Do you use a UV sterilizer?

bluemarlin

bluemarlin

Member
No, I'm not entitled to their vote but what does it hurt to answer yes or no? I mean they have already clicked into the post and read the question. I was just looking for feedback on the subject.
 
flamehawk

flamehawk

Active Member
Swear by mine since I haven't had an ick outbreak since installed . I have 3 tangs in a 125g and as everyone knows they are ick magnets.
 
perps

perps

Member
I use to use it.. untill one day my I thought my fuvual wasnt working .. when i disconnected my uv filter.. Bam filter was working again! i just just stop using it about 5 months ago
 
jmesmcm

jmesmcm

Member
I use one. Prior to using it all fish had a 5-6 week life expectancy. Since adding it to the system all the fish are happy and healthy.
 
aileena

aileena

Member
I have had a UV for about 2 weeks! In that time my fish have shaken a gill fluke through garlic feeding and running the UV! I would recommend it definetly. However, I understand that if you have corals you should not run the UV continuously since it kills good stuff too! So as soon as I add corals I will put a timer on it and run it for 12 hours only!
 
S

sinner's girl

Guest
i thought uv wasn't good in sw tanks?
my mom uses one in her outdoor fw pond though, does good from what i know
 
wamp

wamp

Active Member
Don't see much need in one. They are by no means "magic". Never seen any good or bad effects of one. Used to have them on all my FO tank and once removed never saw a diffrence. I guess it just gives peace of mind though.
 
jeo

jeo

Member
I have never considered one for my tank, it just seems like killing everything that is living in the water is unatural.
 
fshhub

fshhub

Active Member
to answer the question
i will never use one
b/c, IMEO the best way to build a reef or sw aquarium is to build an ecosystem in which everything works and lives together, and i cannot see how this can be achieved when you use uv to kill so much that we strive to have, sure it may help with ick(not proven) but it also kills plankton adn algae and bacteria(WHICH I WANT!), all of these things work together to feed and clean the tank(this is the goal i and many others desire)
and to add to the fact taht IMO(and IMEO) they are not needed, in over 30 yrs i have never seen ick in sw or fw until recently and that was at the lfs(proof that with proper care we can avoid ick in all our tanks)
so my opinion is why pay so much for a device that may help with one symptom while not helping with the actual problem and aditionally works against what i am trying to build
it is my belief taht we purchase them in hopes that they WILL prevent ick, which i believe they MAY help(onlly) but also kill the other stuff that i want
 
nacl-h2o

nacl-h2o

Active Member
Nope, Never used one and never will. A properly maintained tank doesn't need one. Making them a waste of money. And a device that reduces the effectivness of some of the things your trying to create.
 
bluemarlin

bluemarlin

Member
UV's are hyped so much that it seemed as if I was missing something. I really agree with the "you don't want to kill some of the things that the UV is killing" idea. Thats a great point. So is the "its unnatural not to have some of the things that the UV kills in your tank". Both of these statements make alot of sense but what really has wrapped this up for me is the last thought. "A properly maintained tank doesn't need one". Please excuse the paraphrasing if I didn't quote exactly.
Thanks for the input everyone. This doesn't mean that those who use them are wrong. In fact, I am a big believer in doing what works for you. SOme like UV's and some don't.
 
sal t. nutz

sal t. nutz

Member
The "It's not natural" argument doesn't work. If you read Beth's post in the disease forum about ICH, it will make more sense. ICH exists in the wild and it hosts on the fish. It doesn't want to kill the fish, as no parasite wants to kill it's food source. The ICH has plenty of hosts to feed from. In a fish tank, the ICH reproduces fast and there are a very limited number of hosts, none of the ich want to die themselves, so they all attach to the few fish that are there. The fish is now the host for way more ICH than would be the case in the wild, and that is why the fish die. So, I feel a UV sterilizer is a good thing, being that it kills most of the ICH in the tank and keeping your fish safe. JMO
 
demosthenes

demosthenes

Active Member
However, there has been no proof of that, only circumstance. Another thing, if you keep your tank as natural as possible, then the fish won't become stressed and such, and they will not be overcome by the stress. So, the "natural" line does work.
 
sal t. nutz

sal t. nutz

Member
I'm pretty sure that the fish won't be stressed by a UV sterilizer, considering there is no way they would even know it's there.
 
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