This completely cleared the algae in 6 days in my 1000 gal. pond, but 8 days later the algae returned. How do you check the UV bulb if the unit has to be submerged when plugged in? I'm afraid the bulb may have already burned out.
1327695
Pull off the top attachment while in operation and look down the neck of the unit. You will see a green light through the water that is being pumped if working. I've had mine for several years with no problems.
869226
I have had the same experience and that is exactly why I dun this product in my review. What is happening is algae and scum are growing inside the plastic tube that feeds the spinner. It's exactly like atherosclerosis. The passage inside the tube gets smaller and smaller. Another event which is caused by the same condition is the holes in the spinner get clogged with growth. You can clean the holes with a toothpick and soaking in hot water but the tube is much harder to clean. What I did is hook a really narrow strip of terry cloth (about 1/4 inch wide and three inches long) to the end of a piece of 20 gauge copper wire (any kind of skinny wire will do) and I pull the cloth through the tube. You'll be quite grossed out when you see the scum that the cloth will drag out. After cleaning the spinner and the tube you must then disinfect the entire apparatus with a mild bleach solution in order to kill the microorganisms which will grow like mad as soon as you refill and use the unit after cleaning and de-gunking If you fail to disinfect carefully, the same build up will begin immediately and after growing a few bowls of sprouts you'll be back to square one. the unit is a pain and perhaps unhealthy too. You absolutely must change the water at least two times per day and preferably three times. You already know that the water will begin to stink badly just like any algae, bacteria-filled container of water. If you fail to maintain really clean water you're asking for a health issue in my humble opinion. Your sprouts will have been doused with stinky water about 30 times each day.......maybe more. My unit ran every few minutes. I never could determine what kind of timer was used. It was not always exactly the same interval sequence but regardless, this unit is a real hassle and it's always going to cause problems exactly like you are dealing with. Good luck
1419408
Not sure about a warranty, but it the only thing that can really go wrong is for the uv build to cease to be effective, and that would not be a warrantied part anyway. It will continue to shine, but will not continue to kill the algae. I run mine all summer and pick it up in the fall, and am on my second bulb in probably 5 years.
122930
I did not have luck with this product. I followed the instructions as included and it did not clear up my pond, in fact a couple of fish and toads died shortly after I put the product in. Could have been another issue but it seemed too much of a coincidence. I have however had GREAT luck with a UV light filter pump. Totally chemical free and keeps my water very clear.
1256504
Also, my light burnt out and I haven't replaced it, but I keep the tank in a very well lit room, right by big windows, and the plants grow a lot. The filter is a problem - it's very strong for my fish and some of the plants have come up, but I wrapped a little bag around the bubbler and that's made it better.
2249760
From my experience, 6 months seems to be a reasonable time to have the UV bulb, now if you notice the water quality diminishing that would be a good sign that it's not working, but that's my experience anyway. I have had success by regular tank management (weekly 5 - 10 % water changes), sea salt, combined with the bulb have been fine. No problems.
1838208
More then enough, put it on a timer or you will get algae everywhere. I have the 36" on my 50 gallon and have second light for the fish because I run it for two five hour period with 1 hour between. This cut down on algae but lets plants thrive. I have a true lumen on a ramp timer for the fish. It fades up in the morning and evening and provide ambient light for the fish so the no longer jump around when the Finnex goes on or off, especially mid day.
803424
Not much help here. Our light only came on about once & that was years ago. And there is no meter telling how many gallons have been used. We only change our filters about every 8 months. There are just 2 of us using them, so if you have more people in the house you'd probably need to change more often. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
447176
I had algae on one end and i think it was the solar cover that was causing it. Once i got rid of it algae went away. With the cleaner once u shock the pool sweep algae away and use cleaner a few times a week it doesnt come back. The cleaner also keeps my filter clean. I only hav to backwash once in summer not because i hav to. I tell everyone to get this tiger shark
897148
I still have a little bit of the black algae on a powerhead and a few rocks, but for the most part, it grows very, very slowly, so it doesn't get out of control to where the algae looks like somebody's hair waving in the breeze. As far as a can tell, it was actually changing the ph of my water which helped out there. I run a freshwater tank and try to keep the ph anywhere between 6.8 and 7.2 - obviously, if you are running salt water, that might be different, but where I live in Nebraska, the water tends to be quite hard and slightly alkaline, so I used an acid buffer. That's really what got the algae under control for me. I've heard some people have success with Flourish Excel in terms of keeping algae under control, but I don't think its really formulated so much for that as it is for overall plant health. Could be that it changes the ph slightly, and this causes the algae to die or inhibit its growth, but I don't think that is the case. If you want to control the algae, I would think that you need to lower the ph just a bit. It won't take much. That's been my experience.
