How many of you reefer use a UV sterilizer on your reef tanks and what are the pros and cons using them on our reef tanks. Tell me what advantages you are getting from them. Should I buy one or don’t waste my money.
1 Like
I use a 40 watt Pentair sterilizer on my 180 gallon for disease management. I have multiple tangs. They do occasionally still get a few spots of ich when stressed but when I also dose H2O2 it can be managed without having to remove anything from the DT. I also think it reduces the amount of algae on the glass although you would run the sterilizer at a faster rate to control algae and bacterial blooms.
I don’t have any strong evidence either way as to whether it affects the micro bio diversity in the tank. I think they are nice to have if you have fish that are susceptible to disease. If you do get a sterilizer it’s very important that you get a large enough size and run it at the correct flow for the problem you’re trying to solve. DC pumps are a big help here.Getting the appropriate amount of contact time with the appropriate wattage is everything.
1 Like
I don’t have any problems. My tangs used to get spots now and then and so did my fox face but nothing in the last year or two. I quest I’m bored and need to buy something. With no stores around and NOT spending money on the tanks I’m looking into something I don’t have and wondering if it’s worth it?
There is a frag swap tomorrow in Coplay if you have spare hobby cash. 
I don’t use one
I thought about getting one for the tank as I use one for my fish pond. Based on research and feedback, I decided not to get one. So far I have not seen a need for one in my tank (5rys). Pond yes as it keeps the algae down.
@MarineMike5 – you had mentioned thinking about some new gear. Do you have an Apex breakout box?
You can do all kinds of interesting things with them. I’m going to get one so I can push physical buttons to set off feed modes on the Apex. You can add all kinds of flute switches and other interesting DIY ideas.