i never use uv steralization due to an oppinion ive formed. first people get them cause they are often dealing with parasites. my oppinion : parasites often effect fish when water quality swings often, so instead of using that, look at your habits...feeding...any levels are bad levels(ammonia,trites,and trates, phos,etc).......too many fish for your tank size.......fresh water source......ph swings at night!.....ect. ok uv is great but can effect plankton and does effect good bacteria as well as shifting any chemical compounds that u may use like trace elements or iodine. now i do understand that filtration and skimming does remove lots of this stuff too but when skimmer is set to skim dry/to very little wet, it can allow more time for plankton to be circulated and eaten in the tank. as a true reef tank hobbiest i stay away from unnatural things like this but again it is effective but i think looking at other issues can also be effective too. in fish only they are great!but i believe in natural reef medicines. anyone every hear that a well established reef tank will cure or allow any parasite to pass and not contaminate others? its true for me ....
overall its a great tool but when going natural its always far more effective in long run. thats why i use algea scrubbing like the ocean does.
this is the sump and flow must pass through this macro. flow is at about 40 gallons and hour..thats it...as more contact time with algea is imp! macro has been said to have healing properties for fish..and i qoute "Marine plants have become quite popular for use in "algae-scrubbing filters" to remove excess ammonia, nitrates, and phosphates from the aquarium.In addition, it helps remove heavy metals and neutralize's toxins.Marine plants also provide a pH buffer and produce chemicals which protect the skin, intestines, and gills of aquarium fish. That's an alwful lot of help! In addition to helping clarify your water by absorbing nitrates, carbon dioxide and some metals, marine plants also serve as a food source for many marine species â€"œ whether they feed directly on the algae itself or on microfauna attracted to the algae."
qoute from this site
http://www.aquacon.com/vip.html
this is natural! and by far the most effective as the ocean uses this and is very successful. heres a pic of my sump when it was set up (days old)...currently it looks like swamp thing...lol
again im just giving other options and do not debunk uv steralizers but state another option for what they do.
