G
Guest
What effect will a UV Sterilizer have on a reef tank?
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OP
OP
Guest
Oh boy - these threads always turn into flamefests. 
IMO/IME, a properly sized and installed UV sterilizer is an essential part of a healthy reef tank. It won't eliminate parasites completely, but it will definitely help to control them. Opponents of UV sterilizers say that they kill good things as well as bad, but in all honesty, we don't have as much live zooplankton hanging around our tanks as we like to think, and a UV sterilizer is no more detrimental to your plankton than a protein skimmer or even your return pumps.
IMO/IME, a properly sized and installed UV sterilizer is an essential part of a healthy reef tank. It won't eliminate parasites completely, but it will definitely help to control them. Opponents of UV sterilizers say that they kill good things as well as bad, but in all honesty, we don't have as much live zooplankton hanging around our tanks as we like to think, and a UV sterilizer is no more detrimental to your plankton than a protein skimmer or even your return pumps.
OP
OP
Guest
What are the benefits? Kills parasites and what else??
OP
OP
Guest
Algae, parasites, and bacteria would be the main things it kills. Keep in mind that it only kills what passes through it, so your nitrifying bacteria is not affected. Within 2 days of running the UV, my water was noticeably clearer.
I use one as well, and it definitely helps with the algae and parasites. If I turn it off, I have to break out the scraper twice as much. I also had a major ICH out break before getting a UV and it was gone in a day and a half after hooking it up.
