UV sterilizer Is it necessary ??

[Hozer21]

Ok so does anyone out there use one on there tank or tanks?? If so why ?? how do they help your tank ?? I had one for a while just because I had that dam green water (flame) and with in a week it got rid of it and I really haven't used it since but was going to us it for a couple hrs at night but I was just wondering if anyone out use one or not . I know these might be dumb question but I just wanted to know the uv sterilizer does for your tank

[ReefSafari]

If it was me, and I just had one lying around...I would use it, couldn't hurt...some people swear by them, I personally have never used them, I could be totally wrong but I think its especially good if you have fish, my tank doesn't have many fish in it, and the fish it does have are small...

 

Maybe someone with UV Sterilizer experience will chime in, but if you have one and its not being used, I don't think it would hurt to use it...I googled some artciles...don't know if they are relavant..

 

http://www.aquaristsonline.com/blog/aquarium-equipment/using-a-uv-sterilizer-in-a-reef-tank/

 

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/beginner.htm

[stylaster]

It would be handy if you kept a fish only system. But in a reef tank i dont think it is necessary, especially since you have biological controls (ie cleaner shrimp)

Now if you have one, you can still run it, it should be ran 24/7 because you are dependent upon the amount of water you can push through the UV. Down side to running one on a reef is that it will kill the good bugs along with the bad.

[Rick]

As Roy mentioned, they kill both good and bad organisms. I personally would avoid running one unless you have a specific reason to use it. I.E. Problems with infections.

[ReeFit]

agreed, its a good resource to have one, i am running one right now to help eliminate a suspected marine velvet outbreak, but once i have it under control, it will go back off. it is also helpfull in killing algae blooms.

[reefnjunkie]

OOPS, I guess I should disconnect mine, I had it as part of a used system I bought and have had it hooked up for about a year.

 

I suppose some reading is in order to see what the "good bugs" are it is killing.

 

Man that would be great if I can make things even better-I mean isnt that what we are always seeking "better better better...."

 

Wanna buy a turbo twist 9 watter

 

 

Just kidding, my system has probablly become dependant on it and if I take it off line the whole tank will crash.:eek:(laugh)(sad):eek:(nono)(scary)

 

 

Time to go do some research.

[Topher]

i have on on our tank. we had some problems with velvet and ick. we ran it for over a month after losing a couple tangs , wrasse and gobby. the way i understand it is that the good bacteria clings to and is inside the live rock and substraight. the bad tend to flow in the tank more(i may have been misinformed) we left i running for several months and then shut it off. we just recently started to run it for ten hours a day due to the hipo tang started to get ick within a day or so after we got him. if it runs all the time, our water temp rises. the tang is doing great and we did not have to do any treatment at all.. I geuss i would be one of those that wpould swear by them... i know that woody would say they are worthless but i have had proven results. algae has not been an issue at all since we got the light.. we use the Turbo twist 12x and keep the flow around 290 gph for parisites. there are different flow rates for desired results here is the chart... it was well worth the $229.00 we could have lost that much before thing straightened out...

[Frank]

I run one I mine it is under power but I like it... It is just nice to know I have it

[coralreefer]

I lean towards running a bacterial driven system...np biopellets, zeobac with microbacter 7...ULNS, so to speak...UV sterilizer I have but don't use and am happy...

 

DrMerle

[grassi]

If you have to, use ozone instead, you can control it better if you have an orp monitor.

My suggestion is to not add more devices just because you have them around. More things that can go wrong

[Topher]

If you have to, use ozone instead, you can control it better if you have an orp monitor.

My suggestion is to not add more devices just because you have them around. More things that can go wrong

 

do you not need a device to add ozone? (scratch)

 

I need to research ozone better for auqariums, i know it is considered harmfull in the home/air at certain levels. the ferderal goverment has even set a maximum amount a unit (aircleaner/purifier) can produce to levels of 5 parts per million.(i will confirm this, it is either 5, .5 or .05 per million, that darn decimal point.) has any studies been done on this for aquariums?

