Will a Uv light kill coral.

[fishdip22]

I would like to have a bed of pulsing xenia in my sump but I don't want any in my display tank. So would I be able to kill off any that works its way to the re-turn pump with a uv light?

 

[Sk8r]

Easier way: if you spot any on a rock, take the rock out, put the xenia side into hydrogen peroxide from the drugstore, 30 seconds, scrub remnant with a toothbrush, redip, then rinse in tank discard water to get the worst of the peroxide off. Then put it back in your tank: if you didn't rinse well enough it'll bubble pure oxygen for a moment, so don't let the bubbles hit corals, but otherwise, buh-bye to xenia, caulerpa, and other serious pests.

 

[fishdip22]

Easier way: if you spot any on a rock, take the rock out, put the xenia side into hydrogen peroxide from the drugstore, 30 seconds, scrub remnant with a toothbrush, redip, then rinse in tank discard water to get the worst of the peroxide off. Then put it back in your tank: if you didn't rinse well enough it'll bubble pure oxygen for a moment, so don't let the bubbles hit corals, but otherwise, buh-bye to xenia, caulerpa, and other serious pests.

That would work at first but once a month of taking apart the stack and pulling out rocks with other corals I think would become hell for them.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I don't like pulsing xenia, but my wife does. So I did a magnetic rock shelf on the back glass of the display refugium and it has done quite well there. I have't had any issues with it spreading to any other place in the tank yet. But it is covering the mag rock. But I can easily remove some once it starts to grow out onto the glass.

 

[jda]

UV will absolutely kill most life forms, but not sure if you will have enough exposure if it heads up the return pump.

 

[fishdip22]

I don't like pulsing xenia, but my wife does. So I did a magnetic rock shelf on the back glass of the display refugium and it has done quite well there. I have't had any issues with it spreading to any other place in the tank yet. But it is covering the mag rock. But I can easily remove some once it starts to grow out onto the glass.

Good to know I like the look of it but the last time I had it in a tank it ended with it being the only coral.



QUOTE=jda;24867645]UV will absolutely kill most life forms, but not sure if you will have enough exposure if it heads up the return pump.[/QUOTE]

Hmmm how long of exposure do you think it needs? Any good articles on UV light and contact time?

 

[jh2pizza]

I have a large UV on my return line that is on nightly for 4 hours. It will not kill anything that does not pass through it.

 

[fishdip22]

So I am thinking I need to make it so the return pump is taking water from a box that is blacked out but lit with a bright uv light so any thing that makes it in to the box will die.

 

[ElCamino]

To do it as you are stating would require a UV sterilizer that would cost more than your whole setup. might as well just get a laser if you are gonna spend that much money. The only way it would be feasible it is to have a super slow return pump with an aquarium grade light bulb based germicidal uv. Its a function of kill ratio based off (for reef tanks) flow and the power of your uv unit. Also remember whatever its rated for cut it in half unless its a huge diameter because the slime buildup with effectively make the uv ineffective.