UV Sterilizer -- To Get or Not to Get

Jakezori

Jakezori

AC Members
Jan 24, 2009
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Pennsylvania
I'm trying to decide whether or not to get a UV Sterilizer for my 90 gallon. So here are a few questions for you.

1. Will my pleco lose some of his nourishment?

2. Do UV Sterilizers reduce the chance of ick or other freshwater diseases?

3. Are there any potential downsides of a UV Sterilizer?

4. What is the smallest size that one could have for a clean 90 gallon tank?


Personal success/failure stories are welcome!


:headbang2:
 
1. Will my pleco lose some of his nourishment?

It may reduce the amount of algae that grows in the aquarium so you may need to supplement its diet with algae pellets

2. Do UV Sterilizers reduce the chance of ick or other freshwater diseases?

That can be argued but I beleive it is more of an algae growth deturant in order for it to kill ich or other diseases the contact time has to be alot longer then what is done in most steralizers

3. Are there any potential downsides of a UV Sterilizer?

None that I can think of.

4. What is the smallest size that one could have for a clean 90 gallon tank?
I would say for a 90 I would go with a 18 to 27 watt UV unit.
 
Jakezori said:
I'm trying to decide whether or not to get a UV Sterilizer for my 90 gallon. So here are a few questions for you.

1. Will my pleco lose some of his nourishment?

2. Do UV Sterilizers reduce the chance of ick or other freshwater diseases?

3. Are there any potential downsides of a UV Sterilizer?

4. What is the smallest size that one could have for a clean 90 gallon tank?


Personal success/failure stories are welcome!


:headbang2:
Click to expand...


1. no... it only kills algae that passes through it.
2. yes... if it's something that's transferred through the water column or happens to go through the filter, certainly.
3. not really unless you bust a bulb while it's on somehow or have ridiculous expectations that simply can't be met.
4. that would depend on your ability to deal with algae and carelessness with your stock/tank as well as sudden happenings with your water supply.

the size of the unit should be matched up with the speed of the pump it'll be connected to first. if you're looking for algae removal you can get away with less. for protozoan control you'll want more light and less flow which translates to longer exposure times. then you decide how often you feel you need your tank turned over and go from there.

there's a nice little graph on drs foster and smith that's real helpful... http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/pic/article.cfm?acatid=423&aid=440

18 watts would probably do just fine most times at the right flow rate, but 40 would be better. they make drop-in units cheap nowadays.
 
so something like a 9 watt or 13 watt wouldn't be worth getting?


in your opinion in a uv sterilizer woth getting if my tank is clean... All I would want it for is to prevent my fish from getting sick and preventing an algae outbreak or something unlikely.
 
if your tank is healthy and algae free and you don't plan on plopping new fish in any time soon it's not necessary. however it's a good thing to have around when you could use it for sure. you may even notice your water is cleaner once you hook it up. there's nothing wrong with preventative maintenance either but if you know how to avoid the issues it fixes it's not likely you'll be plagued by them. it's your call. i think they're a good investment. if you don't see improvements or the need you can always sell it to someone.

i would do it personally.

EDIT: definitely ask over in the f/w diy section. rod and gunner seem to always find great prices on internal all in one units. i know gunner likes the green killing machine. they're not expensive at all, so no worries about wattage, really.
 
there is canister filters with inbuilt uv sterilzers i am tossing up between getting one or builing a sump with a inline uv.
 
Jakezori said:
I'm trying to decide whether or not to get a UV Sterilizer for my 90 gallon. So here are a few questions for you.

1. Will my pleco lose some of his nourishment?
no, uv only affects things that can flow through it. pleco's eat things that are stuck to objects

2. Do UV Sterilizers reduce the chance of ick or other freshwater diseases?
only if they flow through the UV filter. If ich is on a fish wit will not go away, if something is stuck to a wall or plant or fish, it will not be affected by the UV

3. Are there any potential downsides of a UV Sterilizer?
it uses electricity, its another piece of equipment to maintain, it needs to have its bulbs replaced regularly so that it maintains its effectiveness, a waste of money

4. What is the smallest size that one could have for a clean 90 gallon tank?
i think that someone already answered this one for you


Personal success/failure stories are welcome!


:headbang2:
Click to expand...
answers above in red.

in my brutally honest opinion:
UV is a complete waste of time, money, and effort. The things that it attempts to fix are things that can be simply avoided. Examples, quarantine your fish to avoid disease, maintain water changes to avoid algae breakout etc.
 
1. Will my pleco lose some of his nourishment?

2. Do UV Sterilizers reduce the chance of ick or other freshwater diseases?

3. Are there any potential downsides of a UV Sterilizer?

4. What is the smallest size that one could have for a clean 90 gallon tank?
Click to expand...
1) When I run mine on a regular basis I notice I have less alage growing. You should be feeding your pleco anyway so it should be getting enough food.
2) If the pump is matched to the UV sterilizer appropriately. The flow has to be slow to kill parasites floating in the water. It will only kill bacteria and parasites that are in the water not on the fish.
3)I can't believe no one has mentioned price. These things are costly.
4)I read on MFK to go with your tank size decided by 10 to get the appropriate size. I have a 9w on an 80 gallon and it seems to work fine. Of course 9 might be a little small. To be safe you could bump it up to a 13w.



Lots of people think they are a waste on a freshwater system but mine gives me peace of mind. I have battled a terrible flesh eating disease twice in my tank but once I got the UV sterilizer it did not come back. I have had no luck quarantining mbuna since they just start killing each other or tearing each other up so much they get secondary infections. With the UV sterilizer I can add new fish without worry.
If you aren't planning on adding more stock and your tank has been healthy for a while I wouldn't worry about it. When I no longer have anything to add to my 80 gallon I'm going to put mine aside for my hospital/QT tank.
 
hmmm... a fish swimming upstream to mate with ich would certainly drop the ich once the cysts pop... and be swimming away from re-infection. same would be true with a fish in a tank with adequate uv sterilization to a certain extent... unless it's constantly hiding in decor where it gets no water flow.

i know this because i've unknowingly plopped an infested fish in my tank, cysts appeared, then popped, wounds healed and nobody was any worse for wear. no treatment was issued as i already had the unit installed and i felt stressing the fish with meds/salt at that point might be counter-productive.

so in essence, less re-infestation, ich certainly does "go away"... it's just that in an enclosed system there's nowhere else to go and re-infestation is highly likely without treatment of some type. uv certainly is treatment and kills them in the free-floating stage like any other treatment would. this is where higher turnover rates (while still adequate for protozoan protection) allowed by higher wattage units comes in real handy.
 
The only people that I have seen that do not STRONGLY advocate UV filters/sterilizers are those that do not have them. I have a 135 gallon with a 15 watt and it works great. There is no reason to go larger. I use a 65 gph power head on it and this is perfect to kill algea and most diseases. You will notice a difference overnight once you put one in. This will be the single best purchase that you will ever make for your tank. I am just about to get one for my 29 gallon tank.
 
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