Are UV sterilizers beneficial in a reef or not?

MarineGirl411 · 09/21/2009, 12:27 AM

I will have Tangs and as I have read, they easily get ich. I wanted to know how many of you use UV sterilizers and are they beneficial? Thank you.

jenglish · 09/21/2009, 12:32 AM

CAn UV be used to sterilize ich? yes. Does your average UV setup kill ich? No, most have power/contact time to kill bacteria or algae but not protozoa. Even if you have one w/ sufficient power it only treats the water that flows through it so can at best help control an outbreak, not cure one. They have a use but are high maintenance and not worth the money for most setups IMHO

MarineGirl411 · 09/21/2009, 12:34 AM

I know it doesn't kill ich, but I have heard it helps prevent it. I've also heard if you have either a Blue Tang or PBT you should have a UV sterilizer. The tank I am getting actually has one running on it. The owner said he's never had ich since using it. He also said it keeps the water very clear. Just wondering about them. I hear they can kill pods, but he told me that's bs. Just checking in about them.

InsaneClownFish · 09/21/2009, 12:51 AM

Not needed. Some would argue they're actually detrimental- in fact I'm one of them.

One of the most renowned stores in the country, House of Fins, runs UV on all their fish only systems and tanks. There are none on their Reefs.

coral_lagoon · 09/21/2009, 12:54 AM

My UV sterilizer doesn't do any harm to my sps dominated tank. Mine is built in to my canister filter..

MarineGirl411 · 09/21/2009, 01:00 AM

Why are they detrimental? That is what I've heard, but I have also heard they are very beneficial.

InsaneClownFish · 09/21/2009, 01:21 AM

Benefits- It can kill many forms of free floating algae in the water column. They can kill some free floating parasites and mal-organisms that lead to fish diseases, but it is argued that the UV is only getting a small amount of the free floating form. Something like Black Ich actually gestates in the sand bed.

Detriments- UV kills planktonic and other micro organisms that are beneficial to your reef's filter feeders. It's almost in a way antithetical to running a fuge. It has also been argued that a UV really has little impact on beneficial organisms for the same reason it is argued that a UV is not useful in controlling parasites.

A UV in essence is the catch 22 placebo of the reef hobby.

LPS_Blasto · 09/21/2009, 01:23 AM

I know a lot of people who are in love with tangs. Most of them run a UV sterilizer because of the tangs and the ich factor. Just like you're wanting to do.

Several friends have installed a UV sterilizer in the middle of a full tank outbreak of ich. Fish were never removed from the tank. No copper medications were ever used. Ich cycle broken within a week or 10 days at most. Fish showed signs of improvement and began eating within 24hrs of installing the UV sterilizers.

InsaneClownFish · 09/21/2009, 01:31 AM

Quote:

Ich cycle broken within a week or 10 days at most.

I'm not saying UV sterilizers don't have their uses, and nor am I denying that one may have been useful in the case described. But consider that the Ich may have gone through it's natural cycle, as you just intimated and that is one likely cause for the fish returning to health.

LPS_Blasto · 09/21/2009, 01:43 AM

It's possible, but I have seen ich outbreaks reoccur over and over and over in that same time frame. If you can interrupt one or two generations, you can stop it.

Just from my observations, if I ever had ich in a tank - I'd buy a UV sterilizer and plumb it in ASAP. I haven't had ich on a fish since about 1990 or 1992 though.

MarineGirl411 · 09/21/2009, 01:47 AM

I believed as well that the ich would continue to reoccur.

LPS_Blasto · 09/21/2009, 02:01 AM

It does. The parasite infests the fish body to feed. It falls off and goes into reproductive mode. New parasites are free swimming in the water column until they find a host. Fish is already weakened and gets reinfected. Parasite feeds and continues to weaken the fish. Parasite drops off and goes into reproduction mode. New life cycle, free floating parasites, new infections over and over and over -- dead fish.

