Anyone use UV Sterilizers in their REEF tanks?

[thomasdo87]

I have heard some mixed stances on this issue. Some locals say they would never run their reef tanks without it but online I rarely see people with them and even discourage the use of them. I was wondering if anyone uses them and those who do not what are the reasons for not using them.

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

I use a 25w UV on my setup. I find it keeps the glass free of algae a few days longer then when I don't have it on. I have plenty of pods so at least for me it doesnt affect their population.

 

[gparr]

I used one many, many years ago. Was never convinced it did much good. After many years of running two aquariums without one, I'm even more convinced they are of little value. What is it you're trying to kill off with a sterilizer?
Gary

 

[thomasdo87]

nothing at the moment. but in the past i have never really had many fish, usually had the typical clowns. but lately i have been getting into some of the more expensive fish and dont want to take the risk in the future.

i was talking with a local and was shocked i didnt run a uv sterilizer and i never really thought about it. i remember when I got into this hobby with my CADlights, everyone told me not to use the UV sterilizer that came with it so i never did.

 

[BayCorals]

We have our sterilizer on a timer. 4 hours everyday to keep the water & glass clean.

 

[thomasdo87]

We have our sterilizer on a timer. 4 hours everyday to keep the water & glass clean.

do you think it will give that extra protection to fish also? seems like people are using to fight algae and Gary said it had little to no impact on his system.

 

[Mr E Wrasse]

I would think that if you're more interested in fish than coral, that a UV sterilizer would be beneficial. It will help to get rid of parasites that might make the fish sick. However, I would think that the UV sterilizer might kill plankton as well, which is what the corals eat. I have one on my 250g sytem, and I have lots of corals. But i don't use it very often. Mainly just when the algae starts to get pretty bad.

 

[BayCorals]

do you think it will give that extra protection to fish also? seems like people are using to fight algae and Gary said it had little to no impact on his system.

Yes, alot of sterilizers are used on fish only tanks to help prevent diseases.

I first started using the sterilizer because of algae problem. It was my first lesson actually. Many year back, I had severe algae issues because I operated poor lighting for 14 hours a day. The lfs told me to pick up a strong sterilizer and that would fix the problem. I bought it, set it up in my green water tank and left it overnight. The next morning, my tank was clear, but half of my fish was dead. So the sterilizer works, just need to adjust it according to the condition.

Then I stopped using it when people told me I shouldn't use one for reef systems because it will kill all the nutrients along with the bad stuff. I ended up doing more water changes to keep the tank clear. Now, I use a small sterilizer for a large tank and it's working great for me.:smile:

Cuong

 

[Kbra]

I use a 25w on my 80gal mix reef 24/7
Ive heard that using it on a timer causes the ballast to die out faster. Also the reasons ive heard for using them on timers never make a lot of sense...

 

[itachi]

i use a 114w on my 240G , sps dominated reef ... The reason i have it was some disease issues .. I run an extremely low flow rate though it ( 260 GPH) strickly to kill free floating ich ... It sorta works for it, but it doesn't really ever cure it . I have over 50 fish in my reef and it's just not realistic to pull them all and requarantine/ medicate. Remember though the by product of the UV will also generate Ozone. If your thinking this will keep your tank disease free.. Its really a myth if you want to have expensive fish and not worry about disease my recomendation is Quarantine everything before it enters your tank.

If you really are going to get a UV to combat disease i recomend you completely oversize . since the actual dosage of UV exposure to kill crypt is quite high something over 100,000 UVMS if i remember right. equates to about 140GPH though a new 40W bulb, also expect to beable to turn over your water atleast once an hour though the UV sterilizer .

 

[Kbra]

+1 on that

 

[reefsmokinFOOL]

I use one. i also feed too much. I use it after i put in livestock for a week or 2 solid. Then i go back to it being on for 12hrs a day. If you always leave it on, along with killing ich and such it also kills beneficial algae. Thus the reason for not needing to clean the inside glass from Algae every other day or so. I use 8 watt Aquaview witch seems to very solid.

 

[Tiger-Paws]

I finally purchased an Ozone generator for my Red Sea Reefer Nano. I was having a serious issue with a bacterial bloom which would not go away. I even used a 9w Coraline UV unit at 100gph without success. That is until I started the Ozone, after two days at 4 hours a day I have crystal clear water.

I am 100% sold and I will keep on using ozone every few days as necessary from now on.