Can I have your thoughts on UV please

[Brucey]

OK guys. You all would have read in another thread I've had an outbreak of ich. My own stupid fault but i bought it from a dealer i trust very much and who uses copper in his Q tanks so he sort of does the Q for me . . . . Doh. That's what happens when you put your trust in someone else's hands i guess.

Anyway, I've long thought of adding a UV filter but i have always thought better of it as I run Ozone in my skimmer which does a "similar" job. But now this latest attack of the ich clones has heightened my anxiety and I'm pretty sure I'm going to but one. You probably don't get these in the US as it's a British company but here is what I'm looking at

http://www.tmc-ltd.co.uk/aquariumproducts/vecton.asp

It's not shown here but they now make a Vecton UV30 rated upto 155UK Gallons / Approx 185 US Gallons.

So, could you give me your experience on running UV in general and any pro's and con's you can think of. Through the research I've done, these are what I've come up with.

Pro's

1. Kills Pathogens like Ich
2. Water Clarity improved
3. Kills Algae spores

Cons

1. Can lower the fishes own immune system
2. Kills beneficial plankton / zooplankton etc
3. Bulbs need replacing every 6 months / Expense.

Really appreciate your thoughts as me and the misses are supposed to be saving for the baby (due in 4 weeks) and I'm off spending money on the reef again. LOL

Brucey

 

[Witfull]

personally, i still believe in UV. the loss of some pods and good guys is outwieghed by its benefits. i can always feed the fish better and more nutricious stuff than pods. i would have to say go for it. plus the stronger the bulb, the more flow through the UV you can have.

 

[Brucey]

Thanks Wit . . . that's my thinking too. The strongest bulb they sell is 30W ... which equates to a maximum recommended flow of 450 gallons per hour ... only 3xmy tank volume but I'm guessing thats enough ?
Brucey

 

[NaH2O]

Hey Brucey - not sure on your flow question. My understanding is the slower the flow thru the unit the longer the contact time = better success rate. I definately think you should go for one if the finances allow (I know how expensive babies are.....boy, do I know) - unless you can find a nice used one. I plan on getting one in the future, but need other necessary equipment first. You would only lose some pods if they went thru the unit itself, and I think it would be more like they lose a couple of legs or something, as they are large in comparison to the tiny beings you are eliminating.

Hope that helps!

 

[Barnacle Dave]

Set mine up with quick disconnects and love this idea as it is much more easier to clean, move, re-adjustments on where I place it.

My Max GPH is around 750 and a wise man Mojoreef or was it Curt Swearing? (one of these guys helped me out )... anyway they told me to cut the max GPH in half as this would give you better contact with the UV light. So the slower the water the better it is. I used a mag 3.

I have noticed less algae on the glass but remember the UV only kills things that are floating in the water.
My water is clearer and it seems to have helped. I can really tell a difference.

 

[cheeks69]

Also keep in mind that the UV sterilizer will only kill the free floating or swimming tomites during the ick cycle. So it will help uninfected fish but will do nothing for the infected fish. For it to be effective it must be used conjointly with hyposalinity or copper.

You all would have read in another thread I've had an outbreak of ich. My own stupid fault but i bought it from a dealer i trust very much and who uses copper in his Q tanks so he sort of does the Q for me . . . .

I went thru the same thing Brucey don't feel bad. I bought an Anthias several months ago that was maintained in a copper and UV tank but obviously wasn't long enough and lost a couple of fish.

 

[BoomerD]

Brucey, I'd give the same encouragement that everyone else has...I think they CAN help with parasites and even sme algae in the tank, but they ARE NOT a "magic fix" or cure-all...that would be the ECO-Aqualizer! :smck: :smck: :smck: (Boomer gets smacked BIG for that!)

 

[SeaShel]

Brucey,

I've run UV on my tank since the beginning. I love the security it provides. As for ICH, my fish got it within one week of when the bulb burned out. So perhaps the theory that it makes the fish less immune is true. I lost nearly all my fish in the time it took to get another bulb.
Now I keep a spare bulb handy at all times. Good luck.

 

[Curtswearing]

I believe strongly in the use of UV. Mine needs a new bulb right now unfortunately.

I'm not sure about it lowering the fishes natural immunity though.

 

[Brucey]

OK Guys . . . thanks all for your advice. 40W UV Unit ordered yesterday and will be installed tomorrow. I'll post some photo's when it's installed. 4 ft long so it's a bit of a whopper. Thanks all for your advice and help on this matter. I found a really interesting article on the UK site I ordered my UV filter from that I thought you UV tech heads will enjoy reading
Brucey

http://www.tmc-ltd.co.uk/filtration/uv_filt/UV_filtration.asp

 

[Barnacle Dave]

Originally posted by BoomerD
Brucey, I'd give the same encouragement that everyone else has...I think they CAN help with parasites and even sme algae in the tank, but they ARE NOT a "magic fix" or cure-all...that would be the ECO-Aqualizer! :smck: :smck: :smck: (Boomer gets smacked BIG for that!)

What is the eco-aqualizer a bad think?