[Emerald525]

If you have to, use ozone instead, you can control it better if you have an orp monitor.

My suggestion is to not add more devices just because you have them around. More things that can go wrong

 

+ 1 on that advice. If everything is doing well why make changes and agreed have had some scary param changes because of equipment failures. Fortunately the corals and fish have always fared well.

[Algae]

Here is an interesting article from American Aquarium Products out of Grants Pass, OR for what it is worth. They do sell UV sterilzers.

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumUVSterilization.html

 

 

"FACTS (& MYTHS) ABOUT UV STERILIZATION;

 

Here are few things UV Sterilization will NOT do:

 

[1] UV sterilization will not cure infected fish of bacterial or fungal diseases. A UV can aid in cure by killing bacterial pathogens in the water column and fungal spores, also by improvement of the Redox potential (which is much more important then many realize based on scientific research) and general water quality.

 

[2] A UV sterilizer will not kill ich trophozoites already on the fish (but then medications don’t either), but UVC can again slow the spread of ich tomites in the water column (but usually not out right kill ich tomites). However by water quality improvement (such as Redox Potential) and lowering of pathogenic bacteria, the fish has more natural resistance to fight Marine Cryptocaryon or FW Ich.

 

[3] A UV sterilizer will not kill beneficial bacteria such aerobic bacteria, as this bacterium is effective when attached to a surface of high water flow such as the sponge of a sponge filter, not when in the water column. In fact relatively new scientific evidence shows nitrifying bacteria to be sticky and adheres to the surfaces like glue this is why the myth of UV Sterilizers killing beneficial bacteria is just that, a myth. It still may be best to turn off a Sterilizer unit when introducing bacteria in liquid form to seed a new aquarium.

 

[4] UV Sterilization will not remove or destroy algae growing on tank or pond sides, rocks, decorations, etc.

 

[5] UV Sterilization will NOT kill off copepods and other small life forms in a Reef or Nano Reef Aquarium.

This is one of the more laughable myths about the use of UV Sterilizers in reef aquariums as these copepods live at or near the bottom of live rock piles (making a pile with small pieces is best for copepods), they are not active in the water column. If properly installed, the UV should have at least a fine pore sponge filter media as a pre-filter, which will further stop the “ingestion” of these and other minute life forms (the UV benefits as well by being more efficient).

What is interesting about this myth is that many who spread this misinformation use filters such as the Ocean Clear Micron Filters systems (which are excellent micron filters), these filters will filter out any copepods that get caught up in the water column and “sucked” into the filter. As well even “pods” that do manage to find their way into the UV Sterilizer are rarely killed due to size as the typical flow rate of 20+ gph is not low enough to kill them (you would need at least 10 gph per watt, which I do recommend running a UV Sterilizer at flow rate of under 10 gph per watt for this reason).

 

The bottom line here is that I have maintained MANY Reef aquariums with UVs with growing copepod, anemone and other creature populations. Honestly this is one of the worst urban myths in the aquarium hobby about UVs (mostly spread on the internet in misinformed forums which never conduct or read scientific evidence to back up these absurd statements). The only truth to these statements is that UV Sterilizers can destroy some microscopic food sources needed by some of these organisms (usually planktonic algae, although timers that turn the UV on during certain hours is an easy remedy for this possible problem).

 

For more on this myth/controversy, please see this article:

More UV Sterilizer Questions/Myths Answered

 

[6] UV Sterilization NOT remove minerals from aquarium water, however UVC Sterilization will also aid in the removal of oil based (carbon based) pollutants.

 

[7] The use of Ultraviolet Sterilizers will NOT lower fish immunity, in fact from my many controlled studies, the opposite is true. Although the exact mode is theoretical, evidence points towards improved Aquarium Redox being at least part of the reason.

See also this article: “Fish Immune System and UV Sterilization”

 

[8] UV Sterilization will NOT make up for poor aquarium maintenance practices such as over crowding, over feeding, inadequate filtration, poor cleaning practices, improper water parameters, and more.

