View Full Version : Anyone use a UV sterlizer on their SW setup?
ewurm
02-11-2007, 11:31 PM
I am restocking my tank, after disease wiped it out. I was wondering if anyone has tried the UV. Let me know.
chrisdef15
02-12-2007, 4:10 AM
I am restocking my tank, after disease wiped it out. I was wondering if anyone has tried the UV. Let me know.
I havent got one but the LFS i work at uses 2. They seem to work very well and if a fish is traded in with white spot or something we treat with meds the first day only and within a few days it is generally gone.
rayman45
02-12-2007, 11:08 AM
you can use it ....
im waiting on mine then ill have one rigged up..
Fish Finder
02-12-2007, 1:44 PM
just rember for it to be effective agenst ick it need's to be 40W or more
chrisdef15
02-12-2007, 9:15 PM
Yeah i should have been more specific in my answer. The ones at my work are huge and alotta watts which is why they work really well. Not sure what they are though. Just make sure you get a good one. Alot of the cheap ones are crap and may kill off a few types of bugs and stuff but that can just lead to other undesirables taking there spot so make sure you get a good one.
ewurm
02-13-2007, 12:45 AM
How about Turbo Twist? Anyone ever try it?
fishyboi
02-13-2007, 1:13 AM
uv is good for saltwater but only fish, not coral
uv is good for saltwater but only fish, not coral
No Corals here, I'd be happy to keep fish disease at bay for now.
chrisdef15
02-13-2007, 5:36 AM
uv is good for saltwater but only fish, not coral
Why do you say that??
Brenden
02-13-2007, 10:00 AM
UV sterilizers are great, but remember they kill all sorts of bacteria good or bad. So if you add a UV make sure you are able to add different suppliments into the water to ensure that good bacteria is still in the tank. None the less its a great addition to any FOWLR set up. I will be using one on my 330 as soon as its set up for my sharks.
myfishhadbabies
02-13-2007, 11:52 PM
i have a UV, i dont use it at all, my fish had never caught any diseases or parasites. also to save some electricity.
UV sterilizers are great, but remember they kill all sorts of bacteria good or bad. So if you add a UV make sure you are able to add different suppliments into the water to ensure that good bacteria is still in the tank. None the less its a great addition to any FOWLR set up. I will be using one on my 330 as soon as its set up for my sharks.
The bacteria should live in the filter media, not in the water column. Beneficial bacteria should be fine.
chrisdef15
02-14-2007, 2:54 AM
Yeah thats why i asked the other guy what he meant. UV will not harm corals at all and alot of spectacular reef tanks run them so i have no idea what they mean.
Yeah thats why i asked the other guy what he meant. UV will not harm corals at all and alot of spectacular reef tanks run them so i have no idea what they mean.
I also got info from SW fanatics at the store I work at, and some use UV as well, even on reefs.
UnderwaterGirl
02-15-2007, 7:49 PM
In my opinion, UV sterilizers don't help out very much.
i have the Turbo Twist6 on my 75 gallon salt tank. It's 18 watts,and you can change the bulb without turning off the filter.
tnmurf
02-16-2007, 2:12 AM
I have a 5W Tetra on a 40 gallon. Since it started operation I have not have any issues with disease. Prior to that I an ick problem on a small blue tang. Not an expert, just showing my real experience. That was about 8 months ago.
Murf
WeeNe858
02-16-2007, 2:23 AM
any type of uv wil help you one way or another.. it will kill single cell stuff.. so the occational good for the massive bad.. it kinda keeps you feeling safe but its up to you.. the turbo twist is pretty generic and eveything builds around that.. you just need to understand that the longer the water has in contact with the uv light the "cleaner" your water will be (common sense yes?) bo the design of the turbo twist has the water twisting around the lights thus utilizing more lighting surface.. you can always find other cheaper brands that do the same
ewurm
02-16-2007, 10:13 PM
I will probably try it on the SW, it's not that expensive. I will go with the turbo twist. I'll let you know what I think.
ChenBrasil
02-22-2007, 10:07 AM
UV in fish only tanks works fine, just be careful to select an unit with correct size and water flow to your tank... if your skimmer can handle, an ozonizer will also help you to control/prevent diseases... in my tank , a combination of both worked better than just UV... I had severe ich and brokynella that were controlled with UV and Ozone... skimmer will have a more clear collect but water will spark.... and this is a really good bonus in a overstock tank...
After looking into it, I can get a 9 watt Turbo Twist for $100. I don't think I will ever have more than $200 worth od stock. My decision will be based on whether or not the disease outbreak returns again.
SteveO
06-07-2007, 1:28 PM
I've used a UV on all 3 of my Reefs since their inception. Every coral, clam, shroom, shrimp.... has spawned in every one of my tanks. UV will NOT cause any issues with a reef, except for killing the spawn in the water column. I even had the rare event of an Astrea snail mass spawning occur in my initial reef tank.
UV's kill and clean lots of issues in the tank, dependent on UV exposure time, all free swimming parasites (including ich), all algae in the water column... so you dont get algae outbreaks. You end up with a cleaner environment for your inhabitants.
I still am having problems with Oodinum, so I plan on getting a larger tank and running a UV.
Brenden
06-07-2007, 5:08 PM
Well my 330 has been setup for about 6 weeks now, forgot about this thread. Anyways I just installed the Coralife 35W Turbo Twist UV and its worked wonders for me already. I have seen an increase in the water clearness it basically looks like I am looking into air its that clear. I am running it 12hrs on, 12hrs off to keep the good bacteria in the tank. I would highly recommend one.
Atarax
06-07-2007, 9:40 PM
I agree with using a UV if its the bigger ones. i had a 12w turbo twist and it did very little. helped the water clarity initially. the 35w and larger sizes would have to be a bonus.
Red Devil
06-07-2007, 9:46 PM
we have a UV light set up for the water that comes into the house from the well .. which is the same water we use for the tanks.. no problem ..this UV light also does the water for our faucets etc..i just realized you were asking about SW
michael
06-27-2007, 12:23 PM
salt or fresh but is more useful towards fish tanks whether salt or fresh. I strict reef tank wouldn't need it as much