[boo7basil]

Good evening all-
I'm new to this forum and I'm looking for your input on a UV sterilizer.
I have a 75 gal that's been running for a moth. I have it lightly stocked w/ 1 huge common pleco (ok, not huge for some of you guys that have had fish for a while but he's about 5" and I bought him as a tiny one 4 months ago so for me he's a giant), 11 neon tetras & 4 cori cats.
The tank is heavily planted, water quality is great, looks nice & clear & I do weekly 50% water changes. I really dont' have any complaints.

My honey however is all excited & has gone high tech (or what I consider high tech) on this tank. He bought the coral life dual light strip, 4 moon lights, an Eheim cannister filter etc. He really wants a uv sterilizer now because that's the only gadget he doesn't have

I have no problem w/ getting one but I was hoping for input from those that have tried it. Does it really make a difference? If it kills bacteria doesn't that mean it also kills the good bacteria? Is it worth the expenditure? Any drawbacks?

I really look forward to all you comments.

 

[ladyonyx]

I don't have one personally, but I hear mixed advice from either end of the spectrum. I know a few people who have UV sterilizers, never Quarantine any of their fish, and have never had a problem with any sort of disease outbreak and swear by their UVs. Other people find them to be a huge waste of money. I personally feel that if you efficiently quarantine fish before adding them to a community tank and treat for any diseases, that there's no real reason to spend all the money on a UV that you don't really need. I'm curious to hear what everyone else says.

 

[Oldman]

I have never owned a UV so I will say that I really don't know. They may have a benefit that has eluded me so far. If I thought they would serve a purpose in my tanks, you can bet I would have one. I figure this is a cheap hobby compared to let's say golfing so a UV would be on its way if I thought I needed one. I have read through various descriptions that describe using them for green water control and disease control. It seems that disease control takes much higher wattage than simple algae control does at the same flow rates. Personally I don't have a problem with green water and would welcome some so the only benefit I can see is in disease control. Since my tanks are healthy, that is not a real priority for me. Saying that you have always done something and your fish are healthy means nothing. If you smoked a cigarette every morning and ate a half pound of bacon every day for 80 years you would live to be old but that does not mean they are healthy habits. It just means that in a particular instance, it didn't kill you. All odds/ percentages / chances have the unwritten statement that the opposite will happen part of the time as well. Even if your chances of cancer are 10 times as high when you do something, some people don't get it but that doesn't mean whatever you are doing is healthy.