Uv Sterilizers

[Jvesche20]

Are Uv steralizers worth investing? I went to my LFS and he has 2 saltwater tanks. I don’t go to this guy often because of it. He asked me if I have a UV sterilizer and I said no. He told me to invest in one because they can prevent ick. I have a 125G tank. I have a yellow tang, 2 blue tangs, sailfin tang, 3 clowns, goby, blenny, damsel, pistol shrimp, some anemones and corals. Ive been to other LFS and tried to look to see if they use them but I haven’t seen it unless they have it hidden behind the tank.

 

[CC13]

Are Uv steralizers worth investing? I went to my LFS and he has 2 saltwater tanks. I don’t go to this guy often because of it. He asked me if I have a UV sterilizer and I said no. He told me to invest in one because they can prevent ick. I have a 125G tank. I have a yellow tang, 2 blue tangs, sailfin tang, 3 clowns, goby, blenny, damsel, pistol shrimp, some anemones and corals. Ive been to other LFS and tried to look to see if they use them but I haven’t seen it unless they have it hidden behind the tank.

A UV sterilizer will not prevent ICH so if this is the only reason you are buying it, then your wasting your money and should find another LFS because he is lying to you. Preventing ICH from entering your system is done by placing your fish and corals in proper QT and running treatments if needed to rid them & ensure they are safe and healthy before adding them to your system.

A UV will help to reduce free floating algae, parasites and even aiptasia spores - BUT it will only affect those that pass through the unit. Some ICH might pass through the UV and die, but ICH has a life cycle and not all stages of ICH are free floating. If you have ICH in your system, there is no way it will make your tank 'ICH free'.

I run a UV and notice my water is noticeably clearer for sure, but I don't use it with the hopes it will prevent or cure ICH; that simply is not how it works.

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

great advice from @CC13. i’ll also add that you generally need a large uv to get the best results. as in - larger than what the manufacturer recommends for your tank size.

 

[mdbronco]

Agree with the above, however I just added one to my tank and it really cleared up my water in a couple of days. I am thinking of it from that perspective and less so for anything parasite-related.

 

[doubleohwhatever]

I've used UV for the past ten years or so. As mentioned above, the "trick" to getting the most out of UV is going with a larger unit than what the marketing material says is adequate.

I've had good results with units from Aqua UV:
http://aquaultraviolet.com/products/uv-sterilizers/

 

[Breadman03]

Agree with the above, however I just added one to my tank and it really cleared up my water in a couple of days. I am thinking of it from that perspective and less so for anything parasite-related.

UV's are great for visually clearing water. They can even help reduce the number of parasites in a tank, but they can't be relied upon to eliminate parasites.

 

[som857ee]

UV's are great for visually clearing water. They can even help reduce the number of parasites in a tank, but they can't be relied upon to eliminate parasites.

If we ignore the parasits side, still from what i read from you, is still a good solution for algea problem, i am missing something?

 

[CC13]

If we ignore the parasits side, still from what i read from you, is still a good solution for algea problem, i am missing something?

No I agree with this.... it at the very least helps.

TBH I use one becuse it makes my water crystal clear, which for me helps my 400w halides pound down to the bottom of my tank and increase PAR since my tank is 36" tall I need all the penetrating power I can get for SPS growth.

 

[Breadman03]

:thumbsup:

No I agree with this.... it at the very least helps.

TBH I use one becuse it makes my water crystal clear, which for me helps my 400w halides pound down to the bottom of my tank and increase PAR since my tank is 36" tall I need all the penetrating power I can get for SPS growth.