UV sterilizers

[bobfnp]

What does anyone think of these units, beneficial to the reef or will they take away from it, Certainly I'd use one after mechanical filtration if recommended. reportedly they keep down the algal spores and parasites.... thanks, Bob

 

[bobfnp]

What is a good brand of phosphate test kit also Ca+, as I'm not having much confidence with the RED SEA brand I have now. ?

 

[Skimmy]

u.v.- ehhh, i could take it or leave it. the only thing i really like u.v. for is green water in ponds or fresh tanks.

salifert test kits rock

 

[Krish]

Here's a pretty recent thread you may want to check out On the test kits, nothing but salifert for me!

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15419&highlight=uv+sterilizers

 

[fancyfish]

I use ozone and uv. I have been keeping reefs for 2years or so. mostly lps, mushrooms, zoo's and leathers. I do have a few sps but I like the look of the coral swaying in the water. Anyway I think both have a place. The UV helps with bacteria and parasites. I have 3 tangs in my 180 and ever since using uv I have had no outbreaks of disease. The ozone absolutely is awesome. the clarity of the water is nothing short of spectacular.
Both of these can be argued beneficial or detrimental. I think you need to research, determine why you want to use them and then make a decision.
pam

 

[Brenden]

I use a UV to clean the water. I like it. As far as test kits go IMO you can not beat the salifert for the $.

 

[barrierreefcf]

IMO I would spend the money on ozone instead of UV if you had to choose. Ozone will do much more for your water quality and kills some disease organisms. Ultimately it depends on what you want to achieve or change in regards to your system. My vote also goes for salifert test kits.

 

[Brenden]

Ozone is costly, tricky to setup, and it is dangerous. It does work though. I went with a large UV just to kill algae spores. It is all opinion. No wrong or right way.

 

[DonW]

Ozone is costly, tricky to setup, and it is dangerous.

So is driving a car but we all do it daily. Ozone is easy to set up, cost about the same as uv and is no more dangerous than having tank full of water in your house.

Don

 

[Skimmy]

and if you pony up for the orp controller, it's totally idiot proof

 

[shallowreef]

I was thinking about running both of these in my 210 FOWLR. I too have heard both sides of the story on these products and i am still undecided as to what i should do. I am going to have 4 tangs in my 210 and i know for a fact that ich will be a concern of mine so if i can kill asap that would be great for me. Ozone is cool too but i really haven't heard the whole ins and outs to it. I know that it is electrified oxygen that kills everything but why is that bad? I would think that it would be great! UVs are great too but i hear that they really only hurt you if you have a reef tank because it kills some of the things that corals feed on. I will say this though that when i first got my blue tang i fought ich constantly but once i hooked up the UV i had no more out breaks. So i think for that reason alone i am going to hook up a UV.

 

[DonW]

Uv is not going to stop all the tang ich problem. Alot of folks get a uv and assume it was the cure for their problems with ich. Usually its just the fish settling in and starting to like their new house. If he is happy his ammune system will be functioning properly.
Ozone when used improperly can easily wipe out a tank. On the flip side it is so easy to do it right there is no real reason not to use it. O3 is really unstable and is simple to get rid off, its the bromide that gets left behind that can kill your tank. Again simple, the carbon that most use anyways will easily absorb the bromide.
Uv, in a closed system will in no way hurt your tank, in fact it cant even keep up. It doesnt matter how clean your tank is by comparison to the ocean around a reef its a stagnant puddle.
Neither is a miracle cure for anything and shoud be concidered just another little step toward clean water. I'd go ozone long before I did uv. The bulbs are expensive and most folks dont change their bulbs often enough . If the bulbs dont get changed your just wasting electricity.

Don

 

[shallowreef]

Hmm, thanks for the input Don.

Now that you mention it your probably right about the tang getting used to the tank. I'm only worried about might happen every time i add a new tang? Will just the one break out in ich or will all of them break out in ich?

 

[moortim]

My opinion is that for the price of UV and the time spent installing it you could get a whole bunch of other good reef keeping items. For example a refractometer, money towards a new skimmer, chiller, new lightbulbs, TDS meter, you get the idea. If you already have everything there is to have and just want one for the sake of tinkering then go ahead. Again, this is just my opinion.

Tim

 

[Brenden]

Don, ozone is a highly unstable tri-atomic molecule. How is not dangerous? Nuclear bombs are not dangerous either until they go off. If proper care is taken you will never have a problem with it.

 

[alison]

UV... nothing special. I'd recommend it if you have trouble getting rid of environmental problems, or you have constant issues, it could reduce recurrence, but not a necessity

 

[DonW]

Don, ozone is a highly unstable tri-atomic molecule. How is not dangerous? Nuclear bombs are not dangerous either until they go off. If proper care is taken you will never have a problem with it.

You said it, its "unstable" so unstable its lets that third one go very quickly and becomes harmless, not explosive. Just like anything you have to use common sense. If you can smell it ,your not using it properly. If your orp goes through the roof, your not using it properly. If you stick the tube in your nose, your not using it properly. The tiny amounts of ozone used in the home aquarium isnt going to hurt anyone.

Don

 

[Scooterman]

Lots of opinions here on these two, having both would also be nice, necessary no many reefs proven to be fine without either. OZ isn't that bad to work with & can really clear up water to the point it is very noticeable, when properly set-up & monitored it can be a very useful piece of equipment, same with UV.

 

[Brenden]

If you stick the tube in your nose, your not using it properly

Maybe that was my problem.

 

[NaH2O]

The tiny amounts of ozone used in the home aquarium isnt going to hurt anyone.

Sorry, Don - but I disagree. My daughter has asthma, and the last thing I would do is use ozone on my tank and screw something up with the unit, or it breaks and harms her in someway. For me, it just isn't worth taking a risk. I think a person that is going to use ozone should do a lot of research before using it. Here is a previous thread, that helped me quite a bit: Thinking of Running Ozone

As for test kits - Salifert makes a good one, but I use the Deltec Phosphate kit, and I've heard good things on the LaMotte Phosphate kit.