Uv sterilizer

[solo]

Hi I was wondering if anyone has a uv sterilizer, hooked up to there system. And what you think about them, I'm thinking if I'll get one when I setup my tank dt will be 150 gallon. Any advice suggestions comment please feel free to reply.

 

[danbstrong]

Hi I was wondering if anyone has a uv sterilizer, hooked up to there system. And what you think about them, I'm thinking if I'll get one when I setup my tank dt will be 150 gallon. Any advice suggestions comment please feel free to reply.

Great for killing algae blooms and if you slow the flow thru it down to under 200/gph it will also kill parasites definately a plus if you have room for it

 

[Schism]

Hi I was wondering if anyone has a uv sterilizer, hooked up to there system. And what you think about them, I'm thinking if I'll get one when I setup my tank dt will be 150 gallon. Any advice suggestions comment please feel free to reply.

They have their advantages and disadvantages. Honestly ive never encountered a time when i needed one or wanted one.

For reef tanks i think they do more harm than good, fish only tanks is where they have the most usefullness.

 

[oyf709]

They have their advantages and disadvantages. Honestly ive never encountered a time when i needed one or wanted one.

For reef tanks i think they do more harm than good, fish only tanks is where they have the most usefullness.

I agree with this, I don't like to have UV on my reef tank as there should be other way to keep your tank crystal clear.

As for UV to kill parasite in the water, the proper QT should replace a UV at 99% of the time. If you do want to keep 1 on you tank, only turn it up when having issues.

 

[danbstrong]

They have their advantages and disadvantages. Honestly ive never encountered a time when i needed one or wanted one.

For reef tanks i think they do more harm than good, fish only tanks is where they have the most usefullness.

What are the disadvantages¿

 

[oyf709]

UV will kill both beneficial and harmful bacteria, and also free flowing plankton are food source which will also be killed during the process

 

[danbstrong]

UV will kill both beneficial and harmful bacteria, and also free flowing plankton are food source which will also be killed during the process

I disagree it dont " kill " anything it renders single cell organisms steril so they cant reproduce it doesnt effect bb as bb lives on the lr and ls and such and is not a freefloating organism has no effect on larger pods small " newborn pods " maybe and i dont know if id even say that it sterilizes microscopic bacteria and parasites and also sterilizes freefloating algae blooms so imo it is a good piece of equipment to add for even better waterquality as a sterilzer user ill say i have seen no negative effects whatsoever

 

[danbstrong]

I disagree it dont " kill " anything it renders single cell organisms steril so they cant reproduce it doesnt effect bb as bb lives on the lr and ls and such and is not a freefloating organism has no effect on larger pods small " newborn pods " maybe and i dont know if id even say that it sterilizes microscopic bacteria and parasites and also sterilizes freefloating algae blooms so imo it is a good piece of equipment to add for even better waterquality as a sterilzer user ill say i have seen no negative effects whatsoever

However I do agree a quarintine should eradicate 99% of the problems but for me sterilizer is just an extra measure as i have 150g dt And a 65g fragtank in same system i buy sell and trade coral often so i never know whats gonna come in so for me personally i like the benefits but i will say it does not replace a good quarintine

 

[tonedogz]

I always say if you can afford one get one it can't hurt it could only help. I use an aqua ultraviolet on mine , they make some of the best uv's out there.

 

[Smudgy35]

I have one too, have had for a year now and havnt seen any disadvantages, my water is a lot clearer though

 

[Sniperhank]

I had one on my reef tank for quite some time. I saw no benefit so I disconnected it.

 

[Schism]

What are the disadvantages¿

Well there are more than you think and it also depends on how good your UV is and how slow you are running water through it.

First disadvantage is cost, as good units usually are not that cheap plus the cost of power and replacement bulbs every 6 months.

Second is maintenance. Its one more thing to maintain and if you dont have a unit with a built in wiper the job can be even more time consuming, to operate efficiently it needs to stay clean.

Thirds is it is indiscriminate. It will reduce populations of anything passing through it and if running slow enough they will kill organisms from free floating algaes to microfuana. This includes the somewhat sought after coralline algaes.

Also they are not actually capable of sterilizing your entire water column. In order for this to occur you would need an oversized UV running water through it at a fast pace. Nothing forces all these organisms to pass through the UV hence why the can not completely rid of ich and other such parasites.

Yes they will make your water slightly clearer but a carbon reactor can usually put out similar results. With more advantages and less draw backs.

