uv sterilizer ques......

I'm fixing to get my first UV sterilizer and most i hear is that they will not harm the good bacteria in my aquarium..Whats everyones opinion?????

Most of your beneficial bacteria is located on your objects (filter media/gravel) uv's work on the water. I have a 9 volt uv sterilzer that works great keeping my water clear and fish seem to be health. I have only used it on one 20 gallon tank so far (testing it out got it in a box of fish stuff at a garage sale) but it seems to be working I have not noticed any rise in Ammonia or nitrite/rate that would show a sign of beneficial bacteria be harmed.

Yea thats what i hear the bacteria would have to pass right in front of the light to kill it and my filter media and gravel wont be passing threw it so im good

uv kill parasites and fugus basically not bacteria so your beneficial bacteria should take care of any bad bacterias in the tank.

FishVixen wrote:

uv kill parasites and fugus basically not bacteria so your beneficial bacteria should take care of any bad bacterias in the tank.

Quote :

What exactly is UV sterilization? It's actually a very simple process for removing (referred to as filtering) unwanted free floating microscopic water borne bacteria, parasitic, fungal, viral, algae, and other unfriendly pathogens out of aquarium water by exposing it to high intensity ultra-violet (UV) light.

If you have it on a canister be sure to put it on the output side not the input.
I have one but it only gets used if a tank looks off or if the tank is sick.
You will want to replace the bulb yearly, even though it lights up doesn't mean its working to full capacity. But it only degrades with use.

DO NOT LOOK AT THE LIT BULB it will hurt your eyes, do not turn the bulb on without it being in the unit! That's what the little indicator window is for. It is ultraviolet radiation it will burn your skin and eyes.


It fry's whatever organic organism that passes through it

Back in the day when I worked for a sewer septic company we got a massive UV unit, well we wanted to see how big bad and mighty it was. One of my coworkers caught a cockroach out front, we dropped it in the unit, turned it on and then immediately off, The roach was very crispy and dead! ---- The moral of this story, respect the UV bulb and what it can do.