6X

Worked like a charm! I had a persistent bacterial bloom in a 65 gallon freshwater cichlids tank that no amount of cleaning or frequent 15-30% water changing could remedy. My Fluval 405 filter wasn’t making a difference whether I cleaned it monthly or every 90 days. I asked my LFS their opinion on UV sterilizes and was given a “won’t hurt if you try” response. After a lot of research online I paired the 394 GPH flow from my fluval with what I could ascertain was the right wattage and volume UV sterilizer size and read all the reviews I could find on all brands. Decided on the TT 6X and was very pleased with the unit. Sturdy and easy to set up (although I was dealing with splicing it into the flex hose that Fluval seems to love - nothing a little marine epoxy and spare adapter end couldn’t handle) I had it installed and functioning in about an hour. Ran it for 4 days and VOILA crystal clear water!I did lose one fish a few days later. Although the water was clear I didn’t monitor the water quality as closely as I should have. I tested the water when I found a large green terror belly up and as it tuned out, the nitrite level in my tank had spiked dramatically. Every parameter but that was perfect, but one fish RIP and two others clamped tight told me there was a problem that needed immediate attention. Small water changes for 3 days and a dose of live beneficial bacteria to boost my tank had the nitrite back in check in short order. I also backed down the run time of the filter to 4 hours every night. Water quality still pristine after 2 more weeks.The coralife did exactly what I wanted. Had I been coached to check water quality daily after installation the experience would have been flawless.I highly recommend the Coralife UV sterilizers and will buy it again for other tanks.

The flow rates on the different models are very important. After receiving my Turbo Twist 18 watt 6X, the owner’s manual page 10 shows a flow rate chart that shows the flow rates for the different models (picture attached) and what it will kill at the different flow rates. On the 6X, 110 GPH kills parasites, algae and bacteria. I talked to Turbo Twist tech support and they told me on the 6X that 110 GPH is recommended any GPH higher than that will decrease the effectiveness of the unit for parasites, algae and bacteria, and at 220 GPH it would kill very little parasites if any. They also told me to use the 6X after a filter pump and not just a pump so particles will not build up inside the 6X. I have a 360 GPH Canister filter on my aquarium but I have a second 220 GPH canister filter I am going use to connect to my Turbo Twits 6X. I called Marineland tech support and asked how I can slow the flow rate to 110 GPH without damaging the pump. They told me to install a ball valve between the pump output and the sterilizer to slow the flow and it would not damage the canister filter pump, so I ordered a ball valve for tubing from Amazon. I was thinking about ordering a 12X Turbo Twist with a recommended 290 GPH but that is over kill if a 6X is good up to a 500 gal tank. The hose size on the 12X is ¾” to 1 ¼”, you would have to come up with a reducer for 5/8”.Update, instead of using my old C-220 canister filter and decreasing the flow by 50 percent I ordered a C-160 canister filter for the 6X, it is smaller in size and easer to decrease the flow. It is doing a great job

I am 55 years old and have been keeping salt water fish since I was a teenager. I have used UV Sterilizers mostly succesfully for over 30 years. The difference between using them and not using them for me has been minor. The big differences for me has been by using sumps with protein skimmers. That being said I have had 2 really bad experiences with these UV's and I'm done with them. The first issue was 6 years ago when water leaked from the internal chamber of my 12X to where the light plugs into the socket. The GFCI popped and when I came home 2 days later my whole tank had crashed (1st and only crash ever). The water flow through the 6X was appx 150 gallons per hour. The 6X is good for 110 to under 400 gallons per hour. There was no obstruction at the outlet of the unit either. I was working on my tank earlier today and got zapped while my hand was in the tank. Through trial and error and several zaps I determined that the UV was causing the stray voltage in my water. I opened the unit and found the chamber where the bulb plugs into the socket had water causing this condition. This shouldnt be happening and its dangerous!!!