Hi everyone i currently have a 120 gallon 48x24x24 saltwater aquarium I'm setting up! I have 150 lbs of live rock, live sand, and a refugium with miracle mud in it and a couple domino damsels to help with getting it rolling...i run a wet dry refugium sump and was looking into a uv sterilizer bit I've heard good and bad! Bad being it will kill off good beneficial bacteria from rocks sand and mud...it plan on fish and corals and looking to add a uv if i can?
Uv sterilizer good or bad?
- Thread starter tjohns1801
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This is the most debated topic on the aquarium web besides salt mix good or bad
The answer is they are optional. They aren't useless, Ive worked in labs that spent thousands of dollars on them, whether thats needed in a reef tank simply ranges.
Whether the things they zap like plankton actually matter is up for debate. I do full water changes, thats harder on plankton. There is no answer to the question only opinion and a 30 plus yr history in aquatics. There is also 30 plus yrs of non use, its simply optional. I specifically use them in fixing some algae invaded tanks by using grossly oversized units, pond sterilizers, on small nano reefs. There are all kinds of chemical statements about what they do, how they interact with ozone etc but significance in the face of 30 yrs documented use is key
I have no need for one beyond problem scenarios
The answer is they are optional. They aren't useless, Ive worked in labs that spent thousands of dollars on them, whether thats needed in a reef tank simply ranges.
Whether the things they zap like plankton actually matter is up for debate. I do full water changes, thats harder on plankton. There is no answer to the question only opinion and a 30 plus yr history in aquatics. There is also 30 plus yrs of non use, its simply optional. I specifically use them in fixing some algae invaded tanks by using grossly oversized units, pond sterilizers, on small nano reefs. There are all kinds of chemical statements about what they do, how they interact with ozone etc but significance in the face of 30 yrs documented use is key
I have no need for one beyond problem scenarios
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Randy Holmes-Farley
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They won't have any big impact on the bacteria on surfaces in the tank, but I do not want to kill circulating bacteria as they can be good food for filter feeders.
I dose vinegar, and a big part of the reason is to feed the resulting bacteria to filter feeders. A UV would be counter productive in my case.
I dose vinegar, and a big part of the reason is to feed the resulting bacteria to filter feeders. A UV would be counter productive in my case.
Maximo
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Agreed 100%
