# UV sterilizer: 0n 24/7 or occasionally.



## Aftica (Nov 26, 2003)

Marcel;

All I can say is this.... your gonna have a lot of replies - I do this and he does that and she did this and She does that... From that your going to have to come up with what works for you... (sad eh

Yes they mess with Micros and Iron, and God only know in what way... some say this and some say that... I read Tom Barr and Rex Grigg... and I still don't know - but I got an idea (My wife will argue that I got a clue but thats another story)...

Anyway I run my 9w turbo twist on my 77g for 12 hours a day - it runs on the same timer as the lights, which is 12 hours, 10pm to 10am) so far no green water, but I do get a little bit of staghorn that is easily removed every few weeks (it is a very little amount but I should report it all the same)

Next persons schedule please...

oh and PS: Marcel you wont regret the purchase, just the debate it brings forth


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

> Next persons schedule please...


I run 24/7. Just easier that way. I haven't noticed any nutrient related problems, but that could be because my dosing regime had been determined while I was running the UV, so the UV has been taken into account.

Mike


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## ScottMorris (Jan 18, 2005)

I run mine on a timer with the lights. Off at night. Haven't noticed any difference either way. To be honest, really didn't notice any difference after I hooked it up period.

Scott


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## Georgiadawgger (Apr 23, 2004)

24/7...no issues with dosing...plants grow like crazy, pearl like mad...never had green water (knock on wood), etc. 

One thing I noticed when I first got mine. I ran mine during the day with my lights on a timer and I have a feeling the daily on/off caused my first bulb to prematurely burn out....Coralife sent me a new one free so nothing to worry about, but just a thought since there isn't an on/off switch for the unit.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

Well here is the thing... It is better to run the bulb 24/7 then to power it off and on.. You'll get longer life out of the bulb that way, its the same as any flourescent product (I've heard this from several lighting suppliers and manufacturers).

I run mine 24/7 and its a godsend... But I run mine for parasite removal, not as an algae remover (although it does that very well). Attached algaes will still be able to spread and thrive, but stuff like Greenwater and other waterbourne stuff will get toasted quite nicely.


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## m.lemay (Jul 28, 2002)

Most people here seem to think that the micro nutrient thing is a non issue. I think I'm gonna run it 24/7. Besides I dose micros thruout the day, 4X a day to be exact, so anything that gets zapped will soon be replaced anyway. I imagine that it could maybe possibly be an issue if micros were only dosed once a week.

Marcel


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## Marc (Oct 13, 2004)

wow 4 times a day? do you dose in small amounts at a time?


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## Aftica (Nov 26, 2003)

I doses on Tuesday, Thursday, and saturdays.... so I think that due to that I a ok on the micros...

I used to own an electrical distributorship... (we sold GE lamps) and yes turning off and on flour. lights can indeed shorten the life of the bulbs... but that is when it happens a lot (IE a room.. you turn the lights on every time you enter and every time you exit) - if you leave and enter the room 6+ times a day then yes the bulb life will be shortened... drastically

HOWEVER a bulb on and off every 12 hours is NOT going to shorten the lifespan the lamp by any measurable amount. (unless the technology has changed since 1998 - after that my knowledge on the industry is a little limited).


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## m.lemay (Jul 28, 2002)

Marc said:


> wow 4 times a day? do you dose in small amounts at a time?


2mls at a time x4/day. The Ehiem liquidoser does all the work. Ijust load it up once a week. :icon_bigg I bet you thought I didn't have a life. :wink: 

Marcel


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## Marc (Oct 13, 2004)

m.lemay said:


> 2mls at a time x4/day. The Ehiem liquidoser does all the work. Ijust load it up once a week. :icon_bigg I bet you thought I didn't have a life. :wink:
> 
> Marcel


HEHE NO NOT AT ALL! :icon_roll JK Marcel.
Is there an advantage of dosing a couple times during the day?


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## m.lemay (Jul 28, 2002)

Theres definitely an advantage for dosing Fe daily as fe falls out of solution fairly quickly. The only reason I dose 4x daily is that the liquidoser only doses 8ml per day max.. So its at its max setting and I spread it out thruout the photoperiod. Works for me.

Marcel


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## motifone (Nov 21, 2004)

I've only been running my 18w Turbo Twist on my 50g about 2 weeks, but I can't say I notice any negative results on the plants from running it 24/7. My timer is already powering two 96w PC units, so I really don't feel comfortable adding the UV to the timer even if I wanted to 

I will say my water seems clearer (less particulates) and my ich hasn't returned since running the unit. (My fish had ick twice prior to the UV).


