UV versus Carbon...

[TAXMAN]

Ok. I am just wanting to get some of your input on the good and bads of using either the UV sterilizer or Carbon..

I have used Carbon now for about 2 months and have been seeing a lot of people that run the UV without problems. Other than keeping the water clear, what are the goods and bads of Carbon? And also what are the goods and bad of UV? I get mixed opinions all day about both.

UV- Works great , then the next guy says no dont use it becuase it strips the water of good nutrients or components. I hear the same about Carbon. It goes both ways.

So is any of it good or not. And if it's good what is the best way to use it? And for how long?

I know this will just be a bunch of opinions, but it's the opinions of others that help us all learn. And trust me. I value opinions from someone that has great Reef success and has a beautifull tank. You know who you are. ;)

Johnny

[kaiser]

I run both! Your poll is missing that option. Corals grow just fine. Fish seem to be happy as well.

[TAXMAN]

LOL. Didnt think about that one. Oh well. 1 for running both.

[StephenA]

Doesn't UV kill plankton.

[dan]

i run neither. i'm sure it does'nt hurt to run carbon to pull whatever out of your tank but i think it pulls more than you want. IMO the only time you run carbon is if you medicate your tank. that i don't like to do. the uv thing i never did like. how much flow? how much wattage? allways cleaning the jacket. whats to much? whats not enought? just safer doing water changes on a reg. basses

[dan]

Doesn't UV kill plankton.

UV KILLS EVERYTHING! that's why they call it a sterilizer.

[captexas]

First of all, carbon and a UV sterilizer do two completely different things so your poll/question isn't really effective. Carbon filters out some chemicals and toxins in the water. It is good if your water is a little cloudy or if you want to remove a medication you just used on the tank. A UV sterilizer uses UV light to kill off small micro-organisms. It's purpose is to kill off bad organisms that can trigger disease/health problems with livestock. As it cannot distinguish between good/bad organisms, it can kill off some of the good things that corals feed on. This is why some people are afraid of using them.

Two different items, two different purposes. Hope that helps.

[Tim Marvin]

UV mutates anything free floating and living. I don't think it does anything for chemicals in the water though. The carbon takes care of chemicals, so Kaiser should be getting both.
I prefer Dan's method. I don't run either just water changes. I take that back, about once or twice a year I run carbon for a couple days, just to see if I can tell a difference.

[StephenA]

I run carbon for a couple days, just to see if I can tell a difference

Can you tell a difference Tim?

[TAXMAN]

That clears some questions. I know I am going to stop running carbon unless I am haveing a problem. I do 10% water changes every other week. And will do them every week if needed.

[JimD]

I sometimes run carbon after a water change to "polish" the water, it helps to remove any yellow tint that may be present. Since my tank is mostly sps/clam dominant, a uv sterilizer isnt an option. A sterilize makes better sense in a fish only tank to minimize the possbility of parasitic/bacterial infection.

[brewercm]

Used UV before and my pod population was wiped out, took it off and it came back eventually. Maybe coincidence but don't want to take the chance any more, but that does make since that it would kill anything that would be benificial to the survival of a good pod population. JMO

Run carbon fairly regular.

[StephenA]

I've only used a UV to deal with ich, I ran it for 3 weeks. So far no ich has returned.

[TAXMAN]

Sorry KAJeff. I forgot that poll option. :confused: LOL

[mharris7]

I run carbon 24/7 for several reasons. One is that the water develops a yellowish tint within a couple of weeks if you don't. This can actually cut down the ammount of light penetrating the water. I know of one guy who "burned" his corals accidentally when he started using carbon because it made that much of a difference in water clarity and the ammount of light reaching the corals. Two is that corals emmit a lot of very nasty chemicals when in competition(they don't just sting each other). We are, by jamming all kinds of different corals into a small space, doing everything possible to ENCOURAGE this competition to occur. And, unlike in the ocean where you have nearly limitless water volume to dissipate the toxins outside of an immediate area, our tanks can become saturated with them very easily. Carbon will adsorb most of this so I think it's prudent to use cabon quite a bit.

[Instar]

I agree - I run carbon all the time. My reef is a crowded mix with leathers, lps, sps, zoos, palythoa and clams so the warfare is constant. Without the carbon, it doesn't work for long unless I do lots of water changes. The refugium is also a mixed bag of macros, so the carbon keeps the macros growing well too.