My 500G Osama Reef-2
- Thread starter Osama
- Start date
SPotter
Active member
If you have a separate pump for that tank I would do it but not as often. I usually just put an airstone and air pump in there to keep the water fresh.
Osama
New member
To clean the skum in my salty water storage tank: I used vinegar first and a tiny bit of the dark stuff came off the walls. I bought a pressurized water blaster that helped stir and move things out the side drain.... I then put peroxide on a long handled brush and dumped some in the bottom water .. Peroxide cleaned the surface like new ... Hope this is helpful to others... I did not think peroxide hurts anything and after a water change last nite, everything seems OK in the tank
Osama
New member
UV or no UV
UV or no UV
SURVEY: Need your opinion Pls ...
RBS says YES use UV in their U tube broadcast today.
Should I use a UV on my 700g system (500g DT) . Mine is a mixed reef Soft & Hard corals.
If yes: What size UV? To be effective wht max flow rate?
Thanks for your input
UV or no UV
SURVEY: Need your opinion Pls ...
RBS says YES use UV in their U tube broadcast today.
Should I use a UV on my 700g system (500g DT) . Mine is a mixed reef Soft & Hard corals.
If yes: What size UV? To be effective wht max flow rate?
Thanks for your input
Osama
New member
Money already spend as part of my system installation I just do not put it on The UV that is? I started seeing some advocating benefits in a reef tank of use of UV continuously and I was seeking knowledge as to how widespread and successful is the use of UV continuously on a reef tank. Best learning is from serious hobbyist's own experience. If people have used for long time in a well thriving reef environment is good indicator that its use is aceptable for reef and the opposite is also true.. EXPERIENCE is key to our reefing success.. Sharing that experience makes for a successful community... Dave pls let me know of your own experience with UV and or your thoughts and knowledge onwhat you hear of success in the reef community of UV utilization..
THANKS
THANKS
Last edited:
SPotter
Active member
I run an 80w emperor aquatics uv on my system which is approximately 500g total water volume. You will get the same argument on uv's as you got with the mh vs. led discussion. There are people that think they're useless and ones that swear by them. Often people don't have the right size UV or it doesn't have the correct flow rate or its not plumbed in the best spot. If you go to Emperor Aquatics website they have some great reading on UV sizing, flow and placement. I run mine with a slower flow thru it to zap out any protozoa that flow thru it. I do not believe that my uv will cure an outbreak of ich or that it prevent my tank from ever getting ich. I have it plumbed inline with my returns so water passes thru the uv before entering the tank. Im sure its killing off some of the good stuff we want in our water but its not getting it all. I have plenty of pods in my tank and didn't notice a decrease in that. Its definitely an expensive piece of equipment to add to a system without being able to see visible results like what we can see from a protein skimmer or being able to maintain adequate alk, ca and mg levels with a ca reactor. Those pieces of equipment produce quantifiable results where as the UV really doesn't. I run my UV 24/7 and as long as I don't see it causing anything negative on my tank I will continue to run it that way.
dave.m
Active member
+1SPotter said:
And here's where you see how people can see the same thing and come away with opposite opinions. I have never used UV. I have never had a situation where I thought UV might help. Where SPotter says he sees no harm I at the same time see no benefit so I ask - why bother with UV?
I have seen tanks (not mine) where the water has turned sort of milky and wondered if UV would help with what was obviously a bacterial bloom. But if you have a healthy tank of corals and sponges the bacteria will never have a chance of getting to plague proportions so I come back to the same question - why bother with UV?
And that is why I originally asked if you, Osama, had a situation where you thought you needed to add UV to your set-up. If not, why bother?
