UV Sterilizer

[Yogie]

Hi All,

I have a spare UV Sterilizer sitting in the cupboard given to me by a friend. He used it on a heavily planted tank.

My question is, is it needed on a Cichlid tank with just lava rock and sand? Are there any benefits on running one or am i just using up electricity that could be saved?

Thanks,

Johann

[Maskedman]

It won't really do any great harm from what I understand but you certainly don't HAVE to have one. I havn't seen one on a freshwater tank of any description in the 10yrs or so I've been into aquariums. Just keep on top of your water changes etc & you shouldn't have any great problems. They are more for marine applications where I understand they ARE mandatory.

[Yogie]

It won't really do any great harm from what I understand but you certainly don't HAVE to have one. I havn't seen one on a freshwater tank of any description in the 10yrs or so I've been into aquariums. Just keep on top of your water changes etc & you shouldn't have any great problems. They are more for marine applications where I understand they ARE mandatory.

yeh that's what i was thinking, i know the only reason my friend used it in his planted tank was to control the algae buildup as he had strong lighting on the tank.

thanks for the reply.

[benfarrow]

It won't really do any great harm from what I understand but you certainly don't HAVE to have one. I havn't seen one on a freshwater tank of any description in the 10yrs or so I've been into aquariums. Just keep on top of your water changes etc & you shouldn't have any great problems. They are more for marine applications where I understand they ARE mandatory.

yeh that's what i was thinking, i know the only reason my friend used it in his planted tank was to control the algae buildup as he had strong lighting on the tank.

thanks for the reply.

UV sterilizers are good but over time they will sterilize everything including fish.

[mcsx]

UV sterilizers in my opinion are better suited to outdoor situations where theres a much larger chance of large algea blooms.

[huzzy]

There is a large difference between a UV Steraliser and a UV Clarifier.

A clarifier is not as powerful and designed mainly to kill / reduce unicell algae which require a smaller amount of UV to be destroyed.

A steraliser uses better components to deliver a more potent dose of UV and a slightly longer duration (tube design) which results in the killing of most organisms, bacteria, etc etc.

(Note this is not related to lamp wattage)

You will most likely find that you have a clarifier, as the steralisers are more expensive and generally found in premium models like DeBary and retail for $500 plus.

The only negative side effects are:

In a planted aquarium where certain spores and algae are encouraged to grow, they will be killed.

In any clean / steralised environment a fish's immune system becomes weaker from limited contact with nasties. This isnt a problem until someone introduces an infected fish or relocates the fish to another tank.

Positives are:

Reduced algae bloom, growth

Potential to keep infections / bacteria to a minimal.

A warm feeling inside.