uv help

[cusweatin]

i was recentlt at my lfs and was in the mood to spend some money as usual this saltwater stuff is addictive so i purchased a 9w uv sterilizer now my question is how often should i run this one guy who has been running his own tank upkeep buisness for years said if i run it constant it will kill off so much bacteria that the fishes immune system wont know how to react if something ever did happen i see where hes coming from in a way but its kinda hard to believe and i figure with all the great help on here maybe you guys have some suggestions i rerally wanted to use it to kill off algea what do you guys think about the time running it i have it set at the proper flow rate to kill algea as far as i know thanks for any help i love this place

[mogurnda]

Always a good subject for a brawl. I don't see much of a reason for UV at all. I have used it to clear up ich, but I don't like using any more hardware than necessary on an otherwise healthy tank. Plus, some would argue that good stuff, such as invertebrate larvae that would otherwise form new colonies, or beneficial bacteria will be killed. Your nitrifying bacteria should be fine, though.
Frankly, I don't much see the point of intermittent use. You knock down bacteria and parasites, let them rebound, and start over. The only algae that will be affected will be the ones in your water column, and that should be minimal once the tank has stable, low nutrient levels.
So my .02 is that it probably won't hurt much, but it's another thing to fiddle with, and you will have to replace expensive bulbs regularly to maintain efficiency.

[OrionGirl]

I wouldn't use one on a main tank. I agree with mogurnda--they have their uses, but not on a healthy tank. Quarantining new additions prevents nasties from being introduced, so what is the UV for? Also, UV doesn't do anythng for any nasties that are not in the water column, and they have to be set correctly to work.

Running a UV on a quarantine tank can be useful, but can impact some medications, so as with most things, you really have to know what you're doing.

[always learning]

:confused:
I keep hearing about uv lamps and uv sterilizers...
I keep hearing of these but I just can't figure out what their laeled as.:confused: please tell me what they are!!!:confused: :confused:

[OrionGirl]

UV 'filters' run water through a small chamber and subject the water to a high dose of UV light. UV light is a specific spectrum of light, common in sunlight, that in high doses is lethal (and in prolonged exposure to low dose, humans get melanomas and skin cancer). In aquariums, it is used to kill all free floating 'things'--bacteria, coral spawns, parasites-- in the water column.

[always learning]

I know that, thanks anyway, but what are they called because I can't find it (ex: metal halide, 20,000k).

Thanx,
always learning.

[mogurnda]

Go to any online merchant, and look for UV sterilizers. For example. (http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=PA&Category_Code=UV)

[Kit Walker]

I swear by my UV sterilizer which saved mey during an ich outbreak (due to lack of good quarantine practices) in my reef tank. I left the UV running for about 5 weeks after the ich disappeared.

However, I now have it switched off now the occupants are back to health as I feared losing all of the micro-organisms. The UV killed off all my algae to a point where I started losing some of the algae-eating snail population. So the lesson is to run the UV if there is an emergency such as an outbreak, but once the reef tank is running normal I would recommend switching it off because there are many occupants which rely on the organisms the UV kills.