Aquarium Uv Sterilizer

[snowflake311]

What do you think about UV sterilizer? I want to run one on my 80Gal Planted tank as a way of preventing any bad pathogens. I don't have a problem with my water being green or cloudy that is not a problem for me. I want it more as a preventive to any bad stuff I might put in my tank when I add new fish. YES I know Quarantine but sometimes I don't. 
 
I was thinking it could help keep the live stock healthy and happy. Any Ideas. Any one use them? do you like them? Do they help?
 
 

 

[TwoTankAmin]

A UV is not a substitute for doing Q. For it to work best you need the right one and a separate way to move water though it than a filter.
 
Have a read here: http/americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumUVSterilization.html

 

[Byron]

All I am going to suggest is, save your money and forget UV.  It cannot be 100% effective with protozoan inside fish that will still infect other fish.  Only yesterday I was reading the response in PFK to a question on ich and the responder said UV can help but will not prevent or cure ich.
 
Quarantine new fish, period.
 
Byron.

 

[snowflake311]

I know you need to Quarantine. The thing is sometimes a fish is fine and never shows signs of illness. Reason being is that the fish has a healthy immune system. When a fish gets stressed then you see the problems come up. SO I was thinking a UV filter could keep down the amount of viruses, bacteria, and fungus that is floating around. So that when the fish is stressed there will be less tiny nasty in the tank to infect it. Thats my idea behind keeping a UV filter running. It will not Get rid of all but could help a little. 
 
My fish are all in good health but that is not to say I have not lost fish to mysterious reason. Water quality has never been issue.  

 

[Bubbelzzz]

The problem with a ln uv filter is that it doesn't only kill the nasty stuff. Uv will also kill good bacteria which you obviously want in your tank.
So I wouldn't recommend an uv filter.

 

[Byron]

The thing is sometimes a fish is fine and never shows signs of illness. Reason being is that the fish has a healthy immune system. When a fish gets stressed then you see the problems come up. SO I was thinking a UV filter could keep down the amount of viruses, bacteria, and fungus that is floating around. So that when the fish is stressed there will be less tiny nasty in the tank to infect it. Thats my idea behind keeping a UV filter running. It will not Get rid of all but could help a little.
 

 
I would suggest the better approach is to keep stress reduced.  As you say, fish disease is about 95% due to stress, as healthy non-stressed fish have an immune system better able to fight off disease.  These days there is also the real problem of the condition of most of the "bread and butter" commercially-raised fish.  And there are internal pathogens and protozoan that will be largely if not completely unaffected by UV. 
 
What many forget is that the processes that occur in an aquarium are natural.  We can sometimes aid them, but it is also easy to thwart them.  And I am in the camp with Bubbelzzz.  It is possible to have too pristine of an environment, which is not natural, and this can cause issues too.
 
Provide as natural an environment for the fish as you can.  Hardscape, decor, water parameters, suitable species and numbers...these are the tools to success.  The vast majority of freshwater aquaria do not use UV, and many of these never see disease issues over a period of years.  Keeping it from entering is still the only viable solution.
 
Byron.

 

[snowflake311]

The problem with a ln uv filter is that it doesn't only kill the nasty stuff. Uv will also kill good bacteria which you obviously want in your tank.
So I wouldn't recommend an uv filter.

It only removes the Good bacteria that is free floating not the stuff that lives in your filter or substrate and that is where you need it most. It is also where most of the Bacteria grows and thrives. SO that is not an issue. 
 
I have been keeping fish on and off since 1998 and never had a UV filter.  I guess part of me is just bored and wants to experiment with gadgets.  

 

[Bubbelzzz]

The problem with a ln uv filter is that it doesn't only kill the nasty stuff. Uv will also kill good bacteria which you obviously want in your tank.
So I wouldn't recommend an uv filter.

It only removes the Good bacteria that is free floating not the stuff that lives in your filter or substrate and that is where you need it most. It is also where most of the Bacteria grows and thrives. SO that is not an issue. 
  

These floating bacteria are needed to get bacteria in your filter. So when placing an uv the filter will have a very hard time setting up.

Furthermore, your argument does also hold for bad bactetia. These can't be killed when they are already on a fish.

the best thing you can do to prefent diseases is to reduce stress to a minimum.

 

[snowflake311]

The tank has been up and running for 4 years now so I am not too worried about the good bacteria colony it's doing just fine in my filter.   When you do a water change you are manual taking out the Good bacteria. 
 
You are right that whatever is on the fish will not be killed by the filter. It will only get what is floating around. Yes reduce stress is the Key. I have a crazy BN Pleco that terrorizes the cory cats at feeding time. Some stress is hard to reduce in a closed system like an aquarium. 

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I may be the only one in this thread so far who actually has a UV unit. It is not used full time but on an as needed basis. It was purchased for a very specific reason. I was getting fish from very acid waters where most bacteria cannot live. As a result the immune system of the fish is weakened in terms of fighting off many potential bacteria issues. It is not possible to bring such fish into a normal established tank. These tanks have all sorts of bacteria in them that will take advantage of a weakened immune system but which are not an issue to healthy fish with well developed immune systems.
 
I had to bring these fish into as safe a tank as possible. So in the set up period for this tank, which contained only new things and nothing from established tanks, I ran the UV filter on it for some time before the fish arrived. I also ran it it for some time after the fish arrived. However after a few months it was removed.
 
The other place I would be inclined to use the unit is on a Q tank itself. It may be impossible to eliminate 100% of the nasty bacteria or viruses, reducing them as much as possible will certainly help.
 
Given almost no fw tank has a UV unit on it, the odds of this being an issue during cycling are miniscule. I am not convinced that the bacteria come in via being airborne. These are aquatic bacteria and they cannot survive dessication. If airborne was the only way, one could not cycle a tank in the desert. One could not cycle when temps go below freezing since this will kill the bacteria. On the other hand there are bacteria living in municipal water systems and especially in the plumbing between where the municipal system stops and private plumbing begins. My money says the bacteria likely come in with our tap. This is especially true in chloramine treated water and private wells.
 
The whole keys to using UV are getting the right unit to start. This means one whose design is good which makes it effective, But as important is getting the proper strength bulb and knowing what flow rate you need to make the system work effectively.

 

[Bubbelzzz]

@snowflake311,
I have to admid that I think your right about killing beneficial bacteria. But I do also think that in "normal" tanks they are quite useless.
Everybody can get an illness, how experienced or well equipped you are. In case of prefenting illeses an uv won't do much.

It is purely wheter it is your preference. I wouldn't use them.