UV sterilizers

[HrHagel]

Unless you are having algae problems, it really is not needed.

It doesn't actually kill parasites, it stops them from reproducing. Which means you will still need to buy and add meds to kill the already existing parasites.

You might say that if the reproducting of the parasites is shut down, you would only have to kill the already existing parasites once with meds, and it won't occur again.
Wrong. Parasites are SO easely transmitted by any plant, driftwood, or fish you introduce to them enviroment.

So again, UVC only makes any difference if you are experiencing algae blooms or specific types of algae that you cannot remove otherwise.

TL;DR:
It doesn't make cleaner and clearer water, if there is nothing already in the tank to remove/clear up.

 

[Panerai_guy]

Hagel, the uv damages the dna of parasite when floating in water (assuming you have good enough circulation) when passed through the sterilizer, and has to be exposed to the light for the right amount of time, too.

With all this being said, it is still fairly inexpensive insurance for my fish.... Maybe not yours... But my fish will always have a uv sterilizer on their tanks.

 

[Jc1119]

I was in the same boat as the guys that did not think it was needed. Then after seeing the veteran guys with massive massive tanks and extremely expensive stock, you could say a filter is a filter, a heater is a heater, and so on. However, you see those devastating threads where everything is lost because of x factor. Once you cross the threshold of being a monster fish keeper, you will do and buy almost anything that can mitigate a foreseeable disaster. In this case, a uv sterilizer on the low end is 50bucks( ?) up to 300, break that down per day on the high end it's a buck of insurance for me per day.

but it's not that I think it's not needed.....with my water change schedule and light stocking, it's not needed. I can appreciate those that feel the benefit of using one and can certainly see it usefulness in certain situations. Mine is just not one of them.

I qt all my fish for about 3 weeks before introducing them into my displays. Elevated temps, some salt, good food and clean water have always worked for me. I've lost a few fish in the qt tank for sure, but none in my displays since I started doing this. Actually, my qt tank would be a good candidate for uv lol.

 

[jcardona1]

but it's not that I think it's not needed.....with my water change schedule and light stocking, it's not needed. I can appreciate those that feel the benefit of using one and can certainly see it usefulness in certain situations. Mine is just not one of them.

I qt all my fish for about 3 weeks before introducing them into my displays. Elevated temps, some salt, good food and clean water have always worked for me. I've lost a few fish in the qt tank for sure, but none in my displays since I started doing this. Actually, my qt tank would be a good candidate for uv lol.

This. Right. Here.