Ultraviolet Sterilizers

Filtering Your Aquarium Water

What Is It?

Ultraviolet Sterilizers, or sterilizers, are not filters in the traditional sense, in fact, they do not provide mechanical, chemical, or biological filtration. Sterilizers are used to kill unwanted microorganisms by exposing them to lethal radiation. A sterilizer can help reduce chances of disease transmission in aquariums by killing off many of the disease organisms before they have a chance to infect fish or spread from one fish to another.

How Does It Work?

Sterilizers expose passing water to lethal doses of ultraviolet light, killing, sterilizing, or otherwise irreparably damaging many microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, protists, viruses, etc.). Water is pumped slowly through a crystal sleeve past a high intensity ultraviolet light. The sleeves are designed to allow the maximum amount of UV to pass through to the water. This can have several effects on the microorganisms in the water. It may rupture their cell membranes or cell walls, it may damage their DNA or RNA, or it may damage other organelles in the cells - in short, it puts them under the sun too long without sunscreen! The water must move through the sterilizer slowly so that microorganisms receive maximum exposure to the light and are less likely to be able to spread disease. Sterilizers can also help control free-floating algae.

What Maintenance Does It Require?

Sterilizers require three things. First, the pump must be in good order, so you will have to keep your pump clean. Second, the crystal sleeve needs to remain clear and free of debris, so you will have to clean it regularly (every 3-15 months, depending on feeding and cleaning habits, type and population of fish, type of filter used, and material of sleeve). Finally, the bulb will need to be replaced - every 3-12 months depending on water flow rate and type of bulb.

What Should I Be Aware Of?

While sterilizers can be very helpful in keeping your tank and fish healthy, they are very expensive, and they need to run constantly. Also, sterilizers kill beneficial and harmful microorganisms indiscriminately - it can't tell one from the other.
Unfortunately, some microorganisms are not sufficiently affected by the exposure to UV, so not everything will be killed; as a pet owner, you will still need to perform your regular maintenance and treat any diseases that come up. Remember that any microorganisms that your sterilizer kills become part of the waste that your filter then needs to filter out.
Sterilizers do not provide mechanical, chemical, or biological filtration.

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Page most recently modified: February 19 2007 21:11:31.