UV or ozone?

[DrDNA]

Hi all,

Which method would you folks recommend for keeping the water clear and free of a yellowish tint: UV or ozone? I had always been under the impression that ozone via your protein skimmer was the most effective way to keep the water "gin clear", but I have also heard that using a UV sterlizer inline will also have some water clarifying effect (in addition to being germicidal)....
I have never used ozone before, it was pretty new when I last had a reef tank some 10-15 years ago.

Thanks!

 

[Pico1]

I would think a good quality carbon in a phosphate reactor would do the trick.

 

[jdieck]

If I have to elect for removing tanings only and some organics this will be my order of preference:
a) Carbon
b) Ozone
c) UV

Having said that, they are not mutually exclusive as each one has other benefits the others do no thave.
Carbon can remove organics Ozone will not
Ozone will break out refractory organics improving the skimming efectiveness. Contrary to general belief adding it trough the skimmer is the less efficient way as retention time is very low and a lot of the Ozone gets vented out. The most effective way will be via an Ozone/Oxygen presurized reactor.
UV will serve mostly to kill some algae spores, unless the unit is rather large it will not afect parasites like ich but will also no afect your pod and plankton population.

Note that if you use both, UV and Ozone you must live also with carbon full time as you will need it to remove free ozone before it reaches the UV unit and main tank. In the main tank it will be very irritant to fish gills and in the UV, the UV can convert some of the compounds to chemical toxins.

 

[xia]

Thanks jdieck, for explaning how those three worked together. I never knew that.

 

[jdieck]

:thumbsup:

 

[DrDNA]

Thanks guys!