Pentair or Aqua uv??

[Michael43]

Trying to decide. I have an aqua on another tank now. It's been good. BRS pushes the pentair pretty hard and I do respect those guys opinions. Oddly one asks for a flow rate of like 200gph and the other like 900gph. Indifferent to my decision but odd to me. I'd be looking at a 40w

 

[tvu]

You just barely missed out on some sales.
Marine Depot had $20.17 off $200 and drsfostersmith had an HO emperor aquatics 57w for $450 on clearance. I'm impatient myself so I ordered a 40w aqua uv from amazon(apparently last 1 in stock with prime shipping).

 

[Rick.45cal]

I've got the pentair 50 watt. It's a great UV. There are two suggested flow settings, one flow rate for bacteria/algae elimination, and a much slower flow rate that is for protozoa. If you have a graduated cylinder, a stopwatch (or smart phone), then you can accurately set the flow rate with a gate valve.

If I had to do it over again, I would buy the Pentair again, without a second thought. Customer service with them is excellent too.

 

[mcarroll]

Oddly one asks for a flow rate of like 200gph and the other like 900gph.

That's just the different dosage rates – they picked different numbers to market, but they are probably engineered a little different from one another.

If I had to do it over again, I would buy the Pentair again, without a second thought. Customer service with them is excellent too.

This used to be Emperor Aquatics and they were awesome to work with. Since they got scooped up by Pentair I wasn't able to figure out who's taking their calls now. Who (and what number) are you calling for them now – just the 800# from http://pentairaes.com?

 

[Rick.45cal]

That's just the different dosage rates – they picked different numbers to market, but they are probably engineered a little different from one another.



This used to be Emperor Aquatics and they were awesome to work with. Since they got scooped up by Pentair I wasn't able to figure out who's taking their calls now. Who (and what number) are you calling for them now – just the 800# from http://pentairaes.com?

Pretty sure I called 877-347-4788 (It's the number off the sticker on the side of the unit). When I received mine it had the wrong sized bulkhead fittings, one phone call and I had them in 3 days.

 

[Michael43]

Anyone else have any opinions?

 

[piranhaman00]

Bump? Looking for a larger unit, around 40 watts. The pentair is cheaper at this size and BRS recommends them but looking for any experience here, thanks!

 

[LAReefer4Life]

Anyone else have any opinions?

Oh yes! I love this topic point :) I purchased both brands of UV sterilizers just to test out which one had the best response rate and positive impact. I plumbed the pentair high output 80 watt uv and 57 watt aqua uv into my reefer 625XXL. The pentair is a beast and takes up considerably more space but works better to be honest. I believe the pentair contact time with the bulb is really what makes this unit more superior in performance.

I tested each unit by taking one uv sterilizer offline for a 4 week period after both units were running together for a 2 full month period. I went offline with the pentair first and saw a noticeable impact on water clarity and algae build up. Within 2 weeks of turning the pentair sterilizer back on I was happy to see improvement. I turned my aqua uv off for 30 days and was pleasantly surprised how well the pentair did its job.

Flow rates are really managed by us and is determined on what your trying to accomplish. I am running the flow rates 150-300 gallons per hour to be effective against protozoa. One key ingredient on this subject matter is size. You definitely want to purchase a uv sterilizer that 3-4 x the suggested water volume of your aquarium for considerable impact.

Hope this helps!

 

[Flippers4pups]

Oh yes! I love this topic point :) I purchased both brands of UV sterilizers just to test out which one had the best response rate and positive impact. I plumbed the pentair high output 80 watt uv and 57 watt aqua uv into my reefer 625XXL. The pentair is a beast and takes up considerably more space but works better to be honest. I believe the pentair contact time with the bulb is really what makes this unit more superior in performance.

I tested each unit by taking one uv sterilizer offline for a 4 week period after both units were running together for a 2 full month period. I went offline with the pentair first and saw a noticeable impact on water clarity and algae build up. Within 2 weeks of turning the pentair sterilizer back on I was happy to see improvement. I turned my aqua uv off for 30 days and was pleasantly surprised how well the pentair did its job.

