UV Sterilizers: Are the benefits a MYTH or a REALITY?

Do you believe the benefits of a UV sterilizer to be a Myth or Reality?

  • Myth

    Votes: 60 6.9%
  • Reality

    Votes: 533 61.6%
  • I'm not sure

    Votes: 251 29.0%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 21 2.4%

  • Total voters
    865

revhtree

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UV Sterilizers: Are the benefits a MYTH or a REALITY?

Let's talk a hot button topic today. Let's talk about UV sterilizers and if you believe the benefits of running one on your aquarium system is a myth or reality! Here is a description I found for UV sterilizers.

How UV Works?

Ultraviolet sterilizers are used in a wide variety of industries for sterilization, and in your saltwater aquarium they work wonders at controlling unwanted bacteria and protozoa at low flow rates, but at higher flow rates can help maintain free-floating algae which are a common cause of cloudy tank water. The UV Lamp emits a UV-C wavelength that will pretty much destroy the internal structure of any single-celled creature that comes in contact with the light. Aqua Ultraviolet sterilizers include a clear-blue cap that lets you see when the lamp is powered on, without having to risk any exposure to the harmful UV-C rays. By varying the flow rate through the sterilizer and increasing or decreasing the amount of time the water is in the body will change what your UV sterilizer will be targeting and we highly suggest using a gate valve or a DC pump to control the flow through the UV sterilizer.

So with that being said let's talk about it!

1. Do you believe the benefits of a UV sterilizer to be a Myth or Reality?

2. What has been your experience using a UV sterilizer?


facts or myth uv.jpg
 

windemerejack

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Im not a big believer in uv, but that is more opinion than fact as I don't see a lot of evidence either way.
People saying it works for me really doesn't give any evidence at all, you might say it works because ive not got ich, that's fine but who is to say you wouldn't have ich without a uv steriliser, the same for people saying it didn't work for me.
There needs to be a lot more scientific testing and support rather than anecdotal to know for sure.
 

madweazl

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I recently had a dinoflaggelate (ostreopsis) outbreak that prompted the purchase of a Pentair 40w sterilizer for our 150g. This is the first time I've used a UV sterilizer in the 20+ years I've kept a reef tank (it was also the only time I've had a persistent dinoflaggelate issue). Because the ostreopsis bail out into the water column at night, the UV sterilizer was exceptionally effective at wiping them out in less then a week. I've left it running 24/7 since it was installed and havent seen any adverse effects so far but it has only been on the tank 20 days. Also received a blue tang on Tuesday from Live Aquaria and have been waiting for it show some signs of ich but nothing so far (tomorrow will be day 4 so I should know shortly). I don't quarantine. Again, it has only been online for a short period of time but so far, I only have positive things to say.
 

Mical

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I bought and tried one on my 65gal when I had an algae bloom and it worked amazingly well. At first I didn't believe it so I turned it off and tank got cloudy again in short order. The one I have is a cheap unit off Amazon because it's compact (my 65 is very tight) besides it adds more flow to my sump.
 

KimG

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Do they work? Of course. Tested for years in science and industry.
Do you want to run it on a reef tank? Different questions.

It depends on the goals. I believe they will help control some of the problems in reef aquariums that can be otherwise difficult to control (if properly installed). But they are not magic. It will not likely eradicate a disease for instance, probably just help manage it (unless it only has planktonic stages).

However, I believe they come at a cost and its not the money (although that could also be one).
In ecology there is a theory of R/K strategies in relation to bacteria.
In my field of work (research in recirculation aquaculture systems) it is one of the research fields and mentalities, that disinfection should not be used to allow slow growing bacteria (K strategy) to develop and take over. If the system is stable the bacteria will fill up all the systems carrying capacity (the systems maximum sustainable biomass) and will not allow bacteria with potential negative effects to take hold. If you use a UV you will kill both bacteria, but since R strategist multiply must faster they can take a much faster hold and take over the system, creating a problem.
In marine larvae systems this has been shown to produce good results.
One think that UVs do is transfer organic matter from the water collumn to fixed media (at least in RAS) by killing the bacteria in the water phase. Therefore, all organic matter that would normally be bound in their biomass is available for other organisms to use (normally the ones that will not come in contact with the UVs).

Having said that, I do think UVs can have very positive impacts. But it will depend on the use and the individual system.

Hope it makes sense
 

NowGlazeIT

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Just a couple uncertainties keeping me from pulling the trigger on one.
I am waiting till they are more innovative or advanced. I would like to see UVs coming out with digital flow displays and bulb intensity or bulb life. That will remove the quest work of setting them up and when to recalibrate. There are many imitators and not enough tests or monitors to remove the grey areas of using/tuning one. Many say it’s one of those items that you don’t always know for sure if it is working correctly. I would like to see Clarity there. I want to buy one, but not just for piece of mind. I want to buy a UV that has settings preprogrammed for switching between pest control and algae control. It would be epic to see a BRS investigates video on this. A video where UVs are tested against strains of algae and parasites. I’m sure @Humblefish could spare some parasites to the cause hah
 

redfishbluefish

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This is timely. For the first time I installed a 36W UV on my 90 gallon DT. It's an inexpensive Odyssea that sells between 50-60 bucks. I have it running on a Cobalt MJ1200.

After buying and installing, further reading suggusted that these inexpensive units are a waste of money. With only two weeks under my belt, haven't seen any benefit.
 

TheHarold

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Im detection a correlation with old BRS video topics xD.
 

Greybeard

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Don't own one... probably won't.

UV kills bacteria.

All reefers rely on bacteria to filter our tanks, some to a lesser degree, others much more. I'm using KZ's Zeovit system. Running my water through a sterilization system to kill off all of the bacteria I'm dosing, and feeding... relying on to keep my tank healthy? Seems a rather odd thing to do to me.

If you're using vibrant, that's a bacteria. Any of Dr. Tim's line of bacterial products for various purposes... Even vodka or carbon dosing. Ok, you're not dosing bacteria, but you're FEEDING bacteria, and counting on them to grow rapidly to consume nutrients from your tank. Bio pellets? Same thing.

I assure you, UV doesn't differentiate between good bacteria and bad bacteria.
 

Bapeluso

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I had a hippo tang that kept getting ich at random. It would go away and then come back a few weeks later. Since I installed my uv, I have never seen a spot of ich on him or any other fish for that matter
 

Xero

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UV isn't a myth. It's a requirement for any coral tank for me.

It doesn't kill bacteria, or pods. Bacteria lives on surfaces (you can't cycle a tank by changing water). Pods aren't generally stupid enough to get sucked into pipes (baby peppermint shrimp is another story) and it likely wouldn't kill them anyway, they aren't single-celled organisms.

I don't have "BJD that spreads around killing everything" in my tanks....i don't have dinos...i don't have cyano....i can tell you about how UV works by telling you about all the problems I DONT have, that I constantly hear other people having. And i run multiple tanks, with multiple different methods. It's always the ones I didn't have UV on that end up with stupid problems, and then they get UV.

You can drive around your car with no insurance, just don't hit me.
 

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    Votes: 73 51.8%
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