UV Sterilizers and Bio Cube Aquariums or Internal Wet/Dry Bio Filters

 

Updated 9/24/13

The Bio Cube Aquarium is a popular style of aquarium nowadays, although I have to laugh a little here as these are highly touted as a new way to keep small marine reef aquariums or planted freshwater aquariums while in reality the basic built- wet/dry filter system is nothing new to the hobby and in fact there is a new Internal Wet/Dry Bio Filter (made by the same manufacturer in China) that is less than half the cost of many Bio Cube Aquariums WITH the cost of an aquarium.
Product Link:
http://americanaquariumproducts.com/ReSunPowerFilter.html

The ReSun BF 100 is the exact same filter/pump and can be used in (for example) a 20 gallon aquarium to turn it into a Bio Cube style aquarium.
The addition of good lighting such as CFL/SHO, T2, or LED Lights are also necessary for a "higher end" or advanced aquarium.

For more information on these lights, please see:

• High performance SHO and economy CFL aquarium lights
• Superior T2 Aquarium lights and fixtures
• New Generation LED Aquarium Lighting from AquaRay/AAP

With a ReSun BF100 and your own aquarium set up the cost is often lower than many of the larger bio cube aquariums.

Anyway, the other point of this article/post is to point out that whether you use a Bio Cube Aquarium or a ReSun BF Wet/Dry Bio Filter, both of these filters systems lend themselves nicely (& easily) to a simple UV Sterilizer set up unlike say a HOB ("Hang on the back", Aquarium Power Filter) filter set up.
The advantage of a Bio Cube/BF 100 is that you can add a UV Sterilizer too. Not only lower the incidence of diseases, but just as importantly (or maybe more importantly) improve Aquarium Redox and improve fish disease resistance.
Aquarium Redox Reference Link:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Redox_Potential.html

This is easily achieved by simply purchasing additional 1/2 to 5/8 inch ID tubing and running this tubing out of the aquarium to a UV Sterilizer (a 7 watt Terminator is pictured in the diagrams) and then inserting the return tubing back into the return slot on your BF 100 or Bio Cube Aquarium.
See this product link: 7 watt Terminator UV Sterilizer

Please click on pictures below for a better view
This picture shows a 5 Watt Terminator UV Sterilizer connected to a 14 gallon Bio Cube Aquarium.
You can see how the tubing simply comes out of the aquarium slots in the back of the aquarium (the slots can also be enlarged with a keyhole saw) and that the UV Sterilizer hangs easily on the back. My suggestion for most Bio Cube aquariums is a 5, 7, or 9 Watt UV Sterilizer.

This picture shows the simple mounting of a ReSun BF 200 with a Terminator 5 Watt UV Sterilizer. As with the Bio Cube application the way you add tubing is quite straight forward and as well the 5 and 9 Watt Compact UVs or the High Performance TMC 8 Watt Vecton UV Sterilizer would also be my suggestion (the Vecton is an excellent choice for those desiring a UV Sterilizer that is second to none in Sterilization abilities & reliability).

As a final note, for maximum UV Sterilizer efficiency, it is important to change your UV Bulb every six months.
See this product link for premium hot cathode, low pressure UV Replacement bulbs:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/UVCReplacementLamp.html