reef tank and uv sterilizers?

[charliethetuna88]

I recently bought a uv sterilizer .,I am debating whether or not to hook it up to my reef tank .whT are Ur thoughts on running a uv on a full blown reef tank ,whT are the advantages and disadvantages.who is running a uv on there tank ?

 

[KathyC]

I am not a fan of UV's on a reef tank as they will 'sterilize' all water that passes by the UV killing all bacteria..good & bad. Not that it wipe out bacteria in a tank as the majority of the desired bacteria is not floating about in the water column, but is in the rocks/sand and all over the surfaces of the tank.

Some swear by them as they also keep water beautifully clear by killing any algae that is in the water column - this is the single cell stuff..not what might be growing on rocks...(not saying your tank has algae!)

They do not do a good enough job to guarantee no parasites will be in the tank as many parasites stay attached to fish or in the case of Ich - it tends to fall to the substrate where it multiples - and like the input from the UV is not located on the sandbed, so it won't really help in a case like that.

You might want to consider using it on a QT tank

 

[charliethetuna88]

I hear u Kathy the only reson I was concidering it was to make the water even clearer .I have no algea or parasites at the moment thank god .

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

I do love mine. However, many people have them setup incorrectly. As Kathy stated most of the bacteria in the tank is not in the column so this is really a non-issue. If sized correctly and used correctly, a UV will do a great job at keeping your water crystal clear as well as reduce parasites.

 

[rbtwo4]

Damn Charlie I was just at ur house and ur water looked crystal clear to me!

 

[KathyC]

I hear u Kathy the only reson I was concidering it was to make the water even clearer .I have no algea or parasites at the moment thank god .

I don't see it being an issue to use it on your tank since it is a well established tank.
I would be way more concerned if someone was adding one to a new/not-established tank.
Got for it

 

[lfsmarineguy]

I do love mine. However, many people have them setup incorrectly. As Kathy stated most of the bacteria in the tank is not in the column so this is really a non-issue. If sized correctly and used correctly, a UV will do a great job at keeping your water crystal clear as well as reduce parasites.

+1 we use them on every reef and fish only we install. It really comes down to proper installation and correct flow through.

 

[rbtwo4]

+1 we use them on every reef and fish only we install. It really comes down to proper installation and correct flow through.

even on new established tanks? cus i was thinking of getting one myself my tank is 4 months old. ive had a uv before and had no issues with it.

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

Charlie IMO your tank is doing great why risk using something that could maybe hurt?
Like people say don't fix it if its not broken!!!

 

[charliethetuna88]

Sometimes I feel like it could be clearer ,what's the flow rate that it should be slow or med how about the same flow that comes out of my chiller I was thinking about adding it there

 

[garys reef]

i use one and love it i turn it off about once a month for a week to let some pods get thru

 

[shmibly]

run it with the right flow and I think they're awesome

 

[charliethetuna88]

Thanks guys and girls I think I'm gonna use it Alotta positive remarks

 

[duke62]

Leave it alone!!!!!!!!

 

[Dre]

Sometimes I feel like it could be clearer

It seem you have too much time on your hands. Leave the tank alone before you bleach out your corals. Than again it's your tank...

 

[Dre]

Thanks guys and girls I think I'm gonna use it Alotta positive remarks

Only two people told you they like there's and you really gonna go on that ??? At least do some more research for crying out load...And, please let us know the out come..

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

Only two people told you they like there's and you really gonna go on that ??? At least do some more research for crying out load...And, please let us know the out come..

Plus 1

 

[garys reef]

hey dre have you ever used one ??

 

[jedimaster1138]

Have 2 tanks and 2 uv's. Never running without one, ever again, after a (bad) bacteria bloom nuked one of my tanks back a ways. I tried everything to stop it, but nothing worked. 12 hours after i installed the UV, my fish stopped dying and my water went from milk to clear.

When used properly they help. They will kill some free floating nasties - but not all, and not all nasty stuff is free floating. So there's that. They will also kill some good things like pods and a very, very small quantity of the bio-filter bacteria, though the vast majority of that bacteria lives in the rock and sand. So that much isn't an issue.

They are NOT a do all end all one ring to solve all problems item. You still have to QT, change water, not buy suspect livestock etc.

Just my 2 cents.

Oh, you do have to change the bulbs as recommended for it to work effectively. And flow rate vs lamp power matters when it comes to what the U V is or is not going to kill. It's something you have to figure out.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

even on new established tanks? cus i was thinking of getting one myself my tank is 4 months old. ive had a uv before and had no issues with it.

They get installed on new tanks but nothing gets turned on until the tank is cycled.

Charlie- The actual gph is going to depend on the size of the unit which in turn depends on the size of the tank. You also need to install it correctly, which is where most people make mistakes and end up with an expensive waste of electric that isn't going to kill anything. To say that a UV is a bad idea because it removes the good with the bad would make a solid argument against skimmers as well, but I doubt we'll see that thread any time soon.