Are Uv's Realy Needed?

[mark1979]

Im just wandering if a UV steraliser is needed?

i have everything now.

powerheads
LR 40kg of the stuff
4 t5's
substrate
heater x 2
stand is being modded as i type to accomadate a sump
mce600 skimmer
fr509 phos reactor

if i need 1 i will buy it now while i have the cash,if not i wont,lol

also can anyone tell me what gobies get to about 2 inch only? or around that size?

cheers

 

[kj23502]

no they are not necessary.

 

[SkiFletch]

UV is by no means a necessity. If you're planning on having disease prone fish like Tangs I might suggest having one, and/or if you end up having algae problems in the tank, I'd also suggest one. If none of those, you don't need one, especially in the summer when they really add a lot of heat to the water column

 

[AK77]

On top of what Ski mentioned, UV units can come in handy for quarantine and hospital tanks. If you are looking for water sterilization, ozone is by far a more effective means of doing so. However, while having benefits like purifying water and increasing skimmer effciency by oxidizing dissolved organics, it can also be dangerous to use, killing your tank inhabitants and also causing damage to your lungs too.

Personally, I think it is well worth researching into but would stress that you are fully versed in its use/dosing/monitoring before you invest in a unit.

Cheers.

AK