[koiczar]

Quote: Originally Posted by kiky Thanks for all the comments guys. I think I should mention that the UV I am using is the fluorescent type, mostly used in Japan? I put it in the settling chamber, about 5 to 10cm above water level. It last for 6 months, when I replace it with new one. So far the result has been quite excellent.

There seems to be a little misunderstanding here - just to clarify(no pun intended) - The Japanese use a totally different type of UV light than Westerners do. They look more like an aquarium hood that they place over the settlement chamber. Their philosophy is that it kills a lot of the bad bacteria that have already started to break down the waste by the time it travels through the plumbing from the bottom drains. That way, they are reducing the load on the rest of the filtration. Kiky is doing it the way the Japanese do, not the way we here in the West do. Here, the UV is housed in a 2" pipe and the bulb is placed within a quartz sleeve for protection. The Japanese version has nothing to do with the plumbing within your system. That's why their's work better than ours. Those of you who have been fortunate to visit Japan know exactly what I'm talking about here. The rest of you can only try to get a picture. Maybe Kiky could provide a picture of his set-up or someone else with a pic of a breeder's pond set-up in Japan.