What Are Your Thoughts On UV Sterilizers?

[PeterC99]

Curious to see how many people on R2R use UV Sterilizers on their aquariums.

What or your thoughts on UV Sterilizer lights for Reef aquariums?

 

[Spare time]

For disease? A waste of money. Spend the money on a QT and don't be lazy (or order from places that QT for you). I think people say they work simply because they want them to, without actually knowing if it made a difference. Many like to play roulette with the lives of their fish, and think a UV sterilizer increases their winning odds. I don't find this acceptable.

For pelagic bacterial blooms? Sure.

For phytoplankton blooms? Sure

For certain dino blooms? Sure

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

All the research I've seen backs up @Spare time's post. I think they're useful or not depending on WHY you want them.

 

[ptrick21186]

IMO.....snake oil. 1. most aren't large enough/slow enough to actually work how you would want them to. 1b. If they are large enough they're bulky and take up a lot of space. 2. Why would you want to sterilize your tank?

 

[CoralB]

Curious to see how many people on R2R use UV Sterilizers on their aquariums.

What or your thoughts on UV Sterilizer lights for Reef aquariums?

I use them as they keep the water clear and the glass cleaner longer .

 

[Fish Styx]

Like others have said, it depends on what you want to accomplish by running one. I do for water clarity.

 

[Kmst80]

I just had a huge bacterial bloom that nearly killed all my corals, only lost 2 at the end. What saved me was the uv sterilizer . It is the cheapest I could get here and only classed for half the volume of the tank but it cleared up the brown water. Am I going to keep it running?...probably not because it'll take out the phytoplankton I dose as well.

 

[shadyraro]

I don't see the need for a UV sterilizer, I think they're a waste of time and money.

 

[TnFishwater98]

I noticed a difference when I started using UV on 2 of my tanks with less algae.

 

[kenjung]

I use it to improve water quality beside my other filtrations, I don't do water change. Its a 90 watt, with UV go big or go home, another layer of defense.

 

[ThaBeast]

Depends on your usage and of course proper sizing. I believe it is a useful tool for water clarity, certain algal issues, and parasite management. I do not think UV is useful for parasite eradication. Make sure you purchase a quality unit and have the proper flow through it. Don’t go by the manufacturer’s claims, plenty of information around to properly size a UV. UV seems to be one of those things that ‘you get what you pay for’ is particularly true.

 

[bushdoc]

Second Spare Time and Daniel@R2R.
Would have no problems using it for bacterial or algae blooms, but using it for parasites eradication is distracting from real treatment.
The only situation, it can be used to control parasites is between connected tanks to prevent spread and even that is questionable.

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

They're an absolute necessity for a healthy reef system. They do work when you set them up correctly.

I wouldn't have a reef without a good UV on it. I do notice people tend to install too large or too small of a UV.

 

[FishTruck]

For larger tanks, getting 10 or more feet of water to look crystal clear, mine is valuable tool. How much it adds to clarity depends on what is going on in the tank - but - it is easiest just to leave it on at the high flow setting. When I put new animals in the tank, I slow the flow down to the "protozoan" flow rate, which helps me sleep at night - but who knows if it makes a difference in pest control.

 

[kenjung]

I was in Hawaii and went snorkeling, I can't help but notice the reef get plenty of natural UV to purify water around the reef. I think it hard to quantify A and B result with UV but natural reef has plenty of exposer to UV.

 

[Munjy]

I second TheBeast. My reef has benefitted from having it plumbed in the return line from the pump. Get the proper size for your tank. Expensive but money well spent IMO.

 

[BeanAnimal]

They're an absolute necessity for a healthy reef system. They do work when you set them up correctly.

I wouldn't have a reef without a good UV on it. I do notice people tend to install too large or too small of a UV.

Except for the fact that there are countless ‘healthy reef systems‘ out there not running UV.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I was in Hawaii and went snorkeling, I can't help but notice the reef get plenty of natural UV to purify water around the reef. I think it hard to quantify A and B result with UV but natural reef has plenty of exposer to UV.

Huh? Now we are just making stuff up that sounds like science?

 

[PeterC99]

Huh? Now we are just making stuff up that sounds like science?

@kenjung clearly said it was an observation - never said it was scientific.

 

[BeanAnimal]

@kenjung clearly said it was an observation - never said it was scientific.

.

He said he observed plenty of UV to clarify the water... Drawing a conclusion, esp in context to being a proponent of aquarium UV = making stuff up as we go.

My comment stands.

UV threads already have enough bad info in them without adding more.