UV Sterilizer & other question

[wkopplin]

Do you use them? What would you recommend for a 215 tank?

Also, is there any way to run the wastewater back through the RO/DI system to cut down on water use?

[Instar]

I have thought about running the waste water back thru too. And yes you can, but, eventually that water is not going to have much H2O in it as it will be concentrated with minerals and metals so it won't yield anything. At work we have a system that does not have much waste, but, you need huge resin towers for that - like the size of a home water softener would be, but more towers. You could do that, a home DI water softener system from a commercial company and have it serviced monthly or as needed and then run that water thru the RO/DI. We only have a slight drip of waste water with a system like that.

Some use UV's. I don't because I want the planktons to stay alive. I use a variety filter feeders to clean things up as well as unshielded lights on the tank. Combined with the refugium, skimmer, sump and great congregations of filter feeders on and in the rocks, I don't see the need for sterilizing the water. You may have to if you just used the holey rock and didn't add any microbs to do the job. The ultimate goal of adding DT's or other phytoplankton is to establish an on-going life cycle just like the ocean has. When you run a sterilizer, that cycle is not possible which means you MUST feed filter feeders, anemones of all kinds, LPS, etc., all the time. Still others use it to cure and keep diseases like ick under control. IMO, this is not necessary if you have all the bio-diversity in place and have added the proper bacteria cultures to kick off all the waste breakdown cycling and if you have a stabile tank chemiclly as well as physically.

[kaiser]

I use one on my 125. it's a 18 watt double helix made by custom sea life good for up to 250 gal. Cut down on a lot of problems with my regal tang. here is You a cheap one http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=20756.
good luck

[dan]

i have never used one because of all the unknowns 1. how much water do you pass through to be afectived? 2. how much uv for the size tank? 3. how long running? 4. when do you stop it? 5. what is it really killing. i know it kills every thing that goes by but do you want that? another unknown

[wkopplin]

I am facing the same thing. I will go without one and see how things go.

[Jenn]

I have the exact same one as Kaiser and the price on Ebay is excellent. I paid $160. Although I do not currently have it hooked up, it does work well for fighting the ich problem on Regals - at least it did on mine too. I am afraid to hook it up with my reef system, but after some more research, I may do it.

[prof]

They are great for a hospital tank where you don't want anything living.

I have a couple of older ones that I would happily sell. They need bulbs.

PM only if you are interested.

[brewercm]

I had one running on my 75 for a while and my pod population was desimated. After I took it off and added more rock and so forth my pod pupulation is booming again. Don't know if this is a coincidence or not.