I think there are CHEAPER methods. But I know I wouldn't rule a UV sterilizer out if I didn't have a QT tank big enough to house all the fish for 12 weeks.

dcroucher · 09/21/2009, 06:58 AM

The UV will not kill off all stages of ICH. It will kill beneficial bateria needed for reef tanks.

greenbean36191 · 09/21/2009, 07:19 AM

There have been multiple studies looking at the effectiveness of UV sterilizers on pathogen control in recirculating systems. Bottom line is that they don't work. Even though kill rates of 99.99% were achieved at the sterilizer, in almost every case there was either no significant reduction in parasite density in the main tank, or no reduction in infection rates (depending on how the study quantified success). Even in theory, with a perfect parasite (one that is always free floating and equally distributed in the tank) the best a UV sterilizer on a recirculating system can do is slightly reduce parasite loads in the water. In practice, most parasites, like marine ich are far from that ideal parasite and are much harder to kill with UV due to the facts that there is only one small part of the lifecycle that is vulnerable, it is only vulnerable for a few hours, and that it actively searches out hosts. There has never been a study looking specifically at UVs against marine ich, but studies looking at FW ich, which has a very similar life cycle found no reduction in parasite density in the main tank. There is nothing about marine ich to suggests that it would be any more susceptible to UV than FW ich or any other parasite.

That said, for the same reason, there is usually no harm to a tank in running UV other than the extra electricity and maintenance required. However, some people plumb the units between their sump/refugium and the main tank. Doing this defeats the purpose of having a refugium since the sterilizers are very effective as a barrier between tanks due to the fact that all of the water going from the sump has to pass through to get to the main tank.

You would be much better served to treat the tangs with one of the proven ich treatments (tank transfer, copper, or hyposalinity) before you add them to the tank. It will save you lots of headaches down the road.

greenbean36191 · 09/21/2009, 07:23 AM

Quote:

It does. The parasite infests the fish body to feed. It falls off and goes into reproductive mode. New parasites are free swimming in the water column until they find a host. Fish is already weakened and gets reinfected. Parasite feeds and continues to weaken the fish. Parasite drops off and goes into reproduction mode. New life cycle, free floating parasites, new infections over and over and over -- dead fish.

Actually, in the majority of cases (as high as about 80%), the final result is resistance to ich and rather than dying of the parasite the fish just hosts subclinical infections. This is why anecdotes about "I did A and ich went away" don't mean much.

sra127 · 09/21/2009, 12:08 PM

just my $.02
i have a yellow and pbt. the yellow had black ich, pbt had ich. put the uv on, they dont have ich anymore. was it the cycle of the ich, better husbandry, i dont know. but i have the 18 w and since i've had it, no more problems for me.

wooden_reefer · 09/21/2009, 02:12 PM

UV sized for bacterial and viral infection has no material impact on ich. It is not strong enough to zap enough ich. I suppose a very large UV unit might have an impact. 15 watt for a 50 gal tank won't do it.

The equipment that will have an impact on the rate of spread of ich is the diatom filter.

My experience is that UV properly setup, reduces external bacterial infections by 70-80%. UV can drastically reduce the waterborne concentration of pathogenic bacteria. The reason why this helps is due to general defense of the fish, possibly, such as white blood cells, that are limited but do not require previous exposure.

If you have a lot if interest in fish, not just a reef tank with a few small fish, the UV is a must, IMO, during periods of stocking new fish.

The cost of the UV can easily be that of just one fish.

luther1200 · 09/21/2009, 03:22 PM

I think they are valuable even if you don't run them 24/7. They are definitely worth having,IMO. I have had mine running for aver 3 years. I have never had ich. Could be a coincidence, and I have a fuge and hundreds if not thousands of pods. In the sump and DT, although my 6-line picks them off pretty good. I have no scientific evidence just my experience, and I think they do much more good than bad, if any. People claim they kill beneficial bacteria, but 99% of it is in the LR and LS. How much is actually in the water? I believe there is more chance of it killing unwated organisms than anything wanted. Even if it killed 50 pods a day (which I doubt), that would not be a alot to a healthy reef tank, IMO. And FWIW I have my UV plumbed inline with my GFO reactor with the UV first, and there is never hundreds of dead pods in there when I replace the media, I'm not sure the uV is even strong enough to kill them. Actually now that I think about it I have seen pods swimming in my reactor before, and they had to have come trough the UV to get there, so obviously it didn't kill them.

