UV and the planted tank...

[Mouflon44]

Is UV sterilization a benefit or a detriment to planted tanks? I have seen statements that lead me to believe that water clarity is helped by UV. Does this hurt the plant environment any? Removing anything that the plants need? If it doesn't hurt the plants but does help with water clarity, I would be interested and depending on cost would probably add it. Need some advice.

[125gJoe]

Some have said a UV sterilizer will kill beneficial bacteria. But, it works fantastic when you set it up, properly timed (use a timer for On and Off cycling), and have the correct flow through it. Look into how many Watts you will need.

You can also use it only when needed - like a cloudy tank, or algae bloom. It's a very useful device for the 'micro-environments' of aquariums.

[superjohnny]

I've read some people say that it will kill macro & micro nutrients and not to use it in a planted tank. I have one in my setup because I had a really bad GW algae problem... it fixed that literally in a number of hours. I was amazed. Now it's still setup, but turned off. I don't see that it does me much good anymore. It's nice to have if I ever get ich or any disease because UV sterilizers are great for that.

So IMO & IME they're nice to have, but not really necessary. Like Joe said, they're nice to have when you need them. They're only like ~$70 for a 9w Custom Sealife @ bigalsonline.

[125gJoe]

superjohnny, you can also use the UV for 'preventative maintenance'.

Let's say, between water changes, crank the UV on for a short time... couple hours or so....

This "gadget" is not at all a necessity, but is useful when used the way it's designed.

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mouflon44, using a UV sterilizer is good for a planted tank - when used properly. I learned about them right here on Aquaria Central. And, bought one online since LFS's here hardly ever stock them. But, that's good too since I bought mine online and saved about $20 to $50... :)

[NJ Devils Fan]

I have a uv on my planted tank and I like it a lot. No problems what-so-ever.