UV Sterilizer/water quality

[Surfnturf]

Wasn't sure if this fit under water or equipment.

What do you all think about using uv sterilization to reduce parasitic/bacterial loads in water. Are there any commercially available that are any good? It would likely go inline with an eheim 2213 canister filter in my planted 20 L.

Btw. I'm not too concerned about algae as what I do have growing on driftwood and rocks my fish seem to like.

Thanks!

[DISCUS STU]

Are you talking about a 20 liter (5 gallon) tank or a 20 gallon long tank. Either way it seems like a lot of overkill for a tank that size.

I use UV sterilizers on my larger tanks. Try the UV TurboTwist series, link below. They're relatively easy to work with in regard to quick change out of the bulbs which generally are good for about 6 months and aren't as expensive as they used to be. Even if they still seem to be working, the UV sterilizers have small ports to check this, they should be replaced at 6 months. I just replaced a bulb that seemed to be good when I observed from the port but opened it up to find that the end that could be viewed through the port was fine but 90% of the body of the glass bulb was darkened, making it less effective, due to the glass being coated by the burnt out filament.

Amazon has the the bulbs listed at $6.00. You can also find the bulbs at bulb specialty websites where you can buy them in bulk to last you for a while. Just be careful to check all the bulbs once you receive them as the sellers sometimes use grey market Chinese stock that don't always fire.

They will make the water crystal clear, reduce bacterial load, etc. This doesn't eliminate the need for regular maintenance; water changes, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=turbo+twist+uv&tag=mh0b-20&index=aps&hvadid=3487001385&ref=pd_sl_3tr0f1y3ql_b

[Surfnturf]

20 gallon long low tech planted. 2 juvenile 2" discus in my community tank. i have 2 canister filters: eheim 2213 and tom aquatics rapids mini canister filter. the water already stays clear (seachem purigen in the tom aquatics canister). i am just trying to decrease the chances of disease since my setup is less than optimal. i am limited in that i cannot do daily water changes due to my work schedule and other factors; however, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are kept well within acceptable levels. going bigger is not really an option, but i do have a pretty good monthly discretionary fund.

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc307/StantonJ777/aquarium/9A7D164F-1E45-4A55-BA4A-A573CCD72D24_zpslfo1iira.jpg (http://s212.photobucket.com/user/StantonJ777/media/aquarium/9A7D164F-1E45-4A55-BA4A-A573CCD72D24_zpslfo1iira.jpg.html)

[Andy27012]

I run a uv sterilizer on my tank and recommend. It helps with things like parasites andfree floating algae. I have and strongly recommend an emporer sterilizer. (http://www.emperoraquatics.com/smart-uv-sterilizers.php#.VKueRIE8KrU). No matter which one you use remember the slower the flow rate the smaller the parasites it is capable of killing and the better a job it will do. Also make sure to replace your bulbs yearly or it will not have the desired effect.