MarineGirl411 · 09/21/2009, 03:29 PM

Awesome luther. Thank you. Thank you everyone.

pmrossetti · 09/21/2009, 04:06 PM

I agree with wooden and luther. The key to them is that they're poroperly sized for water volume AND the speed of the flow going thru them. The slower the flow the more they kill. In other words fast flow clears algaes, slow flow kills algae and bacterias. Make sure you get this info from mfr so you'll know what flow you want for your purpose. For you , you want he slower flow. I also recommend it's own dedicated pump with the flow you want.Very convenient to operate that way. They do work.

pmrossetti · 09/21/2009, 04:12 PM

OH, Don't get the one with the wiper, the seal can leak. Maintenance is very low. Just replace the bulb every 9-12 months. And you don't have to run it all the time you know. With a dedicated pump just unplug that pump if you like and plug it in when you want it. I'll be using one.

AquamanE · 09/21/2009, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sra127
just my $.02
i have a yellow and pbt. the yellow had black ich, pbt had ich. put the uv on, they dont have ich anymore. was it the cycle of the ich, better husbandry, i dont know. but i have the 18 w and since i've had it, no more problems for me.

1+

hermitage · 09/21/2009, 06:23 PM

I read the first few posts only...here's my experience.

I've always Qt'd everything for my tank. Some fish died in QT, most made it through, and ended up in the display. About a year ago I tore down my tank and started over. I've Qt'd all my fish except for my last 2 addditions, a beautiful big PBT, and a hippo tang. This was based on passed experieinces qith QT'ing certain tangs. Some just don't do well in QT for more than 2-3weeks. Certainly not enough time to kill Ich, so I decided to risk it. I added the PBT to the tank, and sure enough he developed Ich.

After a week of varied diet, consistent water params, and temporary removal of aggressive tank mates (to give the guy a chance at eating) he looked slightly better, but still not good. No other fish showed signs of Ich. I then bought a 57 watt UV Sterilizer, and within a week the PBT was fine.

The same exact scenario happened with my Hippo Tang. Not QT, showed Ich, then went away on its own.

Most recently, I had a tank crash due to a kalk overdose. My BTA died and poisoned everything in my tank. My yellow Tang, PBT, and Hippo Tang all came down with really bad Ich. So much so, my yellow tang was lanying on it's side on the bottom of the tank. I was able to pick him up with tongs (he didn't even fight back) as I was about to euthanize him...then the phone wrang, I dropped him back in, and he swam under some rocks. I was never ablet o retrieve him again. He didn't eat for 2 weeks. That's how bad he was. Coincidentally, my UV Sterilizer broke a few days before the fish showed signs of Ich. After a week of waiting for replacement parts, I got my UV Sterilizer up and running...in a few days...all Ich was gone on my fish, and everybody is back to normal.

100% recovery!

Take from my experience what you will, but my UV steirlizer was worth every penny I spent on it.

Yeah..and just read a few posts up...I'll confuse you more...get the one with the Wiper! The quartz tube really should be cleaned weekly for the UV sterilzer to work. If you wait any longer, algae/scum build on the tube rendering the UV sterilzer uselsess. I swipe mine weekly.

hermitage · 09/21/2009, 06:30 PM

Oh yes..and the whole "killing of beneficial bactieria" argument...99% of your benfeficial bacteria is on/in your live rock.

If you look at my scenario..my UV sterilzer didn't eliminate ich from my tank. It did however allow the fish to live with the ich and thrive doing so.

MarineGirl411 · 09/21/2009, 11:05 PM

I think i will just buy the uv sterilizer with the tank. It's less than half the price of the new one. It seems beneficial to me.

09/21/2009, 12:27 AM	#1
MarineGirl411 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 2,583	Are UV sterilizers beneficial in a reef or not? I will have Tangs and as I have read, they easily get ich. I wanted to know how many of you use UV sterilizers and are they beneficial? Thank you. __________________ I am a reefaholic and there is no cure. =) Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef, Cardiff Nano Seahorse tank.

