Are Uvs Worth It

R

reeferaddiction

New member
hey guys, i was just wondering what feedback you could provide on the topic of uv sterilizers on your fo, fowlr tanks. are they really effective against disease. also if i find out they are worth it what uv would be recommended for a 125. let me know what you think.
 
Personally, I think the UV sterelizers were worth it when I ran one and I'm looking to get one on my new tank next week or so.
I do however think they are overpriced at the store so look for some used ones on ebay, here or where ever else. Some fish stores that buy and sell used equipment, sometimes have really good deals on used UV stzrs. I hade a coralife turbo twist x3 on my 37 gallon tank. Now I put that on when I first set up the tank. once I took it off and sold it, I noticed in appearance my water was as SUPER CRYSTAL CLEAR as it used to be. as far as disease wise, I belive it helped during my "adding fish" stage since it will kill any free floating parasite.

I think for a 125 u would want the turbo twist x12. I can't recommend any other brand since I don't have experience with any others. Hope that helps.
 
The key to utilizing a UV depends upon using a wattage slightly higher than what is recommended for the tank, and properly plumbing the system so the return water has to pass through the UV prior to reentering the display. I also think a strong flow in the display is crucial to ensure that free floating parasites, pathogens, and algae are swept into the overflow and through your filtration, and then through your UV. The only PIA is knowing when to replace the bulb, which is usually a bit costly, but isnt everything in this hobby.
 
Re: Are Uvs Worth It

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11899115#post11899115 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reeferaddiction
....are they really effective against disease.....
Click to expand...

when people say that, they usually mean are they effective against "ich" - because realistically there are not really many other diseases that UV could (arguably) combat..... accept maybe velvet.

So..... if the question is actualyl angling at 'are they effective against ich', the answer in my opinion is a definite "no".

I would first direct you to the following short article:
http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/marineich.html

If you read that (it should take about 5 mins) the life cycle ich will become clear and the reason why UV is not very effective will become equally as clear. Basically, you will see that "ich" is only free swimming for a very short period of its 30 day life cycle; according to that article it "can take as little as 30 minutes and up to 24 hours to reach the substrate"........ so that is your window of opertunity for the UV to "work". In order for the UV to be effective, you would have to pass the entire volume of your tank through the UV at a very high rate........ but for the UV to actually kill the parasite, it needs to pass through relatively slowly. So - in order for the UV to kill every single "spot" at free swimming stage
you would need a huge turnover rate, and then a vast bank of UV units........ in the home aquarium this is neither practical or feasible.......

Remember, all it takes it one of these little guys to hit the bottom, and then the whole cycle is off again.......

So you might ask why do dealers and commercial units bother with UV...... well the important thing to remember is that in a dealers system, if the water from tank A is going to get into tank B, it first must pass through the filter system. So, if a "spot" floats out of tank A, it has very little chance of getting into tank B....... so, for a delaer, it is more a case of damage limitation, then prevention.

So in short........ I think they are a waste of time for disease prevention.

HTH

Matt
 
i got a 9w UV because my water turned green...water algae bloom....got rid of it in a couple days.....besides that i havent seen much benifit......i only run it when needed.
its more a "insurance" item than a "must have" for a tank IMO
 
Man, I wish they would re-enable search. How do you guys answer the same question 3 times a day and not go nuts?

From the same post 3 days ago:

"Right on point. I had a 55 FOWLR and had a ich break out while my UV was running for weeks prior.

It clears the water, runs up your electric bill, and kills maybe ~10% of all cryptocaryon.

I only run one because I bought it years ago and and it's one of those 'why not' deals.

Spend the extra money on a good QT instead if you dont have one already."
 
reeferaddiction - there is no way to short cut a proper q-tine and preventative treatment schedule......... if there were you would find very few people with q-tine tanks.

It is not by coincidence more experienced hobbiests with reef tanks have q-tine tanks - and it is not because it gives us an opertunity to have an extra tank....... it is because sooner or later, if you do not properly q-tine your fish, they will get ich unless you are very lucky...... and we (those of us with q-tine tanks) have learned that the hard way.......

If you want a disease free tank, then you MUST do it the hard way. There is no other way around it.

Ozone OR UV will not work as you hope for the exact same reasons.

If run on a q-tine tank, it would certainly help ensure the minimum stress possible for a fish....... but really is not necessary.

Ozone, in my view, is better than UV simply because it has additional benefits - especially if you have soft corals or marco algae in the system........ the ozone breaks down organic compounds, effectively increasing the performanace of yous skimmer by allowing it to extract those compounds....... it reduces the organics in the water, making it clearer and increasing oxgen levels....... stabalising pH and generally increasing water quality. some people are against it, because they feel it counters beneficial biological activity...... the pro's adn con's are debatable..... but the fact remains it will not substitute a correct q-tine proceedure.

If you cannot q-tine, or will not q-tine, then your only line of defence is vigalence....... when you go to buy a fish, spend plenty of time looking at every fish in the system and make sure NONE show any signs of white spot....... make sure you buy well acclimatised fish....... and stay away from ich magnets like PBT's. Introduce all fish to your tank before corals...... then allow for several months to ensure you have not brought white spot with any of them....... if you have a problem it is easier to deal with treatment withotu corals to worry about (rock can be put in a bucket).......

In short - your either want an ich free tank, or you don't...... and there is only one way to do it!
 
Gotta agree w/ what matt posted... and add a little bit :)

UV's WILL NOT rid your tank of ich.

There is a lot of misconception about UV lighting. People think you just hook one up and you're good to go. Well, thats not the case.

UV's should be run directly after a filter sock to reduce particles that may find their way into the unit and greatly reduce their effectiveness. The quartz sleeve should be cleaned DAILY or you will also see a severe drop in effectiveness. If the light cant get through the sleeve, it won't kill anything. Then comes sizing and flow through which is also very important. This is a ton of work for a product that yields very mediocre results as is.

You see, you're trying to kill of millions of floating organisms by running them through a tube with a UV light. There are SO MANY factors that can hinder this process, that it makes running one that actually does what its supposed to do very difficult. And what if 1 little parasite gets through? It will attach to your fish, then you'll have millions more to deal with.

I will say that they are effective in killing algae spores; however, with a proper RO/DI unit and good husbandry, you shouldn't really need one.

There is nothing wrong with running a UV light. Many do. But if you are running one to eliminate ich from your system, a proper QT would be a much better investment.

Cheers,

Jim
 
I have ozone, and I love it, best $100 I ever spent on my tank. Tank looks the same as clean as when I started it. I havent seen any benefit from disease/sickness because of it (lost one fish from ich :/). Overall, it seemed to make the water quality a lot better, and the fish I do still have seem to be a lot healthier (IE colors are coming out more).
 
thanks for the input guys it has been very helpful, and has saved me some cash. i do have a qt tank, although it is not alway set up it can be easily. fortunately my fish are healthy at the moment and instead of investing in fancy gadgets to keep it that way i will just continue to qt any new additions. thanks again
 
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