UV Sterilizers??? A Waste Or Worth It, Big & Small

Jesmann · Sep 17, 2019

Curious to see all your thoughts on uv. i currently have a 40w aqua ultraviolet on my 500gal system i didnt think it was doing much so i shut it down. i know its underrated but i had it and kept upgrading. if its worth it what size uv do i need for my system? 120w?

also is it worth it to run a small uv on a zoa softies tank. im going to be setting up a 20-40gallon IM tank mainly for zoas soon. may add a few gonis and shrooms.

brandon429 · Sep 17, 2019

Opinions vary is final answer. I would never, ever, ever own a $ reef tank without a pond sterilizer (only overdone is worth it) hooked in as ready backup if the system was so large I couldn't implement a full water change on demand. The reason I don't need UV as backup insurance against debilitating invasions is because I can make a full water change anytime I want, full access to the water is what UV provides. They're insurance.

The right time to use UV is when the tank is so large you couldn't readily make and do a full water change on demand (being able to remove all the water is at the heart of being able to beat any reef tank invasion, that's why I drew the line at water table access as the breakpoint for UV or not)

Jesmann · Sep 17, 2019

hmm this is very interesting . i have roughly a 500gal system and only keep 50-100gal of rodi at a time (usually 50)

brandon429 · Sep 17, 2019

The reason I would have a pond sterilizer hidden in the back for a ten thousand gallon koi pond is due to the sum total collective stress of all Dino and cyano challenge threads. nobody says it has to be turned on until zero day

You couldn't infect a pico reef with anything ten full water changes and rock detailing externally couldn't cure.

But five hundred gallons. Nuke the UV best insurance for biological invasion. Then you design the system to never need it, while it's indeed plumbed in and ready anyway. That's big deal bio engineering yep for large jobs, zoos
anything less is directly risk to cash investment. I have personally seen UV correct numerous tanks more times than I can count, they cheated themselves to uninvaded and were happy with results.

little_sardines · Sep 17, 2019

I use the bra pentair 25 watt on my 120g whenever I've had a dino outbreak, works like a charm.
I dont run it all the time though, I think it kills too much of the good bacteria.

Smart UV Sterilizer 25 Watt - Pentair Aquatics

Emperor Aquatics is now Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems. Why does BRS recommend this? When it comes to UV most other companies will recommend a small UV for a large tank which in reality won’t do much more than make your water look a bit clearer. If your ultimate goal is to keep bacteria...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

brandon429 · Sep 17, 2019

I just want to state for the record that UV yes/no threads make up no less than two million verifiable search returns and some of the most heated debate in forum posting. I saw a reefcentral one run for five years straight with many identities won and lost lol

And then 2019 people just turn em on when needed, it's best of both worlds. Literally no bad comes from that compromise lol

both the pro and con proponents win out with power plumbed in, primed and ready for that first cell group = zap and if you never need it then kudos

I rate UV as being the swing vote mechanism in about 100 different invasion work threads we worked on / an extremely helpful tool

Jesmann · Sep 17, 2019

what uv would you reccomend me getting then iv ran my 40watt for 2 years straight and replaced bulb every 8 months. just shut it off roughly 2 weeks ago. would you say running a larger unit 24/7 would be worth it or mabby 1 day a week or just when cretin issues arise? if possible dumb this down for me im not up to all this scientific lingo

sedgro · Sep 17, 2019

I run an AquaUV Viper 400 watt (yes you ready that right) on a closed loop powered by a Royal Exclusiv RD3 230 watt pump on my 350 gal heavily stocked system. It runs 12 hours during the night. I bought it off of eBay. I used to have a crypto/ich problem but about 3 weeks after starting up the UV I have never seen it again. Best investment I have made for my tank. Bulbs are expensive @~$400 but last around 18 months.

pdxmonkeyboy · Sep 17, 2019

I do recall that BRS did a video and they said..(insert nasally Ryan voice here)

"While it certainly isn't required, UV can help reduce bacteria that could cause infections"

Me? I run 80 watts on my 400 gallon system. My thought is that there are lots of bacteria on us and in our homes that can make it into the tank so anything to reduce that is good in my mind.

theMeat · Sep 17, 2019

I run a 36w on my 220. Think it helps with clarity, run no sock and no carbon. Water is clear

Tamberav · Sep 18, 2019

I put a UV sterilizer in my 25g for low levels of almost undetectable dino and it worked beautifully...the tank seems to run itself now. I think I will try and run one from now on. Doesn't seem to hurt anything but can help.

Jesmann · Sep 20, 2019

So on my 500 gallon system do you think 2x 57w tied together would be enough to do anything or should i kust leave my 40w thats on it

theMeat · Sep 20, 2019

Would say your 40w is hardly doing anything. Think you should at least double that

ca1ore · Sep 20, 2019

Whether an UV is useful depends a lot on what you are asking it to do. If just clarification (water clarity) then less wattage is needed and greater flow through the unit. Something like 40 watts on 500 gallons is probably OK for that if you need clarification (many tanks are clear without using UV). If sterilization, at either level 1 or level 2, you need much more wattage and slower flow. On my nominally 700 gallon system, for example, I'm running the TMC110. Keep in mind that an UV is not going to eliminate pests, just help to control them.

SPR1968 · Sep 20, 2019

I’ve just ordered the DD 80w UV-C for my new system (530 USG) and run the 20w on my current system

I wouldn’t run a reef tank without one, there are no down sides apart from the initial purchase cost and annual bulb change (forgetting electricity usage).

UV-C is more powerful than UV if you have a choice but I would suggest the 40w UV is not powerful enough for 500usg

foxt · Sep 20, 2019

I run a 120w pentair uv, flow rate about 400gph, this on my system with about 300g volume. It works well for me. The key is matching wattage with flow to get to whatever the manufacturer specifies as the dwell time required for your intended purposes. Example: level 2 sterilization requires much slower flow than “just” running the uv to polish the water.

Jet915 · Sep 20, 2019

I run a 40w pentair on my 100 gallon. No disease outbreaks since, water is clear, never had dinos. I run it 24/7 and would never have a tank without one. It will heat up your water which required me to get a chiller but still worth it.

Jesmann · Sep 24, 2019

ca1ore said:
Whether an UV is useful depends a lot on what you are asking it to do. If just clarification (water clarity) then less wattage is needed and greater flow through the unit. Something like 40 watts on 500 gallons is probably OK for that if you need clarification (many tanks are clear without using UV). If sterilization, at either level 1 or level 2, you need much more wattage and slower flow. On my nominally 700 gallon system, for example, I'm running the TMC110. Keep in mind that an UV is not going to eliminate pests, just help to control them.

This sterilizer is rated for like 200 gallons from that company. That seems like less then my 40watt aqua ultraviolet on my 500 . Care to elaborate

Maximus · Sep 24, 2019

little_sardines said:
I use the bra pentair 25 watt on my 120g whenever I've had a dino outbreak, works like a charm.
I dont run it all the time though, I think it kills too much of the good bacteria.

Smart UV Sterilizer 25 Watt - Pentair Aquatics

Emperor Aquatics is now Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems. Why does BRS recommend this? When it comes to UV most other companies will recommend a small UV for a large tank which in reality won’t do much more than make your water look a bit clearer. If your ultimate goal is to keep bacteria...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Do you run the UV in the tank or in the sump?