UV sterilizer for reef?

[bkstang]

So far I have just fish and some inverts in my tank but I plan to have some lps and softies. Right now I have a bacteria bloom and I want to treat them with UV light. Do you guys use UV sterilizer on the daily basis or just if you need it. Also, some say UV should not be used for reef tank. Do you find it effective?

 

[B.BASH]

I don't use one you have to hope the bacteria or parasites pass through at just the right speed.

 

[shmibly]

UV sterilization is effective as long as there is pre-filteration to rid the water column of larger particles or organisms. The sterilizer however, does depend on the flow rate of the water. Too much flow, and you won't kill anything, too little flow, and efficiency of the lamp is decreased. Simply make sure you buy the right size sterilizer for your tank. I have a Coralife 6x Turbo Twist and I think it makes a difference in clarity. The manual even states effective flow rates. However UV will kill beneficial bacteria, if you have a canister or plenty of live rock you'll be fine though.
Good luck!

 

[bkstang]

I already purchased Green Killing Machine 9W. It has its own pump so I believe the flow was design the way it should be. But I didn't install it yet. I'm afraid to kill any beneficial bacteria, what you just mentioned. I have dry rock so amount of my beneficial bacteria is limited at this point so I think I should wait a little longer before I turn it on.

 

[xxxAngeloxxx]

I made a thread about this already check it out

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum...16906-what-your-inputs-using-uv-lighting.html

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Wow, a lot of misinformation here.

If it's installed correctly and you actually have the proper wattage and flow rates you don't have to "hope" it works. To say that UVs are bad because they can kill good bacteria would also lump protein skimmers, carbon, GFO, biopellets, filter socks, etc. in with the "it removes the good stuff too" group. There is no perfect filtration but the pros have to outweigh the cons. A little bit of research on the web and you can easily figure out the proper UV setup for your tank. This isn't voodoo reefing.

 

[shmibly]

I would like to apologize, perhaps I may have been a bit unclear. The UV sterilizer will only kill free floating bacteria, not bacteria established/attached in/to rocks and filter media, sand and the such. As for bio pellets and such, I am not sure about, as far as I know these things just remove large particles from the display. I claim to be no expert, but as for UV sterilization I am positive it kills FREE FLOATING bacteria both good and bad, as this would fall under the category of microorganism and definitely falls under the effective wavelength to get fried by gene altering ultraviolet light. I mean no hostility, just trying to help. I would not worry about over sterilizing the tank Bkstang, as long as it is cycled, it should be fine.

EDIT: In fact bkstang, I cycled my tank with the UV Sterilizer ON, just this passed august and the tank cycled just fine.

 

[reefer4eva]

i used one on my 90 gallon with positive results but like others here are saying it does kill both good and bad bacteria but if you look at the bright side if you put live rock in your tank the good bacteria will weigh out the bad with the help of the uv sterilizer aswell as water changes and adding more benificial bacteria

 

[lfsmarineguy]

It will only kill what passes through it, but that doesn't mean it's any less effective at removing the undesirables than say a protein skimmer, which also relies on pass through.

I wouldn't recommend cycling a tank with the UV on, it won't prevent the tank from cycling but it will definitely prolong the process by reducing the number of bacteria available.

In a reef tank the main benefit of the UV is control of possible pests and parasites with water clarity being a natural byproduct of the higher zap dosages.

 

[reefer4eva]

It will only kill what passes through it, but that doesn't mean it's any less effective at removing the undesirables than say a protein skimmer, which also relies on pass through.

I wouldn't recommend cycling a tank with the UV on, it won't prevent the tank from cycling but it will definitely prolong the process by reducing the number of bacteria available.

In a reef tank the main benefit of the UV is control of possible pests and parasites with water clarity being a natural byproduct of the higher zap dosages.

I agree 110 %

 

[bkstang]

I started the thread asking about UV sterilizer because I had a bacteria bloom. Before the UV sterilizer arrived I was able to control the bacteria bloom by activated carbon so now my tank is crystal clear, almost. Of course my problems didn't end. I added CUC and my ammonia went up so now I don't want to turn the UV sterilizer even more because I need bacteria more than ever.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

If you have a bacterial bloom you need to figure out why. Bacteria doesn't just bloom without a food source. Using a UV to eliminate the bloom is only going to make the problem worse or at the very least mask it. Your issue isn't the bacteria, that's just a symptom of the actual problem. Figure out what's feeding the bloom and you'll correct both.

 

[jerl77]

24 7 here

 

[bkstang]

I think I figured out what caused the bacteria bloom and the ammonia spike. I fed my 2 little fish 3 x a day, I didn't rinse the frozen food and just gave them too much. I assumed that uneaten food will be fast consumed by the shrimps but this didn't happen always. I understand your point and I know that most of the things in the tank should be happening naturally without chemicals, devices etc and trust me his is what I want.