UV Sterilizer....yes or no

[dib]

How do you guys feel about a UV sterilizer in a reef setup. Pros and Cons to it?
Thanks for the input

 

[fishroomlady]

If you have good biological and mechanical filtration, I just don't see the need for one.

 

[Boa1277]

I run a Emperor Aquatic and I have never had issues with algae or fish sickness. The biggest reason I run it is I never want to fight Dino's.

 

[Saltgator]

Tagging along. Just purchased a used aqua uv 25w sterilizer. Underrated for my system but we'll see if I run it.

 

[Tahoe61]

Cons:

1. If it's not a quality unit then do not bother. Maintenance and bulb replacement is required.
2. Remember it is only going to treat those microbes, pathogens in the water column, by altering their DNA either causing death or inability to reproduce.
3. Some say it also kills off the healthy zooplankton of your tank such as copepods....The zooplanton has to be exposed to the ultraviolet light for this to happen, a UV will not kill off your pod population.

Pro:
1. Increased water clarity with decreased film algae
2. Reported incidence of less severe outbreaks of disease such as Cryptocaryon irritans.
3. If it's good enough for public aquariums to use than it should not be discounted in home use as long as your get a unit with good flow and appropriate to your tank.


Good mechanical and biological filtration is irrelevant, completely different type of filtration.

A lot of people swear by them. My experience with them is on systems housing large marine mammals like SeaLions, I have never run one on a reef tank.

 

[Aquaph8]

I run a 40 watt aqua UV on my tank and think it works great.

 

[Saltgator]

I run a 40 watt aqua UV on my tank and think it works great.

Brett, with or without a wiper? My used one has a wiper.

 

[ingtar_shinowa]

I'm a proponent. UV may not do much good in some tanks, but it would do anything harmful. It CAN do alot of good.

 

[jayhawk]

I have ran my tanks with and without. Never had issues with livestock with either setup. I was experimenting with ZeoVit and they did not recommend using UV as it potentially killed good bacteria. Not saying it kills all, but ZeoVit must have felt it killed enough to be discouraged. If you are concerned with bacteria proliferation, I would not use UV.

 

[Aquaph8]

Brett, with or without a wiper? My used one has a wiper.

Mine has a wiper but it gets stuck and stops working over time. Emperor aquatics claims wipers are useless for saltwater applications but I don't know. I'd be all for it if mine worked like it's supposed to.

 

[petemichelle]

has anybody had any direct experience in seeing if it killed the pods in their tank at all? all you guys who say you run them, must notice one way or another. let's put it this way, is there anybody who is running a uv sterilizer and still see a good population of pods in their display, and how is the uv sterilizer hooked up to your system. mine for example is hooked up in line with the return line into the display from my sump.

 

[SantaMonica]

I keep in in a closet, and only hook it up if a new fish gets ick. Cures it every time. Then put it back in closet.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

Cons:

1. If it's not a quality unit then do not bother. Maintenance and bulb replacement is required.
2. Remember it is only going to treat those microbes, pathogens in the water column, by altering their DNA either causing death or inability to reproduce.
3. Some say it also kills off the healthy zooplankton of your tank such as copepods....The zooplanton has to be exposed to the ultraviolet light for this to happen, a UV will not kill off your pod population.

Pro:
1. Increased water clarity with decreased film algae
2. Reported incidence of less severe outbreaks of disease such as Cryptocaryon irritans.
3. If it's good enough for public aquariums to use than it should not be discounted in home use as long as your get a unit with good flow and appropriate to your tank.


Good mechanical and biological filtration is irrelevant, completely different type of filtration.

A lot of people swear by them. My experience with them is on systems housing large marine mammals like SeaLions, I have never run one on a reef tank.

I have a coralife twist 12 and a twist 6 from a previous build that i just cleaned up. I plan on using the twist 12 on the 90 gallon reef tank im building, since i already have it. At some point I'd like to have a nice pod population going so i can host a Mandarin goby. Will the UV sterilizer have any negative effects? It will have it's own pump which has a prefilter.

 

[jd371]

Had mine hooked up 24/7, but it was such a pain to do any maintenance in the stand because it was always in the way I removed it (plumbing outside the stand was forbidden). I kept it just in case and it came in handy when my tank developed Dinos. Hooked it up temporary with a canister filter and ran it at night when the Dinos were in the free swimming stage and in the water column. After a month the Dinos were gone and I broke the set up down and put it away, if I need it again it can be set up in 5 minutes.

 

[ca1ore]

The only cons to a UV that I see are the cost (to buy initially, replacement bulbs, and operate) and the introduction of additional potential plumbing failure points. Pros are debatable.

 

[mta_morrow]

The only cons to a UV that I see are the cost (to buy initially, replacement bulbs, and operate) and the introduction of additional potential plumbing failure points. Pros are debatable.

And heat. [emoji4]

 

[ca1ore]

And heat. [emoji4]

Depends on where you live. In my case its a con in the Summer but a pro in the Winter -I think that's the case for the majority.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

The only cons to a UV that I see are the cost (to buy initially, replacement bulbs, and operate) and the introduction of additional potential plumbing failure points. Pros are debatable.

I already had them, so I figured I'd use them.

 

[Mr. Brooks]

I love mine for the water clarity alone. Everything else is just a bonus.

I can see a big difference in my tank when the UV is off-line.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

I love mine for the water clarity alone. Everything else is just a bonus.

I can see a big difference in my tank when the UV is off-line.

I have 2 and I'm debating to whether to use one, or both.