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

I'd just run it for the day after the water change and during.

It will not help with BGA and GD either ubless you wipe the little suckers off and they pass through.
A good wipe and water change right takes care of that, once they re/attach, UV does nothing.


Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## danmhippo (Feb 3, 2005)

If you've already bought the thing, why do you not want to leave it on 247?


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## m.lemay (Jul 28, 2002)

*Update*

I plumbed in the Turbo-twist last night and it's been running for about 16 hrs now. If nothing else, this thing keeps the water crystal clear, it seems to eliminate that tiny particulate matter that clouds up the water. Time will tell if this helps minimize certain forms of algae. So far, I'm glad I got one.

Marcel


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## Marc (Oct 13, 2004)

So Ive been running my UV 24/7 for the past week or 2. Water is definitly crisp and very clear. Now i just turned it off this past weekend and the water has i very slight whitness to it. Everything has stayed the same. Im going to keep it off and see what happens.


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## Ultramouse (Feb 24, 2005)

Ok, going to play devils advocate here.

Never mind the macro or micro nutrient levels, or the effects on algie.

What about the effects on your fish's immune system. I personally feel it weakens the fish, leaving them MORE prone to infection if you should ever move them of take away the UV. I also feel that fish breed in a UV system aren't worth a thing as they only live for a very short pereod.

Imagine if you were rasied in a surgery, yea youd nevr get sick, but youd also be one helluva wuss.


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## Marc (Oct 13, 2004)

Ultramouse said:


> Ok, going to play devils advocate here.
> 
> Never mind the macro or micro nutrient levels, or the effects on algie.
> 
> ...


LOL the wuss part was funny! Its hard to argue UV and fish because we fight so hard to prevent fish from getting sick in the first place. We pick the healthiest fish at the pet store and when we get home we put them in quarantine tanks to further insure the fish in our show tanks dont catch anything the new fish brought in. 
I think you are right in a sense that if a human is never exposed to germs, bacteria, viruses- sticking them out in the world could be deadly. 
Im not sure if that totally applies with fish or specifically with our hobby, since we try so hard to safegaurd anything we put in. The UV just makes it one step more difficult for our fish to get sick. Thats how i feel about it personally.


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## Stu (Feb 16, 2004)

Marc said:


> Im not sure if that totally applies with fish or specifically with our hobby, since we try so hard to safegaurd anything we put in.


Personally I think it depends on the origin of the fish.

I actually agree with _Ultramouse_ that a fish might not develop resistance to disease if exposed to sterile conditions, but only if the fish was bred *and* raised in a UV controlled nursery tank.

A lot of fish we get from the lfs are still wild caught and as such, will already have been exposed to a "natural" environment, therefore running UV on the tank will just safeguard against anything that might come up.


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## motifone (Nov 21, 2004)

The newer leaves on my Pennywort have been looking a little pale since running my UVS 24/7 two weeks ago. Possibly effecting the micros I wonder? Hmm. Problem is, I also added 96 more watts of light to my tank -- so my tank might just be chewing through micros faster.

I'll either try running the UVS only 12 a day (at night) or upping my micros. 

steve


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## m.lemay (Jul 28, 2002)

I'd say theres a pretty good chance that it's the extra light driving the plants to eat more. At almost 4 WPG, hang on to your hat and start dosing or you'll be bottoming out nutrients left and right. Nutrient deficiencies show up pretty quick in a high light tank.

Marcel


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## motifone (Nov 21, 2004)

m lemay

you are so right. Since going from 96w to 192w I've had to increase my nitrate dosing from 1/4 tsp every other day to 1/2 tsp every other day to keep the nitrates from bottoming out. (Confirmed with Lamotte test kit). I suspect the same thing is happening to micros and I need to adjust them accordingly, along with my CO2.

I hope this is the problem, because I'd much rather just leave the UVS on 24/7. No more room for timers!

steve


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## ridns (Aug 9, 2002)

I was checking prices on "Foster & Smith" when I read some UV Sterilizer instructions by the manufacturer. I immediately thought of this thread and copied them. Here it is, as follows:

NOTE: After starting up system, re-check all connections for leaks. Re-tighten as required. All systems are tested at the factory. Units are tested up to 50 PSI. You should never turn off your system it should run 24 hrs. With your pump, frequent starts will shorten the life of your lamps. We suggest shut down when changing lamps or using any medication, as UV radiation may affect the treatment. Quartz sleeves should be cleaned once a year, with lime-away.

Now I realize this is only from the factory that builds and sells them, but its good enough for me.


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