uv sterilizer needed or a total waste

[GREATMIKE]

Have a 150 gallon tank, was wondering if i should run a uv sterilizer. or is it a waste of money and what size and brand is recomennded.

 

[piranhapat]

Are you planning on reef tank or fish only ? People will tell you that they are good and some will say waste of money. If you are person that get sick fish it will kill parasite in the water. But fish still needs to be treated. It will kill good nutrients just as the bad. It will give you a polish cleaner looking water. I had one when I started this hobby and time went on I didn't need one. If you are going to buy one buy get a good one. I brought one for like $79 and notice water going in chamber that shouldn't have and could start a fire. If you are going reef I say No. Going fish only and adding a lot of fish yes. It's not that important but if you are a beginner it will help with ick and spread of ick. Remember it's very important to to have QT tank or hospital tank. You can run one in there. But if treating fish must be turn off........

 

[KathyC]

UV lights kill both good bacteria & bad things like parasites BUT only the ones that enter the chamber, which is why they are of no use to get rid (totally) of something like the Ich parasite which tends to fall down along the sand bed - where you would not have an intake for the unit anyway.

It will polish your water and kill off the algae that gives the water a green/yellow tint and some folks like them for that reason.

They do need to be properly maintained and the bulb sleev needs to be cleaned every few months and the bulb changed about every 9 months or so to keep the unit operating effectively. The flow rste through the unit must match the manufacturers requirements for what you are trying to kill (info would be on the instructions).

Emperor Aquatics makes a good UV light and I personally run a Tetra one on my large pond (where temps/sunlight causes algae issues) but I do not run them on my SW tanks.

 

[GREATMIKE]

Using it on a reef . Doesn't look like a good idea

 

[kres1024]

I run them on all tanks I like the results and the benifit of it keeping parisites in check well the ones that happen to go threw the uv
Emperor aquatic and aqua uv are good

 

[B.BASH]

Waste

 

[sunny]

+1 on what KathyC said.

I have a Aqua UV running on my reef. It is plumbed to the return line so everything goes through it. I have not seen any downside in my reef as a result of adding it. I agree, it will not kill ich but will help with algae.

The water is crystal clear in my tank after adding it.

Proper flow is the key.

 

[kres1024]

Waste

Hell no

 

[prattreef]

It is neither necessary nor a waste. They have their uses as described above and there is really no downside to using one. That said, the majority of reef keepers don't use them so they are not critically important either.

 

[B.BASH]

1ve ran my reef for 5yrs with no uv in the past ive used them on other tanks and have seen no difference if you have good parameters and healthy habitat i see no need for one as far as parasites they first have to pass through the light and have proper contact time for the light to work for organic matter carbon / skimming and overall good husbundry is enough my exp. Tells me waste of money

 

[B.BASH]

25 yrs by the way but def. Not an expert

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

Randy and Kathy hit the nail on the head. I happen to like mine. Critical points are flow rate which most people completely screw up. In addtition, the water passing thru it should be as "clean" as possible. With that being said you absolutely will see a difierence in clarity by using one.

 

[kres1024]

Randy and Kathy hit the nail on the head. I happen to like mine. Critical points are flow rate which most people completely screw up. In addtition, the water passing thru it should be as "clean" as possible. With that being said you absolutely will see a difierence in clarity by using one.

Hell yea buddy

 

[finksmart]

To say that UV kills beneficial bacteria is a misconception. The bacteria that filters our water is bethnic and not in the water column. Just think about it. The purpose of using LR, zeovit stones, misc. filter media is so that the bacteria can live on a surface, not in the water column. So to say that UV kills beneficial bacteria is contradictory to the fact that we're using various filter media and LR to allow the bacteria to colonize on the surface of some objects, not in the water column.

 

[GREATMIKE]

thanks guys. guess i will try it. what size is recommened for a 150 gallon