UV needed?
 

Hey all,

I'm wondering if a UV is needed for a fish/reef tank combo?

Reason I ask is I got my 135g setup yesterday and the person gave me a HUGE UV reactor (?). He said he only used it when his fish got ich one time, but never noticed it was needed after that.

I guess he stood it up on the wall behind the tank. My tank is on a pony wall, so you would see it if I did that. I didn't know if I could lie it down (or strap it in the stand horizontally under the tank if I have room) or does it have to stand up?

Also, is it truly needed? I won't go through all the trouble of plumbing it back into the system and trying to find a place to put it if I don't truly need it.

Thanks!

IMHO yes, and I would never run a reef tank without one.
Mine is mounted horizontally under my tank.
The main thing is to be sure it's always full of water, if your pump turns off the UV does also.
I would look at the manufacture's web site to see what size tank it's rated for, the proper flow rates, and proper mounting.

Pete - Thank you. Much appreciated. I haven't taken full inventory of everything yet (Manufacturers, model numbers, pics, etc.). I was going to do that later today and then look up each piece of equipment and download the manuals or what not as well. :)

I figured that if I have it, it would probably be dumb not to use it. LOL But I just wasn't sure if it was something I could mount horizontally or not. If so, I'd definitely put it under the tank (in the stand) and strap it to the top of the underside of the stand.

When I told my wife that it was going to sit in the corner next to the tank, you should have seen the "look" I got with that. LOL That's why I was hoping to "hide" it in the stand.

Anyway, thank you for the info. I'll look up that info today. Just thought I'd ask here for opinions as well. :)

You're welcome.

Post the mfg & model once you have it.

One thing I would consider, not knowing how long the lamp has been in use, I would replace it. They last about a year, and should be changed on that schedule.

And it goes without saying, never look directly at the lamp. Your eyes will thank you for that.

I'll post that info once I gather it all. :)

Ya, I'm sure my eyes wouldn't like that too much. LOL

Assuming it's in working order, it makes sense to at least plumb it into your system. It won't prevent fish disease or algae, but it will probably lessen them. In my opinion, the best reason to have a UV sterilizer is to prevent or (help to) eradicate dinoflagellates. I've found it very helpful for that.

You have to maintain (clean) them or they are useless. If it were me, I'd pull it apart and clean it, install it. I might even leave it turned off until needed. I wouldn't run it during cycling, for example.

Michael - Thanks for the heads up. I will do that. I figured that I might as well plumb everything one time instead of tearing it down and trying to add it later. :)

As instructed above, I'll pull it apart and clean it and post the info here on the manufacturer and model of it. :)