09/21/2009, 12:32 AM	#2
jenglish Marquis de Carabas Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,523	CAn UV be used to sterilize ich? yes. Does your average UV setup kill ich? No, most have power/contact time to kill bacteria or algae but not protozoa. Even if you have one w/ sufficient power it only treats the water that flows through it so can at best help control an outbreak, not cure one. They have a use but are high maintenance and not worth the money for most setups IMHO __________________ Jeremy Brown liquor never hurt anybody “Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse" Pierre-Simon Laplace I should want to cook him a simple meal, but I shouldn't want to cut into him, to tear the flesh, to wear the flesh, to be born unto new worlds where his flesh becomes my key. Current Tank Info: broken and dry

09/21/2009, 12:34 AM	#3
MarineGirl411 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 2,583	I know it doesn't kill ich, but I have heard it helps prevent it. I've also heard if you have either a Blue Tang or PBT you should have a UV sterilizer. The tank I am getting actually has one running on it. The owner said he's never had ich since using it. He also said it keeps the water very clear. Just wondering about them. I hear they can kill pods, but he told me that's bs. Just checking in about them. __________________ I am a reefaholic and there is no cure. =) Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef, Cardiff Nano Seahorse tank.

09/21/2009, 12:51 AM	#4
InsaneClownFish Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 5,069	Not needed. Some would argue they're actually detrimental- in fact I'm one of them. One of the most renowned stores in the country, House of Fins, runs UV on all their fish only systems and tanks. There are none on their Reefs. __________________ 7 Years Reefing and Many Fresh 8 Foot Envisions

09/21/2009, 01:00 AM	#6
MarineGirl411 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 2,583	Why are they detrimental? That is what I've heard, but I have also heard they are very beneficial. __________________ I am a reefaholic and there is no cure. =) Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef, Cardiff Nano Seahorse tank.

09/21/2009, 12:54 AM	#5
coral_lagoon Pushrod Powered Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Down The Corkscrew , CA Posts: 1,263	My UV sterilizer doesn't do any harm to my sps dominated tank. Mine is built in to my canister filter..

09/21/2009, 01:21 AM	#7
InsaneClownFish Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 5,069	Benefits- It can kill many forms of free floating algae in the water column. They can kill some free floating parasites and mal-organisms that lead to fish diseases, but it is argued that the UV is only getting a small amount of the free floating form. Something like Black Ich actually gestates in the sand bed. Detriments- UV kills planktonic and other micro organisms that are beneficial to your reef's filter feeders. It's almost in a way antithetical to running a fuge. It has also been argued that a UV really has little impact on beneficial organisms for the same reason it is argued that a UV is not useful in controlling parasites. A UV in essence is the catch 22 placebo of the reef hobby. __________________ 7 Years Reefing and Many Fresh 8 Foot Envisions

09/21/2009, 01:23 AM	#8
LPS_Blasto Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 581	I know a lot of people who are in love with tangs. Most of them run a UV sterilizer because of the tangs and the ich factor. Just like you're wanting to do. Several friends have installed a UV sterilizer in the middle of a full tank outbreak of ich. Fish were never removed from the tank. No copper medications were ever used. Ich cycle broken within a week or 10 days at most. Fish showed signs of improvement and began eating within 24hrs of installing the UV sterilizers.

09/21/2009, 01:43 AM	#10
LPS_Blasto Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 581	It's possible, but I have seen ich outbreaks reoccur over and over and over in that same time frame. If you can interrupt one or two generations, you can stop it. Just from my observations, if I ever had ich in a tank - I'd buy a UV sterilizer and plumb it in ASAP. I haven't had ich on a fish since about 1990 or 1992 though.

09/21/2009, 01:47 AM	#11
MarineGirl411 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 2,583	I believed as well that the ich would continue to reoccur. __________________ I am a reefaholic and there is no cure. =) Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef, Cardiff Nano Seahorse tank.

09/21/2009, 02:01 AM	#12
LPS_Blasto Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 581	It does. The parasite infests the fish body to feed. It falls off and goes into reproductive mode. New parasites are free swimming in the water column until they find a host. Fish is already weakened and gets reinfected. Parasite feeds and continues to weaken the fish. Parasite drops off and goes into reproduction mode. New life cycle, free floating parasites, new infections over and over and over -- dead fish. I think there are CHEAPER methods. But I know I wouldn't rule a UV sterilizer out if I didn't have a QT tank big enough to house all the fish for 12 weeks.

