Re: UV sterilizer

[Mike & Diane Wise <apistowise@bewellnet.com>]

Matt,

I see nothing wrong with using a UV system. The main reason you don't see them used a lot on freshwater tanks is their expense. UV bulbs need to be regularly replaced - every 3 - 6 months. After that, they aren't really effective. In general,
freshwater fish are more adaptable to water chemistry than marine fish. Because of this they tend to be less stressed by less-than-optimal water conditions. It is virtually impossible to keep a small volume of marine water in this condition, so
marine fish tend to be more susceptible to diseases in our aquaria. UV sterilization helps reduce the number of pathogens in the water. Thus less likelihood of catching something.

UV sterilizers will kill anything that flows through the housing that carries the UV bulb. Since the bacteria running your biological filter doesn't float in the tank, it is safe.

Mike Wise

Matthew Diller wrote:

> Dear list,
>
> Yesterday, I picked up a UV sterilizer from a LFS that was moving and is heavily discounting stray items.  Do people use these on dwarf chiclid tanks? Is there any advantage or disadvantage to doing so?  Will it hurt the biological filtration?
>
> I noticed that the Krib has no discussion of UV at all.  Maybe that's a hint.
>
> I I were to use it, could I hook it into the outflow from my fluval filter?
>
> The unit I picked up is made by Angstrom and is only 4 watts.  It hangs on the back of the tank and pours water back in like a filter mounted on the back of a tank.  It was only $10, so I have no great investment in it.
>
> Matt Diller
>
>
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