Tropical Fish Forums

[allmost]

okay so what is the correct use of a UV light ? I have one in my canister filter and not sure how to use it !
as I know, it kills both good and bad bacteria as well as algae, now algae is uses up nitrates and phosphates, so killing the free floating ones will release the phosphate they have used, so I have been keeping mine off

but again, its something I have, so I want to take advantage of it clearing the water a bit, but don't know how

I Was thinking of running it during the day light and off at night (since in nature that is the only time UV can ever (if any) penetrate water, but again I read that people say its best if its ran 24/7
any advice ? I could run it all time and just turn it off during feeding time, but not too sure. could there be any other Issues raised from running it all the time

PS. the aquarium store that sold me the canister told me to only leave it on when I add new fish for a week and off all the time ! kind of dumb of me to buy it now that I look back , lol
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65 Gallon tank FW
1 shovel-nose catfish
1 Motoro Stingray
20 Gallon SW
2 clown fish
1 blenny
3 anemones
3 coral

[FloridaBoy]

If you follow good marine aquarium practice, husbandry and quarantine procedure, they are not necessary for success in my opinion. We do have some members here who use them and like them, and I say more power to them.

They do in fact kill water borne pathogens which happen to be exposed, but will not resolve an infestation of marine ich living on your fish.

Many times, these gizmos eventually become neglected and forgotten "placebos" under the stands or hanging on the backs of marine aquaria; they do require attention. The hobbyist who thinks a 2 year-old UV unit that he installed and never maintains is going to be a silver bullet for his problems is fooling himself. Exposure time, water clarity and having a "fresh" bulb, (that is; one that is being regularly replaced every 6 - 8 months) are considered critical to any success associated with so-called "UV sterilization."
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Keepin' marines happy for 25 years

[allmost]

well its a new canister filter I got, and the UV light has been used for ID say 1 week when I first got it and it has been off for the past month.

I'm not adding any fish to be worried about that. I want to use the UV light to make the water more clear, so if no new things are added., would u say UV light running all the time is beneficial or not ?
_________________
65 Gallon tank FW
1 shovel-nose catfish
1 Motoro Stingray
20 Gallon SW
2 clown fish
1 blenny
3 anemones
3 coral

[FloridaBoy]

You mean will it help make your water more clear?
Hmmm, well I guess that depends on what is causing the water
to be unclear; what do you think is causing that, a bacterial bloom perhaps? Poor filtration or slow turnover rate? Over feeding or some other type of pollution? I have no idea my friend; I can't see your tank from here. But I have operated marine tanks for many years with perfectly clear water and never used a UV sterilizer. So, will it be beneficial? Maybe, since you have it already why not give it a try? I don't think it's going to hurt anything...
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Keepin' marines happy for 25 years