Full Version: What Is Uv Sterilizer
I have read in a post of a uv sterilizer. I have no idea what it is, can you explain what it is used for and how it works please. Should i have one?
generally, no. you dont absolutely need one. basically its a smallish tube about the size of a quart of mik. a pump pushes the water through it. while the water is going through the chamber, it is exposed to uv radiation. any bacteria that travels through it will be destroyed. if you keep the water flow through it to a minimum, it will kill any free floating algae and parasites as well as other micro-organisms. they got their start in the pond industry by controlling algae and keeping the pond water sparkling clear. slowley but surely, smaller units were designed for the aquarium industry.
most people that have a very expensive tank full of very beloved goldies (or any fish) either aspire for, or already have, a uv sterilizer because of the ease of mind that they instill. ive got one on one of my goldie tanks and will soon be getting another one for my other goldie tank as well.
heres a link to the one that im using. in my opinion, its good for up to a 75 gallon tank:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/produc...id1=2885;pcid2=
hope this helps!
most people that have a very expensive tank full of very beloved goldies (or any fish) either aspire for, or already have, a uv sterilizer because of the ease of mind that they instill. ive got one on one of my goldie tanks and will soon be getting another one for my other goldie tank as well.
heres a link to the one that im using. in my opinion, its good for up to a 75 gallon tank:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/produc...id1=2885;pcid2=
hope this helps!
I have UV sterilizers on both of my tanks (90 & 29ga) and personaly I wouldn't have a tank without one.
The UV stands for ultra violet. It's a type radiation below the visable spectrum of light. It's the same radiation that causes a sunburn.
When used in an aquarium, the water is passed over a UV tube contained in a quartz sleeve. The ultra violet light then kills living cells by altering the structure of the cells nuclear material.
The longer the water takes to pass through the sterilizer (dwell time) the more efficient it is at killing cells.
At the low end of the rated GPH flow rate, a UV sterilizer will kill parasites, free floating alge, and bacteria. At the middle of the rated GPG flow rate it will kill free floating alge and bacteria. The high end of the flow rate will only kill bacteria.
When choosing a sterilizer, it is important to match the size of the sterilizer to the pump that will be pushing water through it. Most people will hook up their sterilizer to the output side of a canister filter. I've found that the GPH flow rate of most canister filters is too high for efficient use of a low wattage sterilizer. This will do a real good job of killing free floating alge and bacteria, but will not kill any parasites living in your tank.
There is a graph on the product information sheet that comes with a 9 watt Turbo-Twist UV sterilizer that shows a flow rate of only 55GPH to kill parasites. That is far below the advertised recommended flow rate of 100/200GPH for this unit.
I have a 9 watt Turbo-Twist on my 29ga quarantine tank, hooked up to a 69GPG Rio 50 power head. This setup works real good. I bought a blue oranda from my LPS that had Ich. Three days later... The fish had no signs of Ich. No salt, no medications... Just the sterilizer.
Rick
The UV stands for ultra violet. It's a type radiation below the visable spectrum of light. It's the same radiation that causes a sunburn.
When used in an aquarium, the water is passed over a UV tube contained in a quartz sleeve. The ultra violet light then kills living cells by altering the structure of the cells nuclear material.
The longer the water takes to pass through the sterilizer (dwell time) the more efficient it is at killing cells.
At the low end of the rated GPH flow rate, a UV sterilizer will kill parasites, free floating alge, and bacteria. At the middle of the rated GPG flow rate it will kill free floating alge and bacteria. The high end of the flow rate will only kill bacteria.
When choosing a sterilizer, it is important to match the size of the sterilizer to the pump that will be pushing water through it. Most people will hook up their sterilizer to the output side of a canister filter. I've found that the GPH flow rate of most canister filters is too high for efficient use of a low wattage sterilizer. This will do a real good job of killing free floating alge and bacteria, but will not kill any parasites living in your tank.
There is a graph on the product information sheet that comes with a 9 watt Turbo-Twist UV sterilizer that shows a flow rate of only 55GPH to kill parasites. That is far below the advertised recommended flow rate of 100/200GPH for this unit.
I have a 9 watt Turbo-Twist on my 29ga quarantine tank, hooked up to a 69GPG Rio 50 power head. This setup works real good. I bought a blue oranda from my LPS that had Ich. Three days later... The fish had no signs of Ich. No salt, no medications... Just the sterilizer.