09/21/2009, 06:58 AM	#13
dcroucher Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 55	The UV will not kill off all stages of ICH. It will kill beneficial bateria needed for reef tanks.

09/21/2009, 07:19 AM	#14
greenbean36191 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 10,598	There have been multiple studies looking at the effectiveness of UV sterilizers on pathogen control in recirculating systems. Bottom line is that they don't work. Even though kill rates of 99.99% were achieved at the sterilizer, in almost every case there was either no significant reduction in parasite density in the main tank, or no reduction in infection rates (depending on how the study quantified success). Even in theory, with a perfect parasite (one that is always free floating and equally distributed in the tank) the best a UV sterilizer on a recirculating system can do is slightly reduce parasite loads in the water. In practice, most parasites, like marine ich are far from that ideal parasite and are much harder to kill with UV due to the facts that there is only one small part of the lifecycle that is vulnerable, it is only vulnerable for a few hours, and that it actively searches out hosts. There has never been a study looking specifically at UVs against marine ich, but studies looking at FW ich, which has a very similar life cycle found no reduction in parasite density in the main tank. There is nothing about marine ich to suggests that it would be any more susceptible to UV than FW ich or any other parasite. That said, for the same reason, there is usually no harm to a tank in running UV other than the extra electricity and maintenance required. However, some people plumb the units between their sump/refugium and the main tank. Doing this defeats the purpose of having a refugium since the sterilizers are very effective as a barrier between tanks due to the fact that all of the water going from the sump has to pass through to get to the main tank. You would be much better served to treat the tangs with one of the proven ich treatments (tank transfer, copper, or hyposalinity) before you add them to the tank. It will save you lots of headaches down the road. __________________ Some say the sun rises in the East. Some say it rises in the West. The truth must be somewhere in the middle. Current Tank Info: tore them down to move and haven't had the time or money to set them back up

09/21/2009, 12:08 PM	#16
sra127 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Pembroke Pines, Fl Posts: 673	just my $.02 i have a yellow and pbt. the yellow had black ich, pbt had ich. put the uv on, they dont have ich anymore. was it the cycle of the ich, better husbandry, i dont know. but i have the 18 w and since i've had it, no more problems for me. __________________ 90 Gallon, 30 Gallon Fuge, Octo 150 DNWB, 18 Watt UV, Carbon and Phosban, MP 40, 2 Icecap 660's running 6 T5's, Lots of coral, PBT, Naso, Yellow, Pair of B&W Clowns, Purple Firefish, Sixline and Radiant Wrasse 14 Gallon Nano, 150 HQI, Lots of frags, Clam, 1 Rainford goby needing a buddy.... Current Tank Info: 300 gallon custom tank.

09/21/2009, 02:12 PM	#17
wooden_reefer Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 4,670	UV sized for bacterial and viral infection has no material impact on ich. It is not strong enough to zap enough ich. I suppose a very large UV unit might have an impact. 15 watt for a 50 gal tank won't do it. The equipment that will have an impact on the rate of spread of ich is the diatom filter. My experience is that UV properly setup, reduces external bacterial infections by 70-80%. UV can drastically reduce the waterborne concentration of pathogenic bacteria. The reason why this helps is due to general defense of the fish, possibly, such as white blood cells, that are limited but do not require previous exposure. If you have a lot if interest in fish, not just a reef tank with a few small fish, the UV is a must, IMO, during periods of stocking new fish. The cost of the UV can easily be that of just one fish. Last edited by wooden_reefer; 09/21/2009 at 02:17 PM.

09/21/2009, 03:22 PM	#18
luther1200 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NJ, shore Posts: 4,376	I think they are valuable even if you don't run them 24/7. They are definitely worth having,IMO. I have had mine running for aver 3 years. I have never had ich. Could be a coincidence, and I have a fuge and hundreds if not thousands of pods. In the sump and DT, although my 6-line picks them off pretty good. I have no scientific evidence just my experience, and I think they do much more good than bad, if any. People claim they kill beneficial bacteria, but 99% of it is in the LR and LS. How much is actually in the water? I believe there is more chance of it killing unwated organisms than anything wanted. Even if it killed 50 pods a day (which I doubt), that would not be a alot to a healthy reef tank, IMO. And FWIW I have my UV plumbed inline with my GFO reactor with the UV first, and there is never hundreds of dead pods in there when I replace the media, I'm not sure the uV is even strong enough to kill them. Actually now that I think about it I have seen pods swimming in my reactor before, and they had to have come trough the UV to get there, so obviously it didn't kill them. __________________ Matt, 65G reef tank Current Tank Info: 65g reef, mix of sps, lps, few softies. Hoping to upgrade within the year.

