaquariumshop.co.uk/offe ... info.php?offerings_id=216

Vecton UV8 - 8 watt UV suitable for tanks of up to 50 UK/60 US gallons (230 litres) with a maximum flow rate of 150 UK/180 US gallons/680 litres per hour.

Vecton UV15 - 15 watt UV suitable for tanks of up to 95 UK/115 US gallons (430 litres) with a maximum flow rate of 285 UK/340 US gallons/1300 litres per hour.

Vecton UV25 - 25 watt UV suitable for tanks of up to 125 UK/150 US gallons (570 litres) with a maximum flow rate of 375 UK/445 US gallons/1700 litres per hour.

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The new ones are on the TMC website in litres per minute, quick conversion:-
V2ecton 200 678 lph
V2ecton 300 960 lph
V2ecton 400 1296 lph
V2ecton 600 1896 lph

The nano UV doesn't appear on their website.

//edit//
oh yes flow rate is everything with these. If you exceed the flow rates the water doesn't get enough UV and it doesn't work.

Thats brilliant! Thanks for that EagleC!

I'll just find out the flow rate of my filter and i'll be good to go!

Thanks again

Ok. My filter is 600lh. So its the V2ecton 200 that would be best for me?

Is that right? I just need reasuring!

Are you really sure about that FA