Flow rates are really managed by us and is determined on what your trying to accomplish. I am running the flow rates 150-300 gallons per hour to be effective against protozoa. One key ingredient on this subject matter is size. You definitely want to purchase a uv sterilizer that 3-4 x the suggested water volume of your aquarium for considerable impact.

Hope this helps!

Wow, lots of info! Bravo!

 

[piranhaman00]

Oh yes! I love this topic point :) I purchased both brands of UV sterilizers just to test out which one had the best response rate and positive impact. I plumbed the pentair high output 80 watt uv and 57 watt aqua uv into my reefer 625XXL. The pentair is a beast and takes up considerably more space but works better to be honest. I believe the pentair contact time with the bulb is really what makes this unit more superior in performance.

I tested each unit by taking one uv sterilizer offline for a 4 week period after both units were running together for a 2 full month period. I went offline with the pentair first and saw a noticeable impact on water clarity and algae build up. Within 2 weeks of turning the pentair sterilizer back on I was happy to see improvement. I turned my aqua uv off for 30 days and was pleasantly surprised how well the pentair did its job.

Flow rates are really managed by us and is determined on what your trying to accomplish. I am running the flow rates 150-300 gallons per hour to be effective against protozoa. One key ingredient on this subject matter is size. You definitely want to purchase a uv sterilizer that 3-4 x the suggested water volume of your aquarium for considerable impact.

Hope this helps!

Very helpful! Thank you, nice direct comparison.

 

[Blue Ring Octopus]

Well semi direct comparison one is a 80 watt and the other is a 57 watt, is the 80 watt the correct size for your tank or is the 57 watt?

 

[LAReefer4Life]

Well semi direct comparison one is a 80 watt and the other is a 57 watt, is the 80 watt the correct size for your tank or is the 57 watt?

You're correct there :) The 57 watt is rated for 355 gallons and the 80 watt up to 560 gallons. My aquarium is 165 total with sump. Both are sufficient for aquarium size.

 

[Kyl]

From what I've seen of Aqua offerings locally, the build quality seems to be rather meh considering the price.

 

[anonomous09]

Currently running an Aqua UV 57 watt with no complaints!

 

[Will Wohlers]

I run an aqua uv on all my systems since I had a dino outbreak last year. Love them. Build quality is fantastic. Built and assembled in the US and customer service is fantastic. I'm sure pentair is also great but aqua uv was just the one I chose and now that I use them will always be my choice.

 

[Be102]

Bump

 

[roberthu526]

I've got the pentair 50 watt. It's a great UV. There are two suggested flow settings, one flow rate for bacteria/algae elimination, and a much slower flow rate that is for protozoa. If you have a graduated cylinder, a stopwatch (or smart phone), then you can accurately set the flow rate with a gate valve.

If I had to do it over again, I would buy the Pentair again, without a second thought. Customer service with them is excellent too.

Absolutely agree. Pentair customer was great. I hade a burnt connector to the lamp on a new unit and I wasn’t sure what happened. Contacted customer service and after sending a few pictures they sent me a new connector and a new lamp which was retail at $80-ish. I didn’t even ask for a new lamp. The lady on the other end said “just in case”.
My unit was 125W Smart HO by the way.

 

[Sashaka]

While not super active, this thread has endured! But the dialogue comes at a great time. I've been trying to decide which uv unit to purchase and figure out what size is best for my tank as well. I've been leaning towards the Pentar for my 180 gal. I've been looking at the 30 and 40 watt. If what @pathot984 writes earlier in the thread is true, these sterilizers would be too small for my system. Is this correct?

Also, I was not planning on running the sterilizer 24/7 as that would likely add $20 to $30 dollars to the NYSEG bill. I was planning on running about 1/2 time...maybe during the night or maybe three or four days out of the week. Any thoughts about those plans? I am looking to control bacteria and while I don't really have a lot of hair algae, the water clarity could be better.

 

[Jon Fishman]

I run four AquaUV 25w’s but I think either one is a winner

 

[xionggotstyle]

Any updates on yall UV sterilzers Specifically the Pentair 80 watts? I'm about to get one Pentair 80 watt HO for my Red sea Reefer 750XXL. This thing is a beast. But for you that own this UV sterilizer, how often do you maintenance the unit? and how often do you change out the bulbs?