Dave.M
Osama
New member
Thanks Dave and Steve... Reason I posted is to hear opinions of people I trust. Since I was having an expensive system built for me I put an 80W UV in my system and I have not used it as I am from old school BUT I AM MORE THAN WILLING TO adopt new methods that help my reef and to do so I listen to others opinions.. I think my UV maybe misplaced as it is in line and in front of my skimmer on a pump dedicated to the skimmer and UV, a DC-10500 pump. To decrease that flow (which can be accomplished easily via the electronic controller) I decrease the flow to the skimmer a not so desirable outcome. I will check the desired flow from that web site... Maybe sometime in the future I take the bulbs out, clean them up (I assume that is needed since they may be covered with crud??) and put the UV on and see if I notice any difference after a month of usage... As Steve said even then how do we judge that... I am having a small slime algae outbreak that I am treating with water change and siphoning (no chemicals) Maybe now is not such a bad time to try my UV??
SPotter
Active member
if the goal is to remove or reduce slime algae I don't think the UV is the answer. I might be wrong but isn't slime algae nutrient driven? As far as gauging the effectiveness of a UV it will be subjective depending on the goal as Dave has said and the video from BRS. My goal is for protozoa and parasites. Im a believer that ich is always present in a tank and while it can be introduced with new live stock I believe it also something that can come stress created by other tank mates. A friend of mine has an achilles in his tank and he battled ich with him for long periods of time. He went fallow, hypo and copper and ich would still come back. He has one of the nicest systems on any forum and his husbandry skills are top notch. He finally gave up and added a UV....his system and achilles has been ich free for 2 yrs now. In my new tank, I recently took a huge risk and introduced 8 tangs all at once....3 purple, 3 yellow and 2 sail fins. after 2 days one of the yellows showed signs of ich with some spots and itching. I slowed the flow a little more thru the UV and a few days later the spots and itching were gone. Could I have been wrong on the ich diagnosis...possibly but all I know is that they are fat and healthy now after 4 weeks in my tank. I chose to use a UV to improve the overall health of my fish. For anyone that hasn't seen the video that BRS posted here it is...
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/D-EPnuNuqDA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/D-EPnuNuqDA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Osama
New member
Thanks Steve. I love to hear personal experience. Nothing more valuable in our hobby that sharing such experiences and thanks for sharing.. BRS made me think about my UV.. I fully agree that UV is such a personal choice and it is clear to me now that nothing changed in the past 4-5 yrs about that healthy debate on this subject
dave.m
Active member
Again, depending on one's point of view, the BRS video (thx for the link, Steve) seems to support my point of view - why bother?
But if you have already purchased and plumbed the UV unit into your system, and if you are not concerned with the operating costs (i.e. power for unit and pump plus regular bulb replacement) then why not give it a try?
Like chicken soup, "it can't hoit".
Dave.M
But if you have already purchased and plumbed the UV unit into your system, and if you are not concerned with the operating costs (i.e. power for unit and pump plus regular bulb replacement) then why not give it a try?
Like chicken soup, "it can't hoit".
Dave.M
SPotter
Active member
I may have to side with dave on this one Osama. That UV is only rated for systems up to 600g. Do you know if your model is the one with the sleeve wiper? Do you know what the flow rate is going thru the line that is plumbed to it? given the skimmer issues you've been having and since you stated that the uv is on the same line as the skimmer, I wouldn't bother turning it on. The possible benefits are outweighed by far the negatives with turning this on and playing with flow rates that will impact your skimmer.
Osama
New member
Hi Steve: My DT is 500g plus three by 60 g tanks. I have about 1500 lbs of rock So I would say I am within less than 600g of total water in my system.Maybe closer to 500g
Flow is 2/3 (10500 lph of DC pump) =7000 lph or about 1800gph ( can easily increase flow or decrease No worry for now about skimmer as unfortunately I am still playing with it )
I am not sure but I do not see anything that implies it has a sleeve wiper that I can pull and clean it.
Flow is 2/3 (10500 lph of DC pump) =7000 lph or about 1800gph ( can easily increase flow or decrease No worry for now about skimmer as unfortunately I am still playing with it )
I am not sure but I do not see anything that implies it has a sleeve wiper that I can pull and clean it.
lhm nole
New member
I am with you on the uv qt all my fish and somehow still had ich in my tank and tangs were so covered friends would come over and would say they were sure goners I figured tearing a complete setup up to catch them would just add more stress so bought a properly sized uv and correct flow and havent seen ich in months but I stll qt new fish
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