# UV Sterilizers - Whats the Deal?



## danwpc (Feb 1, 2007)

Hey Guys,

Just curious on your thoughts on UV Sterilizers/Filters. How useful are they? Are you running one? I have an opportunity to get a 9W UV Filter New for about $25.00. Think its worth it?

Cheers

D


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## NoSvOrAx (Nov 11, 2006)

Great for green water. Great for parasites if you run lower flow.


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

$25? DO IT!

I have a UV on my tank. I bought it initially for green water, but I've found it to be valuable all across the board. Especially when introducing new fish.


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## mikenas102 (Feb 8, 2006)

I wouldn't set up a big tank (over 30 gal) without one. The cost really is minimal when you look at how much we spend on some other goodies for planted tanks. The headaches they can save you are worth the investment in my opinion.


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## kwc1974 (Jan 4, 2006)

I have never had one
Borrowed one for an algae outbreak
I do not like using them on my tanks. The UV will kill indescrimanately, and I have red cherry shrimp that breed. But for $25, I would not think twice about getting it. Better to have it on hand when you need it then to be without.


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## mikenas102 (Feb 8, 2006)

Short of a shrimp crawling into your filter intake, through the entire filter, past the impeller, through the output tubing and into the UV unit, how the heck is a UV going to kill a shrimp?


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## Adragontattoo (Jun 3, 2007)

by falling into the tank and electrocuting everything inside?


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## mikenas102 (Feb 8, 2006)

Adragontattoo said:


> by falling into the tank and electrocuting everything inside?


So I guess you would have to get rid of your light fixture too. That could do the same thing. With the exception of a HOB UV which are pretty uncommon, UV sterilizers do not hang on the tank. They are plumbed inline with the filter return tubing.


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## kwc1974 (Jan 4, 2006)

The shrimp larve (at least in my tank) will pass through all phases of the filtration. I have found maturing shrimp in every part of the filter and including an enclosed sump area after the filter. I can only conclude that the shrimp larve are passing through the filter (sounds better than the shrimp working their way up the outlet tube against the flow)

No, I would not be so careless as to mount a UV above the tank. All my filtration is located under the cabinet.

Maybe I am wrong (happened before) but I can see no other way that shrimp make their way into all stages of the filtration.


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## mikenas102 (Feb 8, 2006)

You should get a sponge or fine mesh media bag to cover your filter intake. I've yet to find any RCS babies in my filter since I put a sponge over the intake. A fringe benefit of this is that your filter doesn't need to be cleaned as often since the larger pieces of gunk get caught by the sponge before ever entering the filter.


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## kwc1974 (Jan 4, 2006)

I thought to try that, but I have a few positives with the shrimp getting in the filter
-no fish predators
-forces me to keep a regular filter cleaning schedule
-when someone wants some RCS, I just clean the filter and will regularly pull out 15-30
-and they might be eating the stuff in the filter


So my thought is if it is not bothering them, its not bothering me. 

In the past when I have used UV I used a power filter to run it, not inline with the filter. Did it still grab and kill shrimp larvae? Yes. But it was temporary.

I think my point from above is that UV filtration is good in getting rid of what you do not want (algae "bad" bacteria) but it will also get rid of what you do want ("good" bacteria, in my case shrimp larvae)


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## 29Bubbles (Oct 11, 2006)

RCS may still get in even with a sponge. I have a colony of RCS living in a Ehiem and I don't know how they got in there b/c I've always had a fine mesh sponge on the intake. Silly little shrimp <:

PS: for $25 go for it. You never know when you may need it - but if you're doing fine w/o it, I wouldn't worry about putting it on right away - just hang on to it for insurance against fish problems and green water.


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## kwc1974 (Jan 4, 2006)

THANK YOU 29Bubbles

Every one I talked to thought I was crazy for finding shrimp in my filter. Glad to know I am not the only one.


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