Aquarium Forum Hall of Shame-1; UV Sterilization, more

Aquarium Forum Answers Hall of Shame; Part One

I am going to add more of these posts in the future where I post answers and/or links to correct information in refutation of some poor to downright bad answers I stumble across in forums, Yahoo Answers, and even YouTube comments.
The sad part is that some of these answers come from otherwise intelligent aquarists that are unfortunately beholden to anecdotal misinformation and shun any new concepts that might make them rethink old ideas (believe me, I have changed my views on a variety of subject as new research/evidence forces me to be honest with myself).

If you are looking for a good group to join (& this is not to say this is the only good forum out there), I would recommend "Everything Aquatic". Many on this group are professionals and more important everyone here is friendly and open to learning, which is what a forum is all about!


The first “Hall of Shame” answer is actually a YouTube comment

YouTube UV Sterilizer installation Demonstration
YouTube Statement/comment
Did u know that if u leave uv lights on 24/7 they shut down a fish's defense systems? then they are turned off for a few hrs or so then illnesses can set in and kill the fish off.
Second comment: They don't shut them down, they simply weaken them since you're essentially creating a sterile environment.


My Comment

This is simply 100% WRONG!
Unfortunately this is a common anecdotal belief about UV Sterilization with absolutely no basis in scientific fact. Unlike the next Hall of Shame answer which is simply poor and based in closed mindedness, these comments are so bad they are hardly worth commenting on, so I recommend readers here follow the links to the articles below for more.
A UV Sterilizer actually improves the immune system by virtue of a reducing Redox environment created by the reaction of UVC radiation INSIDE the unit on oxidizers in the water that lower fish immunity (which are removed by this process). For a further explanation of how this works, please visit the articles below:

I strongly recommend reading this article for a much better explanation of this subject:
Aquarium UV Sterilizer; Does a UV Sterilizer help or hinder a fish' immunity
This is an article of this blog:
Aquarium and Pond UV Sterilizer; Blog

Followed by this article for a more broad understanding of UV Sterilization
"UV Sterilization"

*Note: It should be pointed out that if you have a UV Sterilizer and do not replace your UV Bulb every six months, your UV will become less effective and eventually a useless piece of aquarium equipment, so please do not forget this basic part of UV Sterilizer ownership.

The second one comes from a popular Google Group

Question: The question is basically if a power gravel vacuum such as the Aquarium Cleaning Machine can improve ones aquarium cleaning outcome, in particular the removal of DOC (admittedly this thread went all different directions, however this is the core aspects that the so called experts missed).

Answers: “You are much better off using a siphon, removing the waste from the tank. Those power vacs with the bag, traps the already decomposing waste in a bag just to let a flow of water speed-up the waste being dissolved and dumped right back into the tank as DOCs. You may as well siphon the waste in a glass of water, shake it up till the solids are dissolved and pour it back into the tank! It still does the same thing - makes and dumps DOC right back into the tank, only it does it at high speed.”

“How in the world did we get into a
discussion on how NOT to do water changes when water changes are so
vital to an aquarium's health?”

My Comment This is not a case of wrong answers, rather VERY misinformed narrow minded answers. Devices like this are not intended to replace water changes, ONLY to improve then (especially in large tanks, or tanks with high bio loads).
The final answer I referenced misses this point altogether. This is an ALTERNATIVE to a traditional water changes where as you continue to vacuum even after removing the desired amount of water.
This does not dump DOCs at a high rate of speed back into an aquarium. After using this for a more traditional water change, you then set it to re-circulate and continue to vacuum through the micron filter that removes vastly more DOC contributing organic mulm than using a filter bag with the micron filter which is then removed (unlike a standard aquarium filter which traps the waste in a different location only to still breakdown into DOC).
What is really sad about these comments is that I went into this forum and replied with the correct information (I have used these devices, including filter bags, and the method of siphoning water into a bucket and letting it settle out and pouring it back in), and the results speak for themselves (lower nitrates, improved Redox, better pH stability). These persons never even tried this machine, yet were somehow experts and worse even in theory their arguments fall apart.

Please read this article for more about Aquarium Cleaning, including reasons and methods: "Aquarium Cleaning; About and Why"


I will have more of these posts in the future, so please “stay tuned”

Other Articles of Interest:

Aquarium Repair

Aquarium Lighting

Correct use of RO Water; for Betta, Discus, more