submariner uv sterilizer

i want one on my resetup of my 90 gallon that has some rock possibly with ich or velvet how long should i expect to wait before all traces of pathogens are wiped out? i know theres conflicting reviews about uv sterilizers but they seem to have too many positives not to have one

 

no one uses one?

 

That's a tough one... if you want to wipe out parasites or bacteria, you'll need at least 15W or higher from the UV output and have a flow under 100gph which ironically is usually less than the recommended flow for the UV device. The other issue is, you could have it set up perfectly, and it still won't kill it off. Only so much water gets exposed to the UV at a time, and if your tank water isn't cycling through that UV enough, then it will just grow back.

I've been using a turbo twist UV 18w for about 9 months now, and I've never had any problems with disease, my algae growth is minimal and the water looks nice, but I can't say that is the UV doing it. I've even turned my UV off for a month to see if things would change. Nothing appeared to change during that time. Unless you have a lot of extra cash on hand, your money is probably best spent elsewhere first.

Personally I've never heard of ich growing directly on rocks?

 

some people say that velvet can go dormant and cling on live rock which i dont understand really because it has to die off without a host especially with the marine temp in our tanks

 

i have a uv sterilizer and wouldnt be without it. i feel it has saved me from all kinds of things. or maybe i should say saved my fish. they are good for you and your fish. here is an article you might find interesting. i think it will asure you that your making a good decision. UV Sterilization, Irradiation for Aquariums/Ponds; UVC Sterilizers Information

each uv sterilizer has there own chart on flow rate. so check the manual to see how much flow you will need to do what you want it to do. and get the right sized pump to go with it. i have this unit http://www.aquacave.com/Manuals/AquaUV-Classic-Twist-Series-UV-Manual.pdf if you look down to page 8 you will see the chart. The unit your buying should also have a chart.
i have the 8 watt. my tanks a 35 gallon so thats plenty.
it works great ... this unit is a large sized unit it actually lays across my sump. but the plus side is this unit has plenty of contact time with the light. which is important.

 

That is true pink4miss that each device has its only specs. Glad to see someone else here that puts faith in their UVs, I find a lot of people are skeptical, but can also see why.