Dont get me wrong UV's have there use, better suited for FOWLR's and fish only.

 

[danbstrong]

Well there are more than you think and it also depends on how good your UV is and how slow you are running water through it.

First disadvantage is cost, as good units usually are not that cheap plus the cost of power and replacement bulbs every 6 months.

Second is maintenance. Its one more thing to maintain and if you dont have a unit with a built in wiper the job can be even more time consuming, to operate efficiently it needs to stay clean.

Thirds is it is indiscriminate. It will reduce populations of anything passing through it and if running slow enough they will kill organisms from free floating algaes to microfuana. This includes the somewhat sought after coralline algaes.

Also they are not actually capable of sterilizing your entire water column. In order for this to occur you would need an oversized UV running water through it at a fast pace. Nothing forces all these organisms to pass through the UV hence why the can not completely rid of ich and other such parasites.

Yes they will make your water slightly clearer but a carbon reactor can usually put out similar results. With more advantages and less draw backs.

Dont get me wrong UV's have there use, better suited for FOWLR's and fish only.

First off if cost is an issue your in the wrong hobby

Second changing a bulb takes under a minute and another minute to wipe it clean

Third yes it will reduce population of anything running thru it that is its function and i have tons of corraline

So for me personally this is just my opinion the pros which are algae bloom control parasite control over cons of a few minutes of maintenance is well worth it no more mintenence time thn changing carbon and buying carbon and carbon does nothing for parasites or freefloating algae blooms ive never ran carbon on my systems again just my opinion i say what works for some may not be ideal for others and so on

 

[Schism]

First off if cost is an issue your in the wrong hobby

Second changing a bulb takes under a minute and another minute to wipe it clean

Third yes it will reduce population of anything running thru it that is its function and i have tons of coralline.

Costly for its purpose which is unneeded.

Also maintenance depends on your unit and how you run it.

And thirdly your abundance of coralline kind of shows how ineffective UV's can be at what they are suppose to do. People running UV's still get bacteria and parasites, just as people without them run crystal clear tanks. When you look at the small benefit it provides and add in the cons in my eyes its just not something i personally would buy, thats all i was inferring. To each his own

 

[melosu58]

I had one for the first 10 yrs I had a reef but then it broke and I never replaced it. I never had problems with parasites and algea and have not since it broke either. I just basically decided I did not need it anymore. The beneficial bacteria resides on surfaces so I knew that it would not harm that. I know it`s not a real answer but thats my experience anyway.

 

[Jess1ca]

Well this is interesting... I'm beginning to believe I was suckered into buying a uv sterilizer :/ I went to get clownfish the day before yesterday. I was asked if I had a UV Sterilizer, I said no, the owner told me I wasn't ready for clowns since I didn't have one. Said they are susceptible to "clownfish velvet" and they would die within days without it. Needless to say I purchased the sterilizer with the clowns.

 

[Keithhjs]

Well this is interesting... I'm beginning to believe I was suckered into buying a uv sterilizer :/ I went to get clownfish the day before yesterday. I was asked if I had a UV Sterilizer, I said no, the owner told me I wasn't ready for clowns since I didn't have one. Said they are susceptible to "clownfish velvet" and they would die within days without it. Needless to say I purchased the sterilizer with the clowns.

Thats saddening to hear someone would try to make you think you need one just to purchase a fish. Sorry about that. You don't "need" one. That being said, I run one now and have had one on every SW tank I've had ever since I had my only encounter with marine ich many years ago. I feel for as much as I have invested in my tank the little cost and maintenance for a UV far outweighs any possible negatives it may bring. Just my two cents.

 

[danbstrong]

Thats saddening to hear someone would try to make you think you need one just to purchase a fish. Sorry about that. You don't "need" one. That being said, I run one now and have had one on every SW tank I've had ever since I had my only encounter with marine ich many years ago. I feel for as much as I have invested in my tank the little cost and maintenance for a UV far outweighs any possible negatives it may bring. Just my two cents.

Definately is not a " must have"
like previously stated pros outweigh cons imo but is not neccassary if you havn used it and dont want it take it back if thats not an option put in to use it can only help your water quality i dont go to fish stores at all i buy all equipment online and trade and sell coral so i never step foot in there theyll sell you anything on false pretences i always reccommend joining a local reefclub to buy sell trade coral and fish and even equipment usually at a fraction of the price