Uv Sterilizer

[Monroe10]

What are the benefits to a uv sterilizer

 

[woody390]

Haven't got one but way I understand it, it kills free floating algae and parasites etc however only if they are free flowing

 

[huma-huma]

depends on the wattage and flowrate. a slower-flow, higher-wattage will kill off any free floating organisms, inclluding parasites and the such.only downside is your overall gph is sacrificed. a faster-flow, lower-wattage will help with keeping algae under control. but wont affect the parasites or bad organisms in the water. ive learned from my experience that uv's (when used properly) can help a sump/refugium act as a qt/hospital tank without actually having a second seperate system. if the uv is placed on the return end going back to the dt, itll kill any free floating bacteria/sites/etc that are going back to the tank, therefore keeping your dt healthy

 

[Monroe10]

Ok, I think once I upgrade in a couple years and have the money to spend in what I want and out a sump in I would get one, I'm just going cheap as possible right now, my goal is to get a 125 with a sump and all the fixin's.

I'm thinkin about buying a aqua controller in the summer, any thoughts on that?

 

[MacDracor]

Personally, I am not a fan of uv sterilizers in general. My thoughts on the topic are that they are indiscriminate killers. Sure they'll take out some free floating micro algae. But they'll kill anything that passes through them, including microorganisms that are beneficial.
I may get flamed for this, but I've always considered them a lazy approach to water quality. Like, even lazier than my approach. I use a large refugium full of algae and pods to uptake extra nutrients. Barring an unexpected death in my tank, algae growth in the main tank is minimal. I also have a few filter feeders that would starve if I used uv.
Parasites such as ich shouldn't be introduced with proper quarantine. But accidents happen. To eradicate ich using a uv sterilizer is rather difficult though. Not only does wattage and gph have to be precisely calculated and matched to do any good at all, ich is only free swimming for a fraction of its life. From a strictly mathematical perspective, it is possible to have a properly set up uv sterilizer run indefinitely without eradicating ich. Especially in larger tanks.
Essentially, I do a cost/benefit analysis and all I really see is power consumption and dead microfauna/microflora with no tangible benefits. I know many will disagree with me, this is simply how I see the topic.

 

[Monroe10]

Ya I was just thinking about that if it would kill all bad bacteria what's stopping it from killing the good, nothing. Huh see that's what you guys are for, lol but I know what others say about it.

What equipment do you have on your sump?

 

[MacDracor]

My sump has a protein skimmer, a heater, and a return pump. Other than that, there's a deep sand bed, four kinds of macro algae, and a bunch of small rocks. Loads of pods, worms, snails, etc. I let nature do the bulk of my filtration.

 

[Monroe10]

Ya I let nature do mine jn my tank, I weigh I had the money for a sump

 

[huma-huma]

Mac does have a valid point. the one thing ive noticed about sterilizers is that there really isnt a right and wrong answer. there are those of us that run our systems without it and are fine. then there are those that dont go a day without it. really depends on the circumstances. also sumps/refugiums arent anywhere near as expensive if you build it yourself. all you really need is a solid tank, a few pieces of acrylic or glass (for baffles) and some GE silicone 1. my 55g refugium cost me about 80 bucks from start to finish.

 

[Monroe10]

ya i kinda thought i could build one its just that i like the way the ones i could buy looks lol, even thou they arent for show.