UV Sterilizer?

dlyon101

dlyon101

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Dec 30, 2010
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What's the consensus on whether to use one or not? My tank is kind of too new still so I won't be adding one anytime soon. I'd just like to have a few Tangs eventually and I hear they are susceptible to ich. I've heard that a UV sterilizer might help prevent diseases like this.
 
IMO, they are completely worthless and borderline harmful in a main aquarium setting. In a hospital tank setting or in a large Fish Store where many tanks are using the same water they can be helpful but they won't solve any problems by themselves. I would never tell anyone to use one to fight off "ich" in a display tank.. that would be futile and pointless because it simply isn't possible to kill all the ich in a tank with a UV sterilizer... but while you are killing some ich with it your also killing a lot of good things in your tank as well. Only the free floating stage of ich is affected by UV sterilizers, hense why UV won't solve any ich problems, it only assists during one stage of their life cycle, and even during that stage UV is not 100% effective.

The best method to avoid ich in the display is to hospital/quarantine all new fish, especially tangs, for at least 4 weeks, preferably 6-8 weeks to be really sure. If your fish is ich free in a hospital tank after 8 weeks then there is little to no chance of that fish introducing ich into your tank.

Just my opinion on UV sterilizers.. others may have different opinions. The more opinions you get the more information you have in hand to decide if it is something you wish to pursue on your tank.
 
So here's another stupid question... Does everyone pretty much have a quarantine/hospital tank up and running all the time?

My tank has just cycled so I've only added a couple tank raised clowns and a couple "beginner corals". So none of that was quarantined before going in to the main tank.

Should I quarantine corals too or just fish?
 
I've got an old 10 gallon Eclipse all in one tank. Would that be good to start a quarantine tank with?
 
You can set up a quarantine tank simply by using media from your established tank instead of keeping it up all the time.
 
Unless you established tank has Ick. :naughty:

I was just thinking about buying a Filter with a 9 watt sterilizer and was wondering the same thing. Not to cure Ick but just as an "all around" safety measure, but I too wondered about it's effect on beneficial bacteria.
I wanted everyone to say that they were fantastic. :(
 
i have a 10gal qt tank set up..i just leave it up at all times cause you never know when ya need it..i have a few hermits that live in there to keep the tank cycled..i just throw a pinch of food in there every couple of days...i know it's just another tank to have to maintain but it's ready when neede...
 
I would use UV to keep bacteria bloom at bay or free floating algae (pea sup), but only if other methods failed. As Ace25 said, it probably does more bad than good. In addition to all that was said, UV can alter water chemistry. you should not need UV in properly stocked and fed tank.
 
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