Reef Central; Aquarium UV Sterilizer Hall of Shame

 

Updated 1/23/18

I was forwarded this forum thread:

http://
www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2114693

Where by they totally dissed and ignored the facts presented in this article:
UV Sterilization; in Aquarium or Pond

Here is another example of why I do not trust many forums and Reef Central in particular due to the lack of moderation in allowing inflammatory remarks to go forward. Interestingly, they seem to think it is OK to allow personal attacks on me, but cry foul when others go into the forum to defend my work then banning for life any such person. They are also very confused about copyright laws as per the legal issue of quoting statements made in the forum.
From the website: Intellectual Property "Short quotations will usually be fair use, not copyright infringement. The Copyright Act says that "fair use...for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright." So if you are commenting on or criticizing an item someone else has posted, you have a fair use right to quote."

I know of a few friends in the Aquarium business who have told me similar of the misinformation & personal attacks that has come out of this website/forum besides my own experience. Sadly Reef Central used to be an awesome place to go as per another reef keeping friend who happens to be my accountant: "Reef Central used to be an excellent place for information, but is now a place where personal unsubstantiated attacks are common".

In this case, you have a member who posed a legitimate question and another member answered with an excellent article I know well, why because I wrote it based on MUCH experience and research!!

What was the result?
A total ignoring of the facts by a 'high post member' that included an "ad hominem" attack on my affiliation of selling UV Sterilizers.



Here is one incorrect statement:
"UV will help with water clarity; but will do little (if anything) to control parasites/ disease. You need a QT more than you need UV."

Here is one comment by a 'high post member':
First, they sell UV, second MrTuskfish is correct. It will not prevent parasites, although if properly matched to flow can be useful.

As well as this:
"If it works for you, terrific. I cannot recommend UV except as a water clarifier."

Let me address these comments:
First not only is there observable evidence that using a correctly installed and designed UV will do more than just clarify, there is also research behind it, including in the human field of Redox and UVC for human disease treatment and prevention.
The article in question cites this information well.

Second; so what if "they sell UV"??
This is a classic "ad hominem" argument where one attacks the person rather than the facts and that has no bearing on fact of the information provided there in.

As someone who has been in the professional side of the aquarium hobby since 1978 via aquarium maintenance whereby to be more successful with my clients, I worked on any matter of ways to decrease the losses of fish in my care.
While this certainly INCLUDED quarantine and dips prior to introduction of new specimens, I also found that many fish simply lived longer and had MUCH lower incidence of disease when UV Sterilization was employed.
This also included the affect of UVC on aquarium Redox balance via removal of harmful oxidizers from the water column.

The facts are I have been professionally using UV Sterilizers and testing these devices since 1978. This includes many experiments, much research, and MANY different brands from Aqua, Emperor, TMC, Tetra, Terminator, SunSun, Laguna, my own custom UVs, and many many more.
What are these persons at Reef Central's credentials who attack my work?

This resulted in me being a big proponent of UV Sterilizer and in particular why one UV Sterilizer would work and another would not.
SO WHY SHOULD I NOT RECOMMEND A TOOL THAT HELPS KEEP FISH ALIVE!!! His argument is both insulting and preposterous!!

Of course there is the preponderance of UV Sterilizers offered both online and at many Aquarium/Pet Stores that at best can only clarify, such as many of the AquaTop, Submariner, Green Killing Machine, etc. So using one of these to rate all UV Sterilizers is intellectual dishonesty.
Even then many will rate UVs such as the Coralife Turbo Twist as an excellent UV when in testing this too is false (both due to high rate of ballast failure and poor dwell time).

From:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2449440

Here is another Reef Central Comment:
"This guy sure needs a lot of fluff to sell UV units. Unlike Tropical Marine Centre, AquaUV while more expensive has a great distribution network and a great reputation. You can get AquaUV parts from nearly every reputable on line retailer across the country. If you need bulbs, seals or o-rings, companies like Marine Depot have them on hand. AquaUV backs their products with great direct support too unlike Tropical Marine Centre. While AquaUV is not the cheapest UV on the market, like the link you provided say, they are quality units with great dwell time. What they fail to mention is their great support. Same can be said about Emperor Aquatics. Something that is non existent with Tropical Marine Centre who is over seas and depends exclusively on retailers for support."

Here is an example of another person making things up as they go along.
The facts are I been in this business for part of 4 decades, yes selling, but also dealing with customer service and the facts are Aqua or Emperor are no better than TMC.
So what if TMC is in the UK and they authorize their retailers to take care of warranty issues????
Based on my experience, being able to get a replacement quickly from a retailer trumps sending the product to a manufacturer every time!!!!

As well to imply that TMC does not support their products is an outright lie!
Yes Aqua & Emperor have excellent product support with parts, but so does TMC. All three are the best as per this aspect!
The fact that moderators allow such disrespectful attacks and outright lies speaks volumes about this so-called forum. IMHO a forum should be a place to respectfully debate ideas and learn from each other, not attack others or promote lies, what is next there; the Earth is Flat?
Sadly one of these persons personally attacking me with "straw man" & "ad hominem" arguments is a moderator, which further speaks volumes about this so-called forum.

"While he has some accurate information, he has much pure marketing as well. After all, he's trying to convince you to give him money for one of his UV units"

Sorry, as noted earlier, this does not disqualify the accuracy of the information, this is typical Ad Hominem argument!