09/21/2009, 03:29 PM	#19
MarineGirl411 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 2,583	Awesome luther. Thank you. Thank you everyone. __________________ I am a reefaholic and there is no cure. =) Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef, Cardiff Nano Seahorse tank.

09/21/2009, 04:06 PM	#20
pmrossetti Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Cali. Posts: 3,199	I agree with wooden and luther. The key to them is that they're poroperly sized for water volume AND the speed of the flow going thru them. The slower the flow the more they kill. In other words fast flow clears algaes, slow flow kills algae and bacterias. Make sure you get this info from mfr so you'll know what flow you want for your purpose. For you , you want he slower flow. I also recommend it's own dedicated pump with the flow you want.Very convenient to operate that way. They do work.

09/21/2009, 04:12 PM	#21
pmrossetti Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Cali. Posts: 3,199	OH, Don't get the one with the wiper, the seal can leak. Maintenance is very low. Just replace the bulb every 9-12 months. And you don't have to run it all the time you know. With a dedicated pump just unplug that pump if you like and plug it in when you want it. I'll be using one.

09/21/2009, 06:23 PM	#23
hermitage Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: CT Posts: 307	I read the first few posts only...here's my experience. I've always Qt'd everything for my tank. Some fish died in QT, most made it through, and ended up in the display. About a year ago I tore down my tank and started over. I've Qt'd all my fish except for my last 2 addditions, a beautiful big PBT, and a hippo tang. This was based on passed experieinces qith QT'ing certain tangs. Some just don't do well in QT for more than 2-3weeks. Certainly not enough time to kill Ich, so I decided to risk it. I added the PBT to the tank, and sure enough he developed Ich. After a week of varied diet, consistent water params, and temporary removal of aggressive tank mates (to give the guy a chance at eating) he looked slightly better, but still not good. No other fish showed signs of Ich. I then bought a 57 watt UV Sterilizer, and within a week the PBT was fine. The same exact scenario happened with my Hippo Tang. Not QT, showed Ich, then went away on its own. Most recently, I had a tank crash due to a kalk overdose. My BTA died and poisoned everything in my tank. My yellow Tang, PBT, and Hippo Tang all came down with really bad Ich. So much so, my yellow tang was lanying on it's side on the bottom of the tank. I was able to pick him up with tongs (he didn't even fight back) as I was about to euthanize him...then the phone wrang, I dropped him back in, and he swam under some rocks. I was never ablet o retrieve him again. He didn't eat for 2 weeks. That's how bad he was. Coincidentally, my UV Sterilizer broke a few days before the fish showed signs of Ich. After a week of waiting for replacement parts, I got my UV Sterilizer up and running...in a few days...all Ich was gone on my fish, and everybody is back to normal. 100% recovery! Take from my experience what you will, but my UV steirlizer was worth every penny I spent on it. Yeah..and just read a few posts up...I'll confuse you more...get the one with the Wiper! The quartz tube really should be cleaned weekly for the UV sterilzer to work. If you wait any longer, algae/scum build on the tube rendering the UV sterilzer uselsess. I swipe mine weekly.

09/21/2009, 06:30 PM	#24
hermitage Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: CT Posts: 307	Oh yes..and the whole "killing of beneficial bactieria" argument...99% of your benfeficial bacteria is on/in your live rock. If you look at my scenario..my UV sterilzer didn't eliminate ich from my tank. It did however allow the fish to live with the ich and thrive doing so.

09/21/2009, 11:05 PM	#25
MarineGirl411 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 2,583	I think i will just buy the uv sterilizer with the tank. It's less than half the price of the new one. It seems beneficial to me. __________________ I am a reefaholic and there is no cure. =) Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef, Cardiff Nano Seahorse tank.