Uv Steriliser Advice

[philfista]

Hi all,

Thinking of buying a UV steriliser can anyone recommend one .

Also how should i set it up? Should i run it inline with my tetratec 1200 , or run it with a slow pump .?

 

[adamgreen240]

the vecton range are very good , it would be best toplumb it into the outlet of your EX1200. How big (volume) is your tank.

 

[philfista]

180 liters

 

[jarcher1390]

can i ask y your even bothering, I dont see the need
i don't know the beneficial factor please tell me
thanks jonny

 

[shang hi]

a UV steriliser is a high powerd UV light and water passes it in close proxminity, the strength of the UV lamp in the steriliser is strong enough to kill 95% of deisease pathogens (germs) that pass it and also kill 90-95% of all free floating plant mater including algae.

NOTE: my percentages are only an average, the strength of the UV lamp will change the results (very high powerd = more results, lower strength UV lamp = less results)

 

[jasonskillz]

im using a JEBO 11W UV for my tank. i recommend UVs for practically every tank. The money is worth.

 

[Ian H]

from what i understand they are a bit pointless on a FW tank other than to combat free floating algae

 

[jarcher1390]

Thanks somit i may consider in the future

 

[Musho3210]

from what i understand they are a bit pointless on a FW tank other than to combat free floating algae

and help keep waterbourne pathogens down, as well as he ozone effect and making water clearer.

They do the exact same thing in fresh and salt, maybe salt has more free floating algae (which is incorrect or with variables i might add), doesnt mean they work better, just means they have more to work with.

 

[Bignose]

Unless there is something specific you are combating, or unless there is an exceptionally rare and valuable fish that you'd like to protect at all costs, I think a UV sterilizer is unnecessary. If you are doing all the good fishkeeping habits that have been established over the many years before UV sterilizers were available, your fish can remain happy and healthy for a long time. This means regular water changes and long quarantine periods for any new fish. etc. etc.

UV can be useful to help decimate ich populations or other parasites, but again good fishkeeping practices means that these should not be a problem. If ich or some other parasite is a constant problem, you really need to review what you are doing wrong. Same thing if algae is a major problem. If algae is a major problem, some change in your procedures are necessary.

It is also important to note that because a UV sterilizer doesn't not treat the entire tank at one time, it will only decimate a population, NOT completely eliminate a population. For example, if you are using it to treat ich, the UV can reduce the population to 1% or 0.1% of the original infection level, but it will never reduce it to 0%. Medication is the only method that treats the entire tank. When you medicate the entire tank, there is no place for an ich to hide -- contrast this with a UV light where the ich has to swim through the chamber to die. There will always be a few ich organism that won't swim through the chamber.

I think that if you have a sterilizer on hand for emergencies, that can be good. But I think that general everyday use is unnecessary.

 

[n3ont3tra]

IS there a downside to using a UV sterilizer every day?

 

[Musho3210]

IS there a downside to using a UV sterilizer every day?

yes, electrical cost, might make the water too sterile (pretty rare), other than that i cant really think of any others.

 

[Bignose]

IS there a downside to using a UV sterilizer every day?

In addition to the ones Musho mentioned (electricity cost isn't the only one, you'll have to buy new bulbs rather frequently, too. I think a bulb only puts out sufficient levels of radiation for around 6 months), I think that there is a psychological drawback, too. That is, that one will feel like "I don't have to do the weekly maintenance, I've got the super death UV thingy that will keep my water pure" when the weekly maintenance is still completely necessary. In fact, more maintenance is necessary, since cleaning the sleeve of the bulb to make sure the light levels stay high enough is an additional necessary step.

If you are using a UV to combat algae, for example, sure, you won't have algae itself floating around, but you are going to still have lots of undesirables in the water. Firstly, you will still have whatever was causing algae in the first place. Too many nitrates is a good suspect here. While nitrates aren't as deadly as ammonia or nitrite, it is still a toxin to the fish. Secondly, the UV does kill the algae, but what happens the the dead cells of the algae? They decompose and re-release their chemicals back into the water. The decomposition process takes oxygen, and the nitrates the algae was using to grow gets released back into the water. Maybe as nitrate, maybe as some other nitrogenous chemical like ammonia. In whatever form it gets released, it goes back into the water column. Net result is no alive algae, but you still have the same crud in the water in the first place.

This is again, why I emphasize addressing the root cause of the problems in the first place. I see UV as a band-aid, a patch to help stop the bleeding and prevent things from getting worse. But, it is not a permanent fix. The root issue should be addressed, and almost always, when the root issue is addressed, the UV band-aid becomes completely unnecessary.

 

[Spooky76]

I have a vecton UV8 running through my eheim filter. SInce I put it in, it has made a HUGE difference to the water, its never yellow, even with 3 pieces of bogwood. Also I have not had 1 ICH problem and I did used to get a fair few with the clown loaches in particular. I have still had 1 or 2 fishes with bacterial infections, but on the whole I would say it was a good buy for £30 off ebay.

You just need to remember to change the bulb every 6 months which is about £5. They are quite big though, so make sure you have the room. I was shocked at the size, thought it would be tiny.

I dont have loads of expensive fish, as you can see, but I wouldnt want to lose them and have to replace them. I did alot of reading up and spoke to several people on here (Wolf might have been one) and couldnt find any down sides to putting one in, so I did and I dont regret it.