U/V FILTERS

[gman0526]

Though I started a discussion on U/V filters:

1) Do we need them?
2) If we do... Should we leave them on all the time?

Personally I don't think we do, just too much stuff gets killed when it goes by it.

[cich1]

i don't think it neccesary, there other ways to deal with problems that don't kill off the good stuff

[skiflyer]

totally unnatural, not neccessary!

[Paidbychrist0825]

it is better in the long run to treat the source of the problem, not the symptoms

[upstoday]

I voted no but unfortunatley I have one running as we speak. Slowly working on solving the source of the problem. Hopefully I'll have it off withing a week or so.

[MikeS]

I'm not a big fan of UV filters either....

Mike

[fragged]

I have never considered using one...seems like a decent maintenance schedule would cancel out an need for U/V.

[MikeS]

I have never considered using one...seems like a decent maintenance schedule would cancel out an need for U/V.

Yes.....and I've never really unerstood why one would "need" a UV filter. The filter only kills parasites, pathogens and algae that directly pass through it...it does nothing for the above living on the rocks, substrate and fish....also...the UV is indiscrimate, it kills good bacteria present in the water column as well....

I considered using one a while back when battling bubble algae, but I didn't.....and I'm glad...I beat the algae without one.

Mike

[jman785]

It does kill beneficial bacteria, thus why I voted to use them only sometimes, even though I'm not currently running one, I have before.

They shouldn't be ran all the time anyway...so beneficial bacteria being killed, isn't normally a problem...they tend to help with the Ich and other parasites free-floating, as Mike stated...

I think they are nice, if you have a big setup, with a lot of new fish, coming in and out...such as a quarantine tank, or holding vats.

[NaH2O]

Hi everyone! First post, so I'll jump in this discussion. I voted for "sometimes" because I don't feel that every system needs one. I do, however, like them, and think they can be beneficial if properly used. Yes, it will kill any good bacteria that happens to make the magical journey through the unit, but the majority of bacteria is going to be "locked" on surfaces. Not to mention the life span of bacteria is relatively short. Hobbyists should look at their set-ups and decide if they are having many pathogenic issues. A UV filter is one of those items, for me anyway, that is a "down the road" purchase. IMO, a great skimmer should come first. I do feel that UV filters are a better/safer purchase than ozone.

Here is something to think about.....when using UV are our inhabitants becoming dependant on them?

~Nikki~

[MikeS]

Here is something to think about.....when using UV are our inhabitants becoming dependant on them?
~Nikki~

Hi Nikki, and welcome to our Forum :-D

That's an interesting question....

After reading it last night and thinking about it a bit, I'd have to say no, they probably do not.

My reasoning behind this is that while the sterilizer may lower the total number of parasites and pathogens in the tank, it most certainly does not kill them all. Anything living on the rocks, in the substrate, or even in the water column that does not pass through the sterilizer will still pose an exposure threat to the inhabitants of the tank.

And although the sterilizer might decrease the risk of inhabitants contracting bacterial or parasitic infections by lowering the total number of said pests in the tank, the sterilizer does absolutely nothing to directly "boost" any natural defences the livestock may have against them. So, no, I don't think inhabitants could become "dependant" on UV sterilization....removing ALL the pathogens might be a different story, but the UV filter IMO simply isn't that effective in ridding the tank of pathogens....

When I first started keeping marine tanks many years ago...I fought infections and parasites all the time (usually unsucessfully). Back then, UV sterilization was quite popular. I never owned one (too expensive for a teenager working at a movie theatre :-D ) but I had a friend that did have one, and he let me borrow it when I was fighting Black Spot. I had no QT tank, so I was medicating the main tank, and using UV. It would clear up, but always seemed to return a few weeks after I quit using UV. As I learned more about the hobby (I was a terrible noob....I killed SO many fish learning :lol: ) I got better at maintaining water quality, selecting good livestock, using a QT tank ect. And amazingly, I slowly stopped having those sort of problems....I have not had to treat a fish for parasites or other infections in quite a few years...

Moral to my rambling story... :-D Good water quality & maintenance + trying to select good livestock + QT tank use = fewer illness problems....

Mike

[NaH2O]

Mike, excellent points. Definately water quality and quarantine would keep disease to a minimum, as would good stocking practices. I imagine purchasing stock that aren't compatible (aggressive vs. passive) or too big for a system, would lead to a much greater stress level in the tank - increasing disease probability. In these instances, perhaps UV would be a good thing to add on a system, too keep the disease down (most know how difficult it can be trying to catch those darn damsels...grrrr). Territory issues, aquascaping (not enough nooks and crannies for the fish to hide) - our systems are so complex.

I voted yes. It was a hard decision because I wanted an "almost always" category.

We all know that we should quarantine all new fish and have a hospital tank constantly running. However, raise your hand if you have one running right now.....

I find the skimmer to be the most important piece of equipment in a reef tank. I would rather have someone buy an excellent skimmer and then save up at a later date for UV than buy a so/so skimmer and a so/so UV filter. However, I do feel they are useful for most of us.

I run one from time to time for example I picked up some free rock that has a bit of an algae problem. So currently on a spare tank I have set up with the said rock in it, I am skimming the heck out of the water, running a U/V unit and doing water changes daily with RO water with about a 100 hermot crabs and about a 150 snails in a effort to clean the rock up so I dont contaminate my other tanks. I sometimes use it in a QT tank as well. But I never run one on my tanks with corals and what not.