Rick
dang, rick! thats very cool! 3 days and....BAM! no ich! i like that 
cant wit to get another one!
heres to the sterile environment side of the debate!
cant wit to get another one!
heres to the sterile environment side of the debate!
They are not cheap, I see. I might eventually get one but I can't afford one right now. I don't know if they are really necessary, I have no problems with my tank.
Can use use a sterilizer of you don't have a canister filter?? If so - how do they hook up?
(Sorry if this is a silly ques - I know next to nothing about UV sterilizers!)
They sound great!!
Jenn
(Sorry if this is a silly ques - I know next to nothing about UV sterilizers!)
They sound great!!
Jenn
I guess a UV sterilsier is one of those luxuries that you have to justify if the benefits outweight the cost. 
Personally, I don't really think they are all that necessary, unless you have a transient population whereby you move fish from tank to tank and get a lot of new fish that may carry diseases to your tanks. I mean, aren't the natural habitats of fish filled with all sorts of bacteria that are beneficial or at least harmless. I can see the benefits if you have algae or ick problems but personally I think I would give them a miss unless you have loads of money to spare and need to spend it on somethign else for your tank. I know I am guilty of spending too much money on my tank stuff just coz I had to ahve it at the time.
Personally, I don't really think they are all that necessary, unless you have a transient population whereby you move fish from tank to tank and get a lot of new fish that may carry diseases to your tanks. I mean, aren't the natural habitats of fish filled with all sorts of bacteria that are beneficial or at least harmless. I can see the benefits if you have algae or ick problems but personally I think I would give them a miss unless you have loads of money to spare and need to spend it on somethign else for your tank. I know I am guilty of spending too much money on my tank stuff just coz I had to ahve it at the time.
personally i like the UV. they can act a a sterilizer or a clarifier. clarifier is just a fancy word for "i didn't kill all the nasties".
on a pond they are great. on an aquarium, they bring more peace of mind but do have some benefit in my opinion. i also use salt in my aquarium, which is beneficial to the fish but not necessary. figuring my fish cost me about 30 dollars each and i have three, a UV at 80 bucks does not seem so bad.
i understand the argument against one but we have to remember that an aquarium, unlike nature, is a closed system. things get concentrated very quickly and anything we can do to maintain balance, ie water changes, cleaning, is beneficial, in my opinion of course.
a UV? get one. you will literally never know how much good it really does. just replace the bulb once a year.
on a pond they are great. on an aquarium, they bring more peace of mind but do have some benefit in my opinion. i also use salt in my aquarium, which is beneficial to the fish but not necessary. figuring my fish cost me about 30 dollars each and i have three, a UV at 80 bucks does not seem so bad.
i understand the argument against one but we have to remember that an aquarium, unlike nature, is a closed system. things get concentrated very quickly and anything we can do to maintain balance, ie water changes, cleaning, is beneficial, in my opinion of course.
a UV? get one. you will literally never know how much good it really does. just replace the bulb once a year.
Good morningwith the uv sterilizer killing algae, would that mean there would be none for my algae eater? And how is it hooked up to the aquarium? 
Mabe this is a silly question but couldn't this radiation be harmful to you or your fishies? I mean, we always here about how UV rays from the sun can lead to burns and even skin cancer. 
The radiation emitted by a UV sterilizer bulb is really just light whose wave length is just below violet in the visable light spectrum and is completly contained in the sterilizer housing. None of it excapes into your tank.
Your fish, plants, and beneficial bacteria are completly safe.
A UV sterilizer will not kill the algae that is living on your tank walls or ornaments. It will only kill free floating algae. So those of you who have algae eaters don't have to worry about them having something to eat.
The most common methods of hooking up a sterilizer is to attach it to the outlet side of a canister filter or to a separate power head. If you hook it up to a powerhead you'll want to have some kind of mechanical filtration (sponge filter) on the inlet of the powerhead or the quartz tube in the sterilizer housing will get dirty very fast and will need to be cleaned at least on a weekly basis.
Rick
Your fish, plants, and beneficial bacteria are completly safe.
A UV sterilizer will not kill the algae that is living on your tank walls or ornaments. It will only kill free floating algae. So those of you who have algae eaters don't have to worry about them having something to eat.
The most common methods of hooking up a sterilizer is to attach it to the outlet side of a canister filter or to a separate power head. If you hook it up to a powerhead you'll want to have some kind of mechanical filtration (sponge filter) on the inlet of the powerhead or the quartz tube in the sterilizer housing will get dirty very fast and will need to be cleaned at least on a weekly basis.
Rick
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.