dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
what are the pros and cons of hooking on of these up besides it kills everything, can you still keep inverts and coral with a uv hooked up and what all does it actually kill?
UV sterilizer
- Thread starter dustin_P74
- Start date
daugherty
part time reefer
it will kill anything that passes throught it like pods, alage. they will help to keep your water clear but you will loose the purpose of a fuge if you have one because it wll kill the things before they get to the tank.
reeffreak
Reef pro
LIke daugherty said,a UV kills the good and bad.
Pros-
Kills algae spores going through the membrane making the tank appear cleaner and the water clearer.
Reduce some fish disease outbreaks by killing parasites/bacteria/virus.If you're trying to keep fish prone to Ich and other diseases than A UV is something to consider.
Cons-
Kills the beneficial bacteria(most are coating the rocks,glass after the cycle so it doesn't kill much).
Maintenance,the lining/sleeve needs to be clean periodically and bulb needs replacing.
Killing algae spores and other things can add even more nutrient especially if you are having excessive diatoms/film algae problems already.More and a larger amount of water changes might be needed for awhile.
*** I didn't list copepods and other fauna getting killed because there is a way to avoid/minumalize deaths***
Pros-
Kills algae spores going through the membrane making the tank appear cleaner and the water clearer.
Reduce some fish disease outbreaks by killing parasites/bacteria/virus.If you're trying to keep fish prone to Ich and other diseases than A UV is something to consider.
Cons-
Kills the beneficial bacteria(most are coating the rocks,glass after the cycle so it doesn't kill much).
Maintenance,the lining/sleeve needs to be clean periodically and bulb needs replacing.
Killing algae spores and other things can add even more nutrient especially if you are having excessive diatoms/film algae problems already.More and a larger amount of water changes might be needed for awhile.
*** I didn't list copepods and other fauna getting killed because there is a way to avoid/minumalize deaths***
daugherty
part time reefer
how do you avoid the pods and fauna
reeffreak
Reef pro
You can set the UV before water goes to the refugium and away from the drain end of a fuge.For instance,the skimmer chamber if it's before the refugium will reduce any copepods from getting zapped.
Last edited:
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Everyone else has got it covered. I have never had the need for a UV sterilizer in my tanks, and the people I know that do use them usually keep disease prone fish (like a lot of tangs). A UV sterilizer can be a great tool if you have fish that are susceptible to ich, but is usually not necessary for your average reef tank.
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
well i fit in the category of keeping ich prone fishies, if you havent noticed yet
Doc
I don't work for anybody
I swore by them for years. I had a big one on my 125. I found that good husbandry kept the disease at bad and I haven't had an ich outbreak in quite some time. I have a regal tank in my reef tank and there is no UV on that either and he has never had ich. I am not sure how necessary they are until you are looking at a massive system with a lot of fish, in which case ozone may be more appropriate (tanks over 500 gallons)
-Doc
-Doc