2233469
I have tried to keep it away from direct sunlight and sources of heat, and that has worked for me for a few years. I also try to keep it fairly full or I'll notice condensation on the top of the bottom segment that holds the filtered water (that is visible in the clear container). Hope that's not confusing. I would make sure everything is fully scrubbed before starting a fresh batch - it only takes a little bit of algae to grow into a mess you don't want to deal with. You could use a diluted bleach spray to get rid of it....just make sure to thoroughly wash it off!
1953773
You need to give it some time. Mines took at least 3 weeks before I started seeing my pond clear up. No additional chemicals.
956337
I have this unit, with UV, running two small fountains, one on the outlet line from a submerged bio filtration canister. My pond is small, oval 110 gal. buried live stock trough. It totally cleared my green water in 4 days. it is over kill for my setup but I'm moving up from tiny to this to larger next year. I would go with 2 in in a 2400 gal set up possibly. Company not great with follow up, UV bulb inop has not sent new one. Real attitude on phone, they wanted 35 bucks + postage for a bulb i git for 13 buck also from Amazon.
146181
My pond it's about 750 gl. I am using a 5/8" house from the pump ( 1350 US GPH , 5000 LPH ) to the filter and a 1 1/2" from the filter to outside, to the fall. I do not know why algae occurring in the path of the waterfall if it has an ultraviolet lamp. It doesn't make a great fall either. I asked why this is this happening and the answer was that it needed a more powerful pump.
582275
I spliced the wire into an existing low voltage line and double heat-shrinked the connections, since I used it submerged in a koi pond. The light worked fine for a while, but quit. When I pulled it out it had water in it. I added a bunch of silicone around the wire and let it cure. Also replaced the bulb and tried it again. Same result, it quit working after a short period. I think it's leaking around the lense. The o-ring doesn't seem very resilient and appears to have relaxed against the glass. If you are using it around a pond, not in it, it might be okay.
1126558
Sorry, I am no expert in pool maintenance but I add one (sometimes two) packs of shock per week and keep the canister full of 3" chlorine tablets. I did have an algae problem because I let the maintenance go for several months. I added some large amounts of an algae treatment (found at the same store as shock) until the "green" disappeared. Normally, the shock (1 pack for about 8,000-10,000 gallons of water is sufficient to keep the algae at bay. It may take several days to get back to "normal". This is the extent of my experience. You could probably get a free estimate from a professional pool guy... I would get 2nd and 3rd opinions just in case! Austin Prestwood (near Houston TX) Sorry, I am no expert in pool maintenance but I add one (sometimes two) packs of shock per week and keep the canister full of 3" chlorine tablets. I did have an algae problem because I let the maintenance go for several months. I added some large amounts of an algae treatment (found at the same store as shock) until the "green" disappeared. Normally, the shock (1 pack for about 8,000-10,000 gallons of water is sufficient to keep the algae at bay. It may take several days to get back to "normal". This is the extent of my experience. You could probably get a free... » Read More Sorry, I am no expert in pool maintenance but I add one (sometimes two) packs of shock per week and keep the canister full of 3" chlorine tablets. I did have an algae problem because I let the maintenance go for several months. I added some large amounts of an algae treatment (found at the same store as shock) until the "green" disappeared. Normally, the shock (1 pack for about 8,000-10,000 gallons of water is sufficient to keep the algae at bay. It may take several days to get back to "normal". This is the extent of my experience. You could probably get a free estimate from a professional pool guy... I would get 2nd and 3rd opinions just in case! Austin Prestwood (near Houston TX) « Show Less
470918
No it did not. But a clerk at the pet store told me that the UV light does not kill the type of algae we have here in hawaii.