UV Aquarium Sterilizer - worth it?

[mikem2]

definetly worth buying one if you are going to have another biological filter as well. You have to remember that uv lamp is not selective and kills good bacteria too.

 

[pk705]

definetly worth buying one if you are going to have another biological filter as well. You have to remember that uv lamp is not selective and kills good bacteria too.

And you have to remember that most "good" bacteria are not present in the water column.

 

[mikem2]

And you have to remember that most "good" bacteria are not present in the water column.

That is what i ment...if you are about too get uv, dont forget about bio filter.

 

[Deaths Sting]

another good thing to keep in mind if ur looking into a UV sterilizer is: low flow = more effective sterilizations! the less GPH running through the UV the better. also the wattage of the UV will play apart to, bigger is better! heres a chart from another thread. ( scroll half way down the page for the chart. ) IMO UV sterilizer are great but not a must in any aquarium, as long as u preform proper maintenance and quarantine.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=435

 

[ryansti]

I have one on my 135g and one on my 100g, they are well worth it. Water was a little cloudy now it is crystal clear

 

[jlnguyen74]

It's worthy to have a UV, especially if you've spent good amount of money on fish. A UV does help to eliminate algae, and kill off those silly bacteria, give you peace of mind. If you plan to get an UV, get a decent one. I would recommend Coralife or Aqua. There are many brand of UV, half of them don't do a good job as they suppose to, and a few of them is not user friendly. Follow the recommend flow rate requirement from the manufacturer. Keep the UV on all the time. Replace the bulb yearly. Clean the glass/clear plastic housing inside the UV when you replace the bulb. UV is pretty much low maintenance itself.

For something in your treatment arsenal, they rock. I wouldn't use one continuously though, for two reasons, second one's my biggest reason:
1. Bulbs weaken over time, like fluorescents, and they're expensive.

This is not quite true. Electrical and mechanical part are made to fail in certain time frame. Once you used it, whether you use it often or not, it won't last much longer than the duration it was designed. That's why car manufacturer provides warranty/guarantee on time or mileage. In addition, turn the bulb on and off so often will weaken the candle sooner.

So far the one's I have seen are all for saltwater tanks... is there a specific one for freshwater?

UV are made for both fresh and saltwater. Saltwater people use it more often, since saltwater prone to algae bloom, plus saltwater fish are more sensative due to they're majorly wild caught and carry gem/bacteria that may not present in home aquarium, or they may not expose to those bacteria presents in home aquarium, but not in the ocean.

You have to remember that uv lamp is not selective and kills good bacteria too.

This is not correct. As another member pointed out, beneficial bacteria is not present in water. They mainly stay on substrate or bio-meidia surface. UV only kill those in the water that pass thru the light

another good thing to keep in mind if ur looking into a UV sterilizer is: low flow = more effective sterilizations! the less GPH running through the UV the better. also the wattage of the UV will play apart to, bigger is better! heres a chart from another thread. ( scroll half way down the page for the chart. ) IMO UV sterilizer are great but not a must in any aquarium, as long as u preform proper maintenance and quarantine.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=435

You must also provide at least the minimum flow rate recommended by the manufacturer, or the amount of water in your tank won't get treated properly.