khinsanmu1 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 I just want to know what is it for?Is it uesful for reef tank? Link to comment
Rocket Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Ultra Violet light. Designed to kill organics. They do this by splitting/destroying DNA in the cells of the organize. I do not here very many people using UV on reef systems since this kills most of the nutrients corals like in the water column. Link to comment
Urchinhead Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 It can and will knock down nuisance algae that is free floating in the water column. As well as parasites. How well it does this is dependent on the power of the bulb, how clean it is, and the amount of time that the water is in front of it. In general a 9w UV needs a flow of no greater than 60 gallons per hour to be effective. The higher the watts the faster the flow I have a 18w for my 55g as well as a polyreactor full of chemipure elite and push 110 gph though that. Link to comment
WhiteShark Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 I was toying with the idea of getting one and supplimenting my corals food just by hand. I to am curious how well they work? Link to comment
coralcor Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 my dad uses one in hit koy pond.... makes the water look better. and +1 to all of the above Link to comment
califjewls Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I was actually looking into installing a UV Sterilizer in my Reef and was told it wasn't a good idea, for the same reasons that Rocket outlines... Link to comment
Urchinhead Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Bah. Just turn off the powerheads, feed your corals for 30 min, then turn them back on. If you are skimming then the 'organics' are going to get sucked up anyway as DOC. Link to comment
Ryan_H Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Bah. Just turn off the powerheads, feed your corals for 30 min, then turn them back on. If you are skimming then the 'organics' are going to get sucked up anyway as DOC. +1 UV does a lot more good than harm. if you have a tank less than 30 gallons and aren't keeping expensive fish, i wouldn't really say you needed one, but it wouldn't hurt. Link to comment
Go Tigers! Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I have a cheap 24 watt uv sterilizer on my 75 gal , I haven't had any problems with it ,I just keep it clean. No ich or infestations , It turns green water into clear blue .I will never have a reef tank without one. Link to comment
steve0xr Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Just keep in mind it kills the good same as it kills the bad.... Link to comment
Ryan_H Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Just keep in mind it kills the good same as it kills the bad.... already covered. WAY more bad things are out there than good, and dosing your tank with phyto and target feeding your corals makes up for any good killed by the UV. besides, as Urchinhead already stated, a good protein skimmer will pull out the good organics anyway. Link to comment
WhiteShark Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 If anyone is looking Ebay has some wicked deals on UV sterilizers... Link to comment
jcw8712 Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 I think a UV light is a good thing- yes it kill just anything that passes through the light including good and bad organisms- but if you are having trouble with free floating algae it will clear up the tank in no time. If you use a UV light you do not need to leave it on constantly unless you are trying to kill every organism that passes through the light. Also if you feed phytoplankton you should turn off the UV light otherwise it will just kill the phytoplankton that you put in the tank. Link to comment
Luis Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 I collect feather dusters,etc washed up on the beach after storms usually attached to something for my 55 gallon tank (have a 55 and 30). I use the submariner 5 watt uv in tank powerhead/UV . Rated for only 40 gall but works well. You dont need it but in my case it kills pathogens,etc if attached to things I collect and keeps tank water CRYSTAL clear . I used to have slight green water in the tank not sure why as use good skimmer ,water changes but either way the UV took care of it. I cant think of anything negative with UV again not needed in most cases but nice to have. Link to comment
WhiteShark Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I read that some people only keep their UV sterilizer on during the day and turn it off at night and this assists with not killing as many beneficial creatures...Is this true? Link to comment
Rocket Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Well I had a 36 watt UV on my kio tank for algae control. Then I've had 2 saltwater reef tanks for 2 years now and never ran a UV on them. But with this new tank I have a massive amount of water and water changes weekly are just not going to happen. So 3 days ago I hooked up my old 36watt turbo twist with the slowest pump I could find Mj400. And now my water is crystal clear AND the big plus: I have not had to scrape the glass in 2 days. WOW! I was doing morning, and night glass cleaning. But I run my lights for 12 hours a day. Conclusion: Too early to tell if it is harmful to my setup. So far the results have been spectacular. Link to comment
WhiteShark Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I'm curious if this will kill off your CUC by eliminating the algae (and their primary food source)? Link to comment
Rocket Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I don't believe so, The algae already growing on the rocks is still visually present. It is just the free floating algae that sticks to the glass is gone. I'll find out soon though Link to comment
Luis Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I'm curious if this will kill off your CUC by eliminating the algae (and their primary food source)? --------- It wont kill algae thats growing on rocks,etc but will eradicate free floating green water algae . At least water will be crystal clear to look at algae growing on rocks,etc lol. Link to comment
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