UV Sterilizers - Are they worth it?

[Abe77901]

Who uses them, pros & cons please?........

[ledford1]

UV don't really cure anything, but can help with certain issues. However, you don't want to use UV as a bandaid for an ongoing issue with your tank. For example, if you're having algae issues, a UV can help, but it's much better to figure out what's causing the algae outbreak and solve the problem that way. Same with Ich. UV is not going to cure Ich or remove it completely from a tank, but it may help reduce outbreaks.

UV flow is a concern. Too much flow and the UV exposure rate declines and doesn't kill as much as it could. Too little flow and you have plenty of exposure, but you may not be turning over your tank volume enough to have an effect on the algae, Ich, etc. Flow is also dependent on what you're looking to do with the UV, when you answer "What do I want the UV to do?"

There are mixed opinions and experiences on UV.

UV kills everything that passes through it, if setup correctly. That means both the good and the bad are killed.


Some reading:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=6968492
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=144760

UV and Ich treatments:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-10/sp/feature/index.php