What you’ll learn
About This Video
Key takeaways
- Installs inside the sump without external plumbing.
- Compact design helps conserve limited sump space.
- Built-in operation removes uncertainty about selecting pump flow.
- Sizing depends on system volume and the intended UV application.
- Annual bulb replacement and quartz sleeve maintenance are recommended.
Read the full video transcript
What's going on reefers? Blaine here. Still hanging out here with Jeremy again. Thank you for jumping on another video here with me. Today we're going to be talking about something really cool and honestly one of the products that's been really blowing up on the Top Shelf website is the Ice Cap dropin UV sterilizers. Something when it comes to that plug-andplay ability with these units has made it so seamless for people cuz UV can be kind of one of those things that people worry about a little bit in the hobby. Let's talk about these UV sterilizers. Yeah. Well, we found a niche that needed to be filled with people that were on the edge of wanting to, you know, install external UV and you have the, okay, is it going to leak or am I going to do it right or I don't have the room? Well, you got a small space in your sump. You can easily fit one of these. They're very minimalistic footprint and you don't have to worry about any plumbing. It pretty much comes intact. You just [music] put the quartz sleeve in the lamp, electrical connections, and you're done. Yeah, [music] it's kind of one of those things. I think people think about the pump in particular, right? You plum in your UV sterilizer, you're all set, and then you're like, "Ah, what's the right GPH that I need to make sure that this UV is working to the right ability." This kind of takes that equation completely fit, which is really nice. And it makes it easy for the stores and their employees to say, "Okay, what size tank you have? What are you trying to accomplish? Pull it off the shelf. This is all you need. You don't have to say, "Oh, you got to make a stop at the hardware store, get some PVC, get some glue, some tubing. Oh, what pump do I need? Where am I going to put it? Oh, you got to make room to make for service." It accomplishes all tasks. Absolutely. And then we've got three different units here. Size-wise, what are kind of the size gallons wise we'd be kind of shooting for for the three different units? It really all depends what you're trying to accomplish. you're just trying to get clear water. I mean, something like this can go up to 500 gallons. But if you're trying to get into, you know, like trying to control ick or um odinium or any of the parasites or [music] algaes and stuff, then you're you want to go at a slower flow and you' be more like 200 gallons would be around the max. [music] And then this one about 150. And then the smallest one you could go all the way down to, you know, your 18 [music] 40 gallon tank and up to, you know, 100 120 depending on what you're trying to achieve. Right. There's so much equipment now on these reef tanks, too, that like you said, having that [music] small footprint is kind of essential because our sumps are starting to fill out with all the things, the roller mats, the dosers, all these different things. And now we want to put a UV sterilizer [music] in. We're trying to mount it above the wall. It's kind of all crazy. Whereas you can take one of these smaller footprint pieces, kind of slot it into a space in your sump. Usually there's the room. We just haven't made the space [music] for it. And then you can just throw them in there. So definitely one of those things. I really like the footprint of these. And then you have the worryfree of if it leaks, goes right back in the sump. Right. [music] Maintenance-wise, how frequent do you guys recommend that the bulbs are changed out for the maintenance of these units? Depending on if you're running them 24/7 or if you're just running periodically, but I say no matter what, swap them out every year. give your quartz sleeve a good scrubbing or deacid or replace. Um, but other than that, every six to eight months, kind of like you do with your T5 bulbs for sure. We utilize UV sterilizers in the farms for many different reasons. Whether we're using them for nuisance algae, we're trying to run them in our quarantine systems, but overall, [music] these are some really nice items. And if they're items you're looking to pick up today, you can head over to topshelfaquatics.com, find them for yourself, whether it's the small unit or all the way to the big one. and Jeremy, thank you again. Appreciate it so much. If you guys have tuned in all the way till the end, I want to say thank you very much. Be sure to like, subscribe, and hit the bell notification so you don't miss out on any future uploads. [music]