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

tdlawdo

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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.
Lots of science out there on them...and as you say plenty of anecdotal reports for as you say whatever that is worth
 

Reefasaurus X

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In 23 years, I've never used one. So I'm only speaking from inexperience. Nonetheless, my question is about copepods. Wouldn't a UV sterilizer kill any copepods and amphipods that flow through the system? I know they're not necessarily swimming around all the time, but is it an issue?
 

Tuffloud1

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(you can't cycle a tank by changing water).

I did.

 

ca1ore

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It's all about expectations. If you ask an UV to perform a clarification role then the benefits are quite clear (pun intended) and observable. If you ask an UV to perform a sterilization role then the benefits are less clear and mostly anecdotal.
 

Richyreefer

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My first experience with UV was with my reef tank about 5 years ago. I added another tang, and sure enough, the spots started to appear after about a week. The yellow tang that was in the tank for about a year was my wife's favorite fish and i could NOT let anything happen to it. Since there was no way to catch it without destroying the tank, my only alternative was to give UV a try. I bought the biggest Emperor Aquatics UV for my tank and ran the flow as low as possible with their recommended flow rates. Within a week there were no spots on any of the fish. I left the UV unit on the tank for another 6 months to be sure. I bought a powder blue tang for another tank after this experience. I added a UV to that tank and it has never had a spot on it. I am a believer! you just need to size the unit correctly and adjust the flow to the lowest allowed specs.
 

DancingShark

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No myth. After dealing with dinoflagellates for about two months and losing some of my acros. I decided to try the uv out and they got wiped out in 24 hours.
 

brandon429

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Easy evaluation:

if we polled twenty zoos how many run UV in their aquatics exhibits since 1973

answer:
all, even if they hadn’t existed yet in 73
 

Gonzo74

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I use one and swear by it. I have it tied into my apex controller and run it during overnight hours only( 11 hours per day). My question to the group is how long per day do you run your UV Sterlizer?
Should I not run mine 24 hours? What is the benefit of not running it 24 hours a day?
 

KimG

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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.

Hi Xero.
Not arguing the use and benefits of a UV, as I said before I think they definitely have their uses, just a few corrections. Bacteria lives everywhere, including the water, in very VERY large amounts (depending on systems up to millions per ml). Also, pods are sucked into pipes. Its one of the ways they get from a fuge to the display. Will they be killed? depends on the dose, but probably not kill them but they may lose ability to reproduce.

Also, yes, you can cycle tanks with water changes from a mature system, you will transfer all the bacteria you would need, just not a fast or effective way of doing it, because in our systems most bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrate are on the substrate. This does not mean that they are not on the water as well.
 

Chris Kete

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I have been active in the hobby for 14 years, and I am on my thrid reef tank. I NEVER used a UV until this year. This year, I experienced a dinoflagellate outbreak that seemed to come from nowhere. After slowy and consistently fighting the outbreak with husbandry and bacterial (e.g. Vibrant, Microbacter 7) dosing for eight weeks, I finally installed a UV per the BRSTV recommendations (i.e. a professional grade unit with carefully managed flow.) The dino outbreak subsided shortly thereafter. Was it the only reason the dino's went away? Probably not. Was it likely a critical factor, yes. I am going to leave it in the system.
 

Xero

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I did.

That's misleading statement at best. You attached a running tank to a new tank. Bacteria can move through the system. No one is disputing that.
 

Scott Campbell

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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

An excellent summary of the issue!

A UV light will most certainly kill stuff. But the nature of a closed system will make it extremely difficult to eradicate even 100% planktonic pathogens since you are providing remaining pathogens in the tank increased nutrients as you kill the pathogens that flow through the UV light. You are basically feeding the pathogens as you kill them. Usually better to find a way to export biomass (water changes, macroalgae, carbon dosing/skimming, etc.) rather than blasting the bacterial or algae biomass and leaving all the nutrients in the tank.
 

scardall

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Reality: They only kill what passes through them and to different degrees.
Myth: They Remove existing algae and Ich that does (Not pass through it.)
IMO: They have some benifits and it is up to the individual hobbyist to decide whither they are worth the expense.

Here is a helpful link that may help you learn more about What UV sterilizers can and can not do. UV Sterilizer data
 
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brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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I always like to point out pico reefs like this one below that do 90%-full water changes
how’s that system looking despite total lack of planktors.




same insult as the best ideal plumbed and powered UV is the full water change in a small reef. we can study the effects of pure water table control, total heterogeneity reduction in the water column, by studying eight year old fishbowl reefs because only that size gets you a data set to study full water changes over years


mini modeling therefore supports UV use even though we can’t plumb any to test. We control our water table even stricter.

its not that reeftank water isn’t ideal when it’s totally diverse and full of plankton, it’s we accept the good and the bad from allowed water vectors


also hiding in the suspended diversity salad: coolia. amphidinium. Some crypto. spirulina or cyano

doesn’t matter if they’re benthic species we’ve already covered here how benthic species are in the water too. The larger your reef, the more inaccessible and $ it is...you better be burning that water column into compliance
 
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Xero

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Hi Xero.
Not arguing the use and benefits of a UV, as I said before I think they definitely have their uses, just a few corrections. Bacteria lives everywhere, including the water, in very VERY large amounts (depending on systems up to millions per ml). Also, pods are sucked into pipes. Its one of the ways they get from a fuge to the display. Will they be killed? depends on the dose, but probably not kill them but they may lose ability to reproduce.

Also, yes, you can cycle tanks with water changes from a mature system, you will transfer all the bacteria you would need, just not a fast or effective way of doing it, because in our systems most bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrate are on the substrate. This does not mean that they are not on the water as well.

Make generalized statements. Get generalized responses. Most of them are not getting sucked into pipes. They run around and congregate on surfaces. Some may make it through, yes. Some snails also flip over and die. Heh.

Yes, it's not a very good method because it's not where most of it lives. Lol....
 

Miller535

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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

Lifeguard aquatics makes one that has a counter on the power supply for when the UV bulb needs replaced. And if you are running an apex, you can use one of their flow meters.
 

ReeferDVM

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I have a 150g mixed reef tank. I purchased a 40w UV sterilizer after I started having semi cloudy water from bacterial blooms. When I have it on the water is crystal clear and the problem resolved. I’ve had it for about 2 years and never had the problem after.

Prior to installing the sterilizer I had a few issues with Cyanobacteria and would treat every few months a round of chemiclean. I never had an issue after installing the UV but didn’t even think about it until I turned my sterilizer off while doing some maintenance and forgot to turn it back on. It was off for about 2 weeks. Cyano started to bloom in one area and I ordered more chemiclean. While waiting on it to arrive, I realized my sterilizer was off. Turned it back on and before the chemiclean arrived it resolved. I can still see it under the sand bed next to the glass but everything above that resolved.

I’m not certain if this was a coincidence or not. I think the sterilizer is worth the price just for the crystal clear water alone, however.
 

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