UV or not to UV

[Justjohno]

I'm setting up a 90G and trying to weigh my options about implementing a UV sterilizer. Just not sure if the benefit is worth the cost. Anyone offer some advice.

 

[Sapelo]

Depends on what your goals are for the uv.
I do think that a quality uv will aid in water clarity and help with some algae issues, but it will not eliminate algae and is not a substitute for quarantine or a treatment for disease.

 

[snorvich]

Depends on what your goals are for the uv.
I do think that a quality uv will aid in water clarity and help with some algae issues, but it will not eliminate algae and is not a substitute for quarantine or a treatment for disease.

This.

 

[Justjohno]

Sapelo, good point. My goal is too help reduce fish based parasites. I plan to have a mixed reef with fish. I didn't know it would help water clarity, thanks for that feed back.

 

[Dmorty217]

Sapelo, good point. My goal is too help reduce fish based parasites. I plan to have a mixed reef with fish. I didn't know it would help water clarity, thanks for that feed back.

What you're trying to accomplish is difficult at best and any "over the counter" UVs won't cut it. You will need a custom built one costing 1K+ easily and then "controlling" disease is debatable. If you want to help with water clarity and redox potential then a UV is for you, if disease is what you want to control then you must QT

 

[Bent]

I would buy the other equipment first.

Proper QT will prevent fish parasites. UV won't.

 

[Timfish]

First of all, a UV should not be used as an excuse to bypass a thorough quarantine process. I use UV sterilizors and from what I have seen in my tanks over the years a properly sized UV sterilizer hooked up properly will eradicate ich from a tank. But if I don't have an ick problem I'm not going to use it. If there is a moderate to heavy infestation it probably will not prevent fish loss. (Part of the problem is there sre different strains with varing degrees of virulance.) One down side is UV's are also heaters so temps might need to be monitored. Because a UV needs a low flow rate to maximise the kill rate it should have it's own pump. This creates an additional issue because if the UV's pump is added to the sump there are two seperate loops and trying to figure how much of the ick is being killed gets problamatic. Best to have the UV's pump in the DT behind the rock at one end of the tank with the return at the other end. Here's a link to a paper on Ick, note the cysts attach to any hard substrate and can be transfered between tanks on rock or coral colonies as well as on a fish:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa164

 

[JJCriss]

I'm having an algae issue in my new 65 gallon tank and I am using a UV. It helped get rid of the thin layer of red/brown algae. But now I'm getting a slimy, deep purple colored algae throughout my sand bedding. Any suggestions to what might help get rid of that dark purple colored algae? I have tried to suck and scoop it out and break it up. Which doesn't seem to help. It literally comes back over night every time. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Tisbe]

JJCriss with the problems you describe need to be solved with controlling nutrients in and out of your system. You may want to start your own thread, post your tank specs and get specific recommendations. Are you running GFO? how deep is the sand bed? any other algae issues? etc...

 

[JJCriss]

Tisbe, Ill will start a new post in the new to hobby section about this. thanks

 

[Justjohno]

Thanks for the feedback. I understand QT is required and UV is not a replacement for that process.