This point is likely the cause for anecdotal statements that fish coming from tanks that had UV Sterilization, then are placed in a tank without an Ultraviolet Sterilizer resulting in “losses” may be dealing with (besides the above point of improved immunity, which will be lowered after transfer). Often an aquarist (I have also performed this as well for studies) will rely too much on the Sterilizer/Clarifier for water quality, clarity, etc., as a UV Sterilizer will often keep a tank clear and healthy in appearance even when correct water changes, mineralization, etc. are not performed. For this reason the fish may not be has healthy as they should since a Sterilizer should NEVER be relied on as a replacement for good aquarium maintenance practices. Along this same line of thought, often aquariums maintained this way will have low KH and falling pH which can result in osmotic shock and even death when transferred."

[Topher]

nice article Algea, that is pretty what i have found after doing resurch before we got our uv unit. now if you can find an article on ozone you could save me some resurch(as if I would not still do some)

[ReeFit]

ok, here are some things i can tell you about UV sterilization.

 

I have put a UV bulb in my overflow that broadcasts light, not the enclosed type. I killed marine velvet nearly instantly and stopped a mass die off of my fish tank. I ran it for 3 weeks in the overflow. Every copepod in the overflow is dead or gone, all the sponges have fallen off and went into the filter sock, after about a week, the coraline algae died and falls off the side walls with little effort.

 

Does this mean it will kill everything in your tank if your using an enclosed light, no most likely not, everything in my tank seems to be much happier, the water is crystal clear and my fish and corals are not dead. do i see any pods in the tank now, not really, so i'm not sure how it affected them.

 

I bought an enclosed UV sterilizer to have on hand in case of another velvet outbreak and will see how it affects my tank.

 

Just my findings.

[Algae]

nice article Algea' date=' that is pretty what i have found after doing resurch before we got our uv unit. now if you can find an article on ozone you could save me some resurch(as if I would not still do some)[/quote']

 

Here is something by Randy Farley Holmes in Reefkeeping:

This is the "conclusion" to the first part of a 3 part series.

 

Link to part 1 here:

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-03/rhf/index.php

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Ozone has many effects when used in a reef aquarium. The most useful of these is the degradation of organic materials. Most importantly, and quite coincidently and fortunately for aquarists, the colored organic pigments in marine aquaria are very sensitive to ozone. For this reason, ozone can remove seawater's color quite readily, and much more effectively than it removes the overall load of organic material. Its effects on water clarity described by most aquarists range from minimal to very dramatic, with most aquarists reporting significant beneficial effects.

 

Another big effect of ozone is the bioavailability of the organics in the water. Many organics in the aquarium are not readily metabolized by bacteria, and such materials may last for hundreds or thousands of years in the ocean. Ozone, however, has the ability to make many organic materials more readily absorbed and metabolized by bacteria. So in a sense, ozone triggers a bacterial attack that can reduce the load of circulating organic materials. This reduction in organic materials may also usefully apply to circulating toxins released by the aquarium inhabitants in an effort to kill each other with chemicals.

 

Ozone and its byproducts can, in high enough doses, kill many pathogens. The levels of ozone encountered in reef aquaria, however, may be inadequate to have any significant effect on total bacterial populations. Viruses are more susceptible than bacteria to ozone, and they may be effectively inactivated by typical use. Larger pathogens and parasites are much harder to kill and are not likely to be killed by ozone in reef aquaria.

 

Ozone also has a dark side. When reacted with seawater, ozone produces a variety of highly oxidized halogens such as BrOH and BrO3-. If the ozone produced oxidants are not largely removed with activated carbon, they may enter the aquarium and be hazards to the most sensitive organisms in the aquarium (which are likely eggs or early stage larvae).