Since I have used and built literally 1000s of UV Sterilizers, why should I not sell what I would use for myself or more importantly for my clients?
As well since many of my articles as well as videos I have had made/sponsored show methods to avoid replacing one's UV with methods of DIY repairs, which basically costs me sales by giving a reader/viewer a way to NOT purchase show the utter dishonesty of such arguments such as the above quote.
Example/Reference:


Leaking Aquarium Filter/UV Part Repair Fix Teflon Tape/PVC Cement

Since AquaUVs were brought up in this thread, I should note that I have used many over the years and they certainly are quality units, but no better than the TMC models as per testable dwell time or quality of build.
More over, since my time was valuable, I actually found the customer service and ease at getting both parts and the rare warranty issue solved via TMC UVs over the AquaUV line.
So for me this was an easy decision of which UV to sell via the Internet and my maintenance service, as I could could easily sell the Aqua UV line too. It is noteworthy that the other UVs I sell cover different price points, but still work well, just not to the standard of the TMC or Aqua.

Again it comes down to selling what my research and experience shows to be best for my clients, why should I sell the Aqua UV over the TMC when I have had better experiences with the TMC as per the premium niche of aquarium or pond UVs??
As a side note, I was actually a late comer to TMC products in the early 90s, selling other brands such as Aqua,UV, Lifeguard, Aquanetics UV (this being what I sold mostly), and more; it was because I had an open mind and listened to other aquarium professionals and gave the TMC line a try (& by professionals, I mean persons that take care of aquariums for a living, not just attack other while hiding a behind a computer at Reef Central).

His argument in the end falls apart!

Interestingly this is the same guy who obviously has not done his homework in statements such as "UV on the other hand, is not as effective for water quality". Has he read about aquarium Redox balance?
My tests in the 1990s looked at many variables from water mineral Cations, to food quality, to level 1 UV Sterilization; the fact remained that the aquariums in this study that had longer fish longevity always had a UV Sterilizer! Other factors were important too though, including quarantine and the other before mentioned variables.

Reference: A Healthy Aquarium, Disease Prevention

Then there are the useful UV Sterilizers when used properly as directed.
Such as:

*The Tetra; the problem with these is while reasonably good Compact UV, the manufacturer well over rates the flow rate, so if used "as directed" these are just a nice Aquarium toy that is at best for clarification. As well this UV is over priced for what it can deliver
*Aqua UV; Excellent dwell time, excellent build, but over priced when compared to others of similar capabilities, and no, their customer service is no better than TMC, in fact they are more difficult to get responses from.
Aqua also has gone in for gimmicky features such as wipers that add to costs with little benefit in real world applications.
Reference: UV Sterilizers Gimmicks; 'Turbo' Twists, Baffles Wipers
*Emperor UV; As with the Aqua, excellent dwell time, excellent build, but over priced when compared to others of similar capabilities
*SunSun CUP Submersible Series; while no submersible can perform past level one sterilization, which includes at least some bacterial control and improvement of Redox balance, this one can at least do this, thus making it more than just clarification.
*Terminator Compact UV; this is equal to the Tetra in both dwell time and build, yet with a much better price. Along with the Tetra, the best of the Compact UVs
*TMC Vecton & Pond Advantage;; along with the Emperor and Aqua, among the best of the best as per build and dwell time, yet better prices and no silly and costly gimmicks (such as wipers)

Finally, AND YES sirs from Reef Central I have sold these for many years (decades actually) along with a custom UV too. As well I HAVE used the ones I have dissed as well.

So why should I not recommend a product that works and can add prevent disease and add months or years to the life of ones prized fish????

Here is an excellent video about UV Sterilizer use from a popular YouTuber (Reef Girl):

Got UV? I Do! Let Me Tell You a Little Bit About It

Please reference these articles:

*Aquarium Disease Prevention; A Healthy Fish
*Aquarium Redox
*UV Sterilization; Facts & Information
*UV Sterilizer Review

Here is a recent article discovery, definitely worth a read or this guys other articles as well (in other words, buyer beware if using forums such as Reef Central for reliable aquarium information!):
*Aquarium Forums for Information such as LED Lighting, UV, Filters, more

Readers might be interested in this article also from "Fish as Pets Aquatic News Articles" dealing with misinformation about aquarium lighting:
PUR or RQE, YouTube Video Fail- Guide to lighting a planted tank

Recommended Aquatic Sites for Information, Products


AQUARIUM, POND ANSWERS

The article below is a MUST READ for anyone interested in moving from basic aquarium keeping to more advanced aquarium keeping, including better Redox Balance:

Ultraviolet Sterilization, Advanced Aquarium Keeping

UV Replacement Lamps; Aquarium or Pond
For TRUE High Output, Hot Cathode, Low Pressure UVC Germicidal Bulbs, for aquarium or pond



Freshwater Aquarium Basics


TMC New Generation Fluidized Sand Bed Filter

Premium, second to NONE Aquarium Bio Filters, that with optional Oolitic Sand, also maintains essential aquarium calcium levels, alkalinity, & electrolytes that are important to ALL Marine life, Goldfish, African Cichlids, Livebearers & more



Aquarium Sponge Filters by ATI & AAP

The Premium ATI Hydro Sponge Filter, from the only online seller with professional use dating back to 1978 (prior to the Internet)



Copyright:
Steven Wright & Carl Strohmeyer