Delphinus, I could get away with out a UV sterilizer if I could just learn to STOP over feeding. When I suffered my sudden loss of all my fish I am sure that I did contribute to it at least partially by over feeding. Although my nitrates are <10ppm I still think I over feed.... but.. the fish always look hungry.

Well .. be that as it may I think that overfeeding and running UV are really two separate things. If you feel you're feeding more than your bioload can handle, have you looked into upgrading your skimming at all?

I don't really care about UV sterilizers. Use them if you want to, don't if you don't. I was really sharing just two points: one, cats don't always drink out of toilets and two, I don't run a UV on my reefs and I see no need to ever start. But it's your reef tank so you make the decision (it really, really matters not to me).

I just upgraded my skimmer and am still in awe at how much stuff is coming out of my water. Although it isn't thick, it is dark green, you can not see though the collection cup. BTW, I havent fed my tank in about a week since I lost all the fish.

As far as a UV sterilizer goes, I think in all seriousness I wouldn't get one, first off is cost, secondly I do want my refugium to supply as much food to the tank as possible. I guess even if some of the life gets killed by sheering force when it comes in contact with my pump, some will probably make it.

No doubt there are some nice reef tanks with UV sterilzers, there are some with out too. I would have to think that stocking levels and where your fish are coming from would dictate whether or not to get one. My cousing builds UV sterilizing systems for municipalities, he has said he can build me one for almost $0 if I want one... I still haven't jumped on it.... maybe for my isolation tank though.... hmmm..

Hmm I think that explains something I have been wondering for ages.. Why your cat is so normal. ;) :D

Hmm wait.. I drink RO. And my cat drinks nothing but toilet water.. Hmmmmmmm a connection there?? :D

Hmm want to make it close to the real thing? Head west till you can go west no more young man..

Then drop it in the ocean. :D :D :D It's a joke ;)

That is about as close as we are going to get in this hobby to the real thing. Think about it. We use mechanical means for light, cleaning water movement. Can we recreate the water turn over? motion? As it is in the ocean? The nutrients? The Biotopes?What difference is a UV going to make. Squat. Yes they kill free flaoting organisms. But lets take a moment to ponder this. That tank Troy mentioned. Jerels. It has some of the most amazing sponges in it. And if memory serves me right ;) they filter large volumes of water daily and he has a MASSIVE UV on his system. Seems that if he can keep filter feeders alive and flourishing they can't be all that bad. I look at the whole UV debate as another one of those Myth-informations that reefkeepers are so adept at spreading. What do you REALLY know as a fact that has been tested about UV? hmmm? all that is known by hobbiests is what they freely spread amongst themselves when it comes to UV. They make a guesstimate and run with it as fact and 100% reliable knowledge. I know. I have done it.. So don't tell me you haven't. Everyone does it.. lol

I put one on my sisters tank and it is flourishing. She had a massive dino problem and shortly after the UV goes on(and before you ask no other changes were made at that time) the Dinos start taking a hike. When the day comes I set up a reef tank again. Guess what. Yup.. A UV will go on it. You shoudl see my sisters tank now. I never had the coraline grow like she is now. And she is using my old ballast, tank, sump, pumps powerheads etc. It is a great looking sysytem going there. I enjoy looking at how fast her BTA's grow and her weeds(err mushrooms Thanks Old Guy!!!! ;) :D ) are thriving and doing what they do best. Spread like the plague they are.

So I'll say it is entirely up to you if you do or don't go with a UV. What is it going to do? They have been used for years on many many systems. What is one more toy on your little world you play god with? lol

cheers,

:D :) :)

I don't want to be God... just supreme ultimate ruler would be enough... Oh.. and a small harem wouldn't hurt.... mermaids please.

a plain ro system is ok for you to drink the water from but when you add a d-ionizing cartrige to a system it is recomended that you not drink the water becouse it is so clean and some what unstable that people have been known to have problems from drinking the water .

Ha Darren, whats one more toy. :lol:

FWIW, I never ran a tank in the 80,s with a UV. Those were fish only of course and I have no darn idea what the UV was doing. :lol:

What an interesting argument. ;) If the difference UV is going to make is "squat" then why bother running it at all?

I suspect that's not where you're trying to go with this, though. What I think you are trying to say, is, we all have this goal of trying to replicate the natural habitat as best we can. Yes, it is likely a completely unattainable goal, but that shouldn't stop us from trying. Instead, it remains a constant challenge to be continually improving our quality of captive care. (That IS what you're trying to say, right?) ;)

So in our quest of constant improvement, we try different things, and emply different tools at our disposal.

If you think a UV will assist you towards that goal, then by all means, please use it. Do whatever you can to get there as close as you can.

But it should be for reasons like "it serves me a valuable purpose" and not something like "well person XXX is smart, and since HE runs UV, so should I." Nonono!! Our equipment we use, are the supporting players in the overall ensemble. "What you got" is not always as important as, say "how you use what you got." Am I making any sense here? What I mean is, it's up to us to do the best we can, and to make informed decisions. Simply owning the equipment, isn't enough to gurantee success.

There are nice tanks that run UV, and not-so-nice tanks that also run UV. There are nice tanks that don't, and there are tanks that aren't nice and don't run UV. The UV, in and of itself, isn't a defining criteria. Rather, it should be a tool that serves a specific purpose. I run a UV because .... it keeps dinoflagellates from blooming in my setup. I run a UV because .... it's on a hospital tank that I'm trying to cure a chronic case of ICK on. BUT .... I run a UV because ...... because my friend runs a UV and his tank is nice? Come on .... we can do better than that, and that's all I ask. ;)

cheers

I don't think anyone is saying use UV because so and so has a beautiful tank. I'm not going to type a lengthy response as to the benefits of UV, I merely pointed someone in the direction if they wanted to pursue the information. I'll go a step further; do a search at www.thereeftank.com .

Interesting, Delphinus I understand what you are saying. What works on my set up may not work on yours.

Calcium reactors are a great example, in the DIY someone made a new Ca Reactor because he wasn't pleased with the results of his old one, Which a few other people have. They were questioning his results from the common Ca reactor because it didn't work that way (like his) in their system.

UV can be a good tool for some, but it can be of no use or of negative value for some as well. Research, more research lots of questions and then more research.... then.. ask the wife.. DOH.. shoulda asked her first I guess... lol