UV Sterilizers - Recommended?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
sry to derail but your going to kick yourself down the line for not getting bigger pumps. ray crap ALOT. JMO edit: i forgot about ur powerheads

as for the uv- i use a 57 watt on my 450 gallon and LOVE it. with a very heavily stocked tank it helps the water stay crystal clear 24/7

u will never go w out one on a big ray tank ;)
 
I will plan on getting a couple 40w units then to plumb into the tank. I am doing the final ordering for our 520g reef tank upgrade and I can get a deal if I order the things now for the stinray tank as well.

Are you guys running flow rates through your UV to kill bacteria and algae or slow enough to kill parasites as well?

For example, the units I use you can run 1500gph to kill bacteria and algae, in order to kill parasites the flow rate drops down to 625gph.

The easy way to plumb in the UVs is to run roughly 1000gph through them and then all the return water will be passing by the UV. This will not be enough to kill parasites but I am hoping by properly QT and treating the new arrivals parasites will not be a big concern.
 
I could always run the two 40w UVs in series with one of the return pumps feeding it.

This would mean 1/2 of my return water would run through the UVs instead of all of it but would be at an apropriate flow to kill parasites.

Thoughts?
 
My personal viewpoint is that UV does not sterilize your tank. Only things that pass through it might be killed. I also like the water clarity aspect of running UV sterilizers.

I use it on my reef tank to help keep things at bay incase I have something flare up when a new fish or group of fish are added.
 
PeteLockwood;4440373; said:
I still don't know how people think these parasites are going to move from the gut to be killed.
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It's a preventive measure to get them while they are in the water column e.g. you bring in a sick fish, the uv helps protect the other fish that are still healthy.
 
Danger_Chicken;4442667; said:
It's a preventive measure to get them while they are in the water column e.g. you bring in a sick fish, the uv helps protect the other fish that are still healthy.
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That's why you quarantine new fish rather than adding them to the tank with your healthy fish.
 
A UV might only stop the spread of a gut parasite from one fish to another but not all parasites are internal. Of course it will not cure anything internal.


As an example White spot is a parasite that has a free swimming stage, the UV kills off that stage and stops it being an issue.


I run mine in series using a dedicated pump at a fairly low flow rate, I pick up the water at the pump end of the sump and it returns to the start of the sump again.
 
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