UV Sterilizer - to have or not to have?

[Davidzil]

In respect to UV Sterilizer, is it something to look into, or a waste for a discus tank?

[rickztahone]

A waste for a discus tank that gets regular water changes.

[jmf3460]

a waste for any tank that is well kept, but for a discus tank with daily water changes it is the same as taking your billfold and throwing it in the trash. there are other threads on this forum for the exact same question and the answer is the same that no you should not need one on a discus tank.

[GrayLadyPat]

As others have said, if you have a bb tank with only discus and dithers, you shouldn't need one.

Having said that, my tank is planted, and I run one of those "ugly green" ones as an added bit of help with anything that may have come in on my plants. From my own personal experience, my water column is clearer, to the point that I didn't realize it was a bit cloudy until after I installed the UV device. I was amazed at the way the tank looks...it looks like my finny kids are floating in air.

In your particular situation, it's up to you. It will not hurt the fish. If you keep up regular water changes, and you have a bb tank with no plants or community fish, it's truly not necessary.

[warblad79]

UV helps kill the pathogen and keeps water crystal clear but it's true they are useless if you do 100% WC daily. For me I do both because I like my tank super clean.

[DJW]

Not an essential but it has its uses. They can reduce algae and a few bacteria. I made a hang-on-tank UV out of a pump and some tubing that I can put on a tank temporarily. Its not at all for looks, more of a tool. It mostly runs on the ageing barrel to reduce bacteria and mold spores in the well water.

[Davidzil]

not all UV filters kill pathogens from what I see

[wazhrmghg]

a good uv helps to control the pathogens and bacteria, but cannot eliminate them. if u dont do water change everyday, then it is good to have one. a good unit normally costs several hundreds dollars.

[Davidzil]

how often do you replace the lamp on a good unit, whats an example of a good unit?

[DISCUS STU]

I do 50% water changes on bb tanks as well as my planted tank about every other to every third day and use UV sterilizers. They're not all that expensive anymore, bulbs can now be found inexpensively and it definitely helps. A good bulb should last about 6 months but will probably be less effective after about 4 months. If I were doing 100% wc's every day I wouldn't use one.

[Davidzil]

My tanks are planted, and I did use the green machine years ago.
I am just thinking about pathogens and some algae.
As per the bulbs, my friend has those canister filters by Sunsun with built in UV lights, don't even know if they do anything, he was wondering how often you would change the bulbs

[wazhrmghg]

how often do you replace the lamp on a good unit, whats an example of a good unit?

choose a unit with longer exposure time to the uv light in order to kill the parasites, there was a study shows 2-3 seconds exposure time is recommended, normally a longer unit, depend on your cabinet space etc. brands for example emperor aquatics or aqua ultraviolet or TMC and some other good brands, these are specialists making uv sterilizers. not cheaper though.
6 month to replace a lamp i think.
i dont have these brands in singapore, so i use a local brand, but it is effective and it is 1 meter long...

[navarro1950]

I use the Coral life Tubro Twist 18 vol UV on my planted tank, it can't hurt.

[Davidzil]

Thank you, great info!

[The Irons]

a waste for any tank that is well kept, but for a discus tank with daily water changes it is the same as taking your billfold and throwing it in the trash. there are other threads on this forum for the exact same question and the answer is the same that no you should not need one on a discus tank.

I do not believe they are a waste of money for any well kept tank. Plenty of Reef tanks employ UV if only to improve water clarity & cut down on free floating algae spores. I used UV on my Reef tank for this very reason & if you want crystal clear water, as someone earlier posted, then they can't be beat. They are simply another weapon that can be used to help improve overall conditions in the tank. If you are thinking about getting a UV unit, then do a little research on flow rates, dwell time & bulb life ( some are good up to 18 months now)for the units you are considering.
As a side note, I had plumbed my UV unit that came from my Reef keeping days, into the Tefe tank. I have since taken it off line, as it was actually breaking down the tannins from the peat & turning the water clear. Something I do not want in my Discus tanks. I wasn't even aware that UV would breakdown tannins, but again something to consider.

[sfdiscus]

HI - Is 24W enough to kill harmful bacteria?

[nc0gnet0]

HI - Is 24W enough to kill harmful bacteria?

yes/no/maybe, a lot of others factors to consider,

[farebox]

Here's some good info about UV sterilization: http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumUVSterilization.html
Personally I use an Emperor Aquatics Smart-lite 40W UV on my 125G Discus tank and it's does what it suppose to do, "sparkling clear water that's creates an healthy living environment for my fish".

[gills]

I ran a 50w on a 125 display tank. Water was always clear and no major pest problems for years. Worked great. I have never ran them on a smaller tank that I did daily water changes on.

[CammieTime]

I ran a 50w on a 125 display tank. Water was always clear and no major pest problems for years. Worked great. I have never ran them on a smaller tank that I did daily water changes on.

What size/type of UV sterilizer should you put on a 75 gallon BB tank?