UV Sterilizers ?

[ddaddy]

Are UV sterilizers worth it? I have a 75 gallon tank that I just got done curing of ich and I don't want it to pop up down the road. Would an 8 watt unit be effective against large pathogens w/ 2 power filters and a protein skimmer? I was thinking about getting the double helix sterilizer. Does anyone have any experience w/ it?

 

[tankstolove]

I believe a uv filter is worth it. If their is a chance that it kills free swimming parasites, which it does, then in my experience take it.
We have over 600 aquariums locally all equiped with uv's and I have not once had odidium, or cryptocaryon in our tanks.
If money wasn't an issue would you have one?
Good question, Good luck. SEE LIFE... "It's a beautiful world!!!"

 

[demosthenes]

I would say no to getting a UV Sterilizer, they work fine in FW, by killing free-floating pathogens, algae, and such, but they will take out all of the neccessary trace elements in a SW tank, and I say they are more detrimental than helpful.

 

[trompet3]

I am curious how a uv sterilizer would take out all of the trace elements in a tank? To my knowledge, they work by disrupting DNA, thus only effective against living beings. I could be wrong in this, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't effect non organic trace elements.

 

[fshhub]

heh, heh, heh,
one of my favorite debates, in a reef system or a fish only with fish that live off plankton, definitely a do not use, b/c they kill many things, one of which is claimed to be ich, but there is not enough evidence that they rid a system completely of ich, besides, proper care can and wil go much further in disease and parasite prevention, in over 20 years i have never even seen a case of ich, in fact until recently i have not even seen it with my own eyes(that was in a lfs), ifeel quarentining and hypo and proper care go much further and are much cheaper AND do not harm your little biosystem by killing off bacteria you want and plankton you also want in the system
but there are others who will disagree with me, this topic has been debated many times here and always has the same outcome, good arguements for both sides

 

[tankstolove]

that is the truth! Both sides win on this issue, however I am on the UV side.