Do I really need my UV?

Cracked Fish Man · 02/26/2007, 02:23 PM

I was just wondering, I have had the same 24 fish in my 225 for over a year. Some longer than 6. I recently had to run slime away to get rid of some red slime that I get maby once a year. I disconnect the UV and the skimmer while the treatment was working. Now I am wondering If I really need the UV? Any thoughts?

cubber · 02/26/2007, 02:32 PM

I took my UV off my main tank a few years ago and put it on my QT. I think it is more effective on the QT than on the main display. You can only push so much GPH through a UV sterilizer before it becomes useless and it is best to push all the water volume through it rather than run it separately in the sump. If you had it plumbed on your main return from your sump chances are the flow through it was too fast anyway to do you any good. If you had it plumbed by itself in the sump then all sorts of stuff was probably getting passed it. I run my 20 gallon QT with a fluval 304 and have the UV sterilizer plumbed inline on the return, then I cut the flow of the fluval 304 down so that it is running at the recommended GPH for the UV sterilizer. This way the whole tank volume is passing through the filter then the UV sterilizer.

02/26/2007, 02:23 PM	#1
Cracked Fish Man Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Fort Lauderdale Florida Posts: 296	Do I really need my UV? I was just wondering, I have had the same 24 fish in my 225 for over a year. Some longer than 6. I recently had to run slime away to get rid of some red slime that I get maby once a year. I disconnect the UV and the skimmer while the treatment was working. Now I am wondering If I really need the UV? Any thoughts? __________________ 225 reef, all equip outside: 20 gal ref, Duel ETS 800 skimmer, 1/3 chill, Duel Pro reactor, Amp master 3.6, 18w UV, 2 175 MH, 1 400 MH, 4 165W VHO. Several species of soft and stony corals, 17 fish. Current Tank Info: 225 reef 40 reef, 150 FO

02/26/2007, 02:32 PM	#2
cubber Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 311	I took my UV off my main tank a few years ago and put it on my QT. I think it is more effective on the QT than on the main display. You can only push so much GPH through a UV sterilizer before it becomes useless and it is best to push all the water volume through it rather than run it separately in the sump. If you had it plumbed on your main return from your sump chances are the flow through it was too fast anyway to do you any good. If you had it plumbed by itself in the sump then all sorts of stuff was probably getting passed it. I run my 20 gallon QT with a fluval 304 and have the UV sterilizer plumbed inline on the return, then I cut the flow of the fluval 304 down so that it is running at the recommended GPH for the UV sterilizer. This way the whole tank volume is passing through the filter then the UV sterilizer.