UV Sterilizers

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by HatesSushi
If you read my post above it is a pretty good case for using UV and I can prove what I am saying. You can come over and I will show you the difference in my swimming pool although it will take a few days to show you. It works the same way in my fish tank. I removed my UV almost a week ago because I noticed a bit of water in where the bulb is while I was cleaning it. It's under warranty though.
So now that it has been off for about a week there is more algea in the tank. As far as whether it kill ich or any other good or bad parasites of pathogens I really don't care either way. All I know is that it keeps the algea down and that's all I need it for. Anything else is a plus.
Hmm. That's an interesting point. That probably works both ways though. Are your corals normally feeding off of some of the algae spores you are killing? I guess certain forms of algae may be controlled by it. I'm curious though if that is needed in the majority of tanks.

 

[farslayer]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
I'm confused so don't take this the wrong way if I'm off the mark.
From what I gather you're saying that you QT for two weeks. Your tank had been established for a year.
What seems to have occured is that at some point you introduced ich. Your fish were healthy and fought it off for x amount of time. Something occured and one or more fish began to get infected. At that point it spread throughout the tank.
Farslayer, I'm not trying to argue with ya, I'm just trying to explain to folks that diseases like ich can be prevented from ever entering a tank. Once there the UV may or may not beat it, but why wait for that to occur? Why not prevent the parasites from entering the tank? Truth be told, once in your tank, unless you remove all verts for 4-6 weeks you can't be 100% sure ich is ever out of your tank. As there is no certainty that the UV is sterilizing all of your water ich may never be truly gone.
Na, I posted a clarification, I wasn't clear. The tank was set up for about three years, no new additions for about a year when the ich outbreak occured. Besides, ich isn't the only thing a UV takes care of, don't forget bacteria and other pathogens introduced by way of the atmosphere or other miscellaneous sources. Better safe than sorry, the fish tank is not a clean room isolated from the rest of the world. I'd rather invest a few dollars in something to help when disaster strikes. Never assume that your tank is completely clean and that disasters can't occur, be prepared. My two cents anyway.

 

[farslayer]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
Hmm. That's an interesting point. That probably works both ways though. Are your corals normally feeding off of some of the algae spores you are killing? I guess certain forms of algae may be controlled by it. I'm curious though if that is needed in the majority of tanks.
Actually algae in the water (green tank syndrome) is eliminated by UV as it effectively kills of the floating algae. Talk to somebody who installs ponds (if you don't work with these) as they have lots of problems with green water. I didn't even think to mention that. Our LFS installs ponds and the UV sterilizer is part of their basic package. I know because I want to put a pond in this summer if funds permit.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by Farslayer
Actually algae in the water (green tank syndrome) is eliminated by UV as it effectively kills of the floating algae. Talk to somebody who installs ponds (if you don't work with these) as they have lots of problems with green water. I didn't even think to mention that. Our LFS installs ponds and the UV sterilizer is part of their basic package. I know because I want to put a pond in this summer if funds permit.
That I can see.
I'll do some reading up. I can see the algae issue more than anything, but I run carbon and haven't really noticed this. My Koi pond has too many oak leaves in it to ever get clear, no matter how big a UV I have. :jumping:

 

[acrylic51]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
Ok, maybe worthless was a bit harsh... :hilarious
Would you settle for highly overrated? Take ich for example. Ich is easy to prevent, yet people seem to think it takes a UV to prevent it.
No argument here 1journeyman.....I do think they are overrated and clouted as to doing miracles for disease, but on the same note I honestly believe they could stave off things in the early onset......
I can attest to the UV controlling algae....I've had an issue with mine since the UV developed an issue seeping water to the ballast, which will be remedied rather shortly through warranty, but as FarSlayer stated the UV is altering the DNA of these objects we are trying to rid.....Again they aren't 100% effective at killing, so the thought or objection of them being bad is "pointless", because they don't kill 100% as people would believe for many reasons that I've pointed out, and just like alot of other equipment in this hobby isn't 100% effective......
I don't even buy the theory of if fish were properly quarantined you wouldn't have ich.....On one of my first 150 years ago, I had a Purple and Yellow for years and hadn't added any fish as well for well over a year and all of a sudden the Purple came down with ich???????? :thinking: Quaranting had nothing to do with it, because they were well established......I believe that all fish carry the ich pathogen, but something triggers the outbreak.......???? :notsure: Just like all humans have the potential to get cancer??? Why do some and some don't???? Genetics?????

 

[hammerhed7]

Originally Posted by acrylic51
Each pumps flow rate is different....there aren't any 2 pumps even same manufacturer will run the same......Personally Sly I don't care if you ignore me or not....Your manufacturer crap that you qouted doesn't mean squat.....Manufactureres will say anything to get you to buy....
good point. I currently run a 36 W coralife on my 220 gal, and while the UV will kill organisms in the water column, the dwell time required to kill organisms is more than twice that required to kill free floating algae.
for example manufacturer recommends roughy 650 gph to kill algae, and around 250-300 gph for parasites. I used a formula where I timed how long it took my output from the UV to fill a 5 gal bucket, then converted that to gph.
based on my use I think it did well preventing a bacterial issue I had from spreading rapidly, but as far as ich, I would doubt the effectiveness due to the huge number of parasites that are released into the water column that will attach to a host immediately, and due to the reduced flow required to kill them it would be impossible to nuke them all.
sorry for the long winded post