UV Sterilizers
- Thread starter sprieto
- Start date
danedodger
Member
Just on hearsay some people seem to swear by them, some don't.
I've got them on half of my tanks at work, half without, and see no difference whatsoever. They still get ich from time to time, the algae still needs wiping almost daily.
But to be fair to UVs, the units at work are straight tubes only about 12" long or so. What I've heard is that when the water is in contact with the light for that tiny bit of time, probably only exposed to the light for seconds at the VERY most, no, it won't do any good. The best ones are the corkscrew shaped ones, the more twisted and long they are the better, so that the water is in contact with the light for a longer period of time. The longer the water is in contact with the light the more it will kill, as I understand it.
I've got them on half of my tanks at work, half without, and see no difference whatsoever. They still get ich from time to time, the algae still needs wiping almost daily.
But to be fair to UVs, the units at work are straight tubes only about 12" long or so. What I've heard is that when the water is in contact with the light for that tiny bit of time, probably only exposed to the light for seconds at the VERY most, no, it won't do any good. The best ones are the corkscrew shaped ones, the more twisted and long they are the better, so that the water is in contact with the light for a longer period of time. The longer the water is in contact with the light the more it will kill, as I understand it.
ophiura
Active Member
Oh no, they are not for water circulation at all. In fact the water passing through them has to be very very slow. Most people have it going through too fast which makes it worthless.
IMO, it is money better spent elsewhere. Some people swear by them, but I feel if you have a good stress free tank, then you don't need one...and if you don't have a good stress free tank then you might still have issues that a UV isn't going to help with anyway.
IMO, it is money better spent elsewhere. Some people swear by them, but I feel if you have a good stress free tank, then you don't need one...and if you don't have a good stress free tank then you might still have issues that a UV isn't going to help with anyway.
27mtaylor
Member
I bought one after I lost all my fish to ich. It made me feel a little more secure about adding fish to my tank. I don't run it anymore. After researching the Ich cycle I feel like a QT tank is more worth my time. A UV sterolizer is only going to kill the ich if it happens to get sucked through and only if it is exposed to the light for the right amount of time.