 

Finally, ozone alters a variety of other inorganic materials in ways that may or may not be important. It alters the aquarium's redox balance, raising the ORP (which may mean as little as altering the ratios of different forms of manganese in solution). It may permit more rapid conversion of ferrous ion to ferric ion, and may increase its bioavailability, but perhaps decrease the lifetime of strongly complexed iron such as EDTA iron. Ozone also oxidizes ammonia to nitrate. While that is likely beneficial, it may alter the relative effectiveness of different nitrogen export pathways (macroalgae vs. denitrification, for example). It may drive the speciation of iodine toward iodate and away from iodide. Is that good or bad? I expect neither, although others have different opinions, but it is a good poster child for the many things that happen in reef aquaria when using ozone that normally take place without any notice or recognition of them by the aquarist.

 

So with all things considered, is the use of ozone in a reef aquarium worthwhile? Many aquarists answer with a resounding, "Yes!" I'll leave that question unanswered until additional information is detailed in the next two articles discussing what equipment and methods are most useful for applying ozone to aquaria, and reporting on what impact it had in my aquarium.

[Emerald525]

Wow, Algae every now and then you provide some Useful information! Nice summary on UV sterilizers! I may have to get one now for the Agressive tank!

 

And here I thought you were only here to provide comic relief!(laugh)

[Topher]

ok, here are some things i can tell you about UV sterilization.

 

I have put a UV bulb in my overflow that broadcasts light, not the enclosed type. I killed marine velvet nearly instantly and stopped a mass die off of my fish tank. I ran it for 3 weeks in the overflow. Every copepod in the overflow is dead or gone, all the sponges have fallen off and went into the filter sock, after about a week, the coraline algae died and falls off the side walls with little effort.

 

Does this mean it will kill everything in your tank if your using an enclosed light, no most likely not, everything in my tank seems to be much happier, the water is crystal clear and my fish and corals are not dead. do i see any pods in the tank now, not really, so i'm not sure how it affected them.

 

I bought an enclosed UV sterilizer to have on hand in case of another velvet outbreak and will see how it affects my tank.

 

Just my findings.

 

I use the enclosed light and we still have some pink sponge growing in a few areas. the coraline algie is still a pain to get off the glass. so were you talking about just the growth in the overflow?

[Algae]

Wow' date=' Algae every now and then you provide some [b']Useful[/b] information! Nice summary on UV sterilizers! I may have to get one now for the Agressive tank!

 

And here I thought you were only here to provide comic relief!(laugh)

 

 

My father he shouted, "he needs to be clouted, his teeth on a wreath I'll hand him!" My mother she cried as she rushed to my side, "You're a brute and you don't understand him!" So they sent for a witch with a terrible twitch to ask how my future impressed her. She took one look at me... and cried, "He, he, he, he, he, he, he, he, he, *HE*! What else could he be but a jester?" A jester? A jester? A funny idea, a jester. No butcher, no baker, no candlestick maker, and me with the look of a fine undertaker impressed her as a jester? But where was I to learn any comical turn? It was not in a book on a shelf. No teacher to take me, to mold me and make me a merryman, fool or an elf. But I'm proud to recall that in no time at all, with no other recourses but my own resources, with firm application and determination... I made a fool of myself!"

[Emerald525]

My father he shouted' date=' "he needs to be clouted, his teeth on a wreath I'll hand him!" My mother she cried as she rushed to my side, "You're a brute and you don't understand him!" So they sent for a witch with a terrible twitch to ask how my future impressed her. She took one look at me... and cried, "He, he, he, he, he, he, he, he, he, *HE*! What else could he be but a jester?" A jester? A jester? A funny idea, a jester. No butcher, no baker, no candlestick maker, and me with the look of a fine undertaker impressed her as a jester? But where was I to learn any comical turn? It was not in a book on a shelf. No teacher to take me, to mold me and make me a merryman, fool or an elf. But I'm proud to recall that in no time at all, with no other recourses but my own resources, with firm application and determination... I made a fool of myself!"[/quote']

 

Laugh and the world laughs at you or has no clue what the hell you just said!(laugh)(laugh)(laugh)