Do you use a UV Sterilizer on your reef tank?

[Snelly40]

sorry to ask the newbie question, however what exactly does a uv sterilizer do, and would it be necessary/beneficial to have on my 24 gallon tank, perhaps a small 8 watt one. just curious, and thanks for the help
-jason

[cioutlaw]

Originally Posted by Snelly40

sorry to ask the newbie question, however what exactly does a uv sterilizer do, and would it be necessary/beneficial to have on my 24 gallon tank, perhaps a small 8 watt one. just curious, and thanks for the help
-jason

kills free floating microorganisms like algae, viruses, mold and bacteria. When water passes through the unit, radiation emitted from the light bulb destroys the organisms and breaks down their DNA. I think it depends on what you have in your tank weather it is good or bad. Ive been researching the topic myself but have never used 1.

[dreams]

i have 2 UVs......i bought one for an ich issue i had.....but that seems to have cleared up....so, i decided against using it because i was afraid of killing off good bacteria....that one is the turbo twist 12x 36 watt

the second one is coming w/ the tank i just purchased...i think it is a 10 watt

anyways, after reading this thread i have decided to use them both when everything is set-up going where it goes

http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=412

(hope it is okay to post that here)

[Frankie]

Originally Posted by Witfull

i would run it opposite your lighting. UVs can add heat to the water, so this will help cut down on some.

Thats some good advice witty. I personally never turned mine off and ran it 24/7. being i have a chiller im not to worried about the heat issue but some are and alternating pumps and lighting fixtures is a good idea.

[cracker]

At 6 months I'm seeing a little HA popping up here and there. I think this is just normal growing pains, and watching it close. My UV is plumbed and ready to plug in. I don't know if it's worth running the UV just to help with the HA, even if it will . I also don't want to Zap any critters in this young setup.

[SoliSteve]

While I only break mine when I have to, and while it is true that the UV Sterilizer will really only take care of what's in the water at that point in time, Witty's idea of running one off-cycle to the lights is a good idea. Blue Hippo Tangs and other fish will never lose the parasite internally - fear, aggressive behavior by other fish and changes in temperature or salinity can cause a breakout of the infestation. Using a UV sterilizer on a 24/7 basis is a personal choice but this use can also affect the "good" bacteria in your tank. The point he makes is that if you have an established tank and no outbreak of infections and parasitic life, there really is no problem. Some tanks and environments will continue to have outbreaks when new marine life is added to a tank and not properly quarantined as well (some don't have the room to quarantine so it becomes a matter of choice in treatment).

[R.yumaDaddy?]

Not on reef tanks. I think they "zap" more good then bad.

[aquaman3680]

I wouldnt set up another tank without one!

Matt