how long to keep UVsterilizer on?

[mpls man]

I have a turbo twist 9 watt sterilizer on my 75 gal and was wondering if i should leave it on 24-7, had it running for 1 week now ,i just got done fighting a ich problem , doing very well. thanks

 

[farslayer]

I would run it 24/7 for at least a month after the last time you notice ich. Ich can live in the water for about a month with no host, so keep the sterilizer on for long enough to either let them die of UV radiation or lack of a host. Then I would recommend running it for about 4-6 hours a day. I've had one and have been outbreak free for over 5 years.

 

[mpls man]

great, do you run it on a timer then after that, for the 4-6 hours a day?? so far the ich has been doing really good! no signs on my purple tang.

 

[farslayer]

Unfortunately my UV doesn't support a timer as when the timer kicks back on, the light won't turn on. I usually turn the sterilizer on w hen I come home from work and then turn it off later that evening. I'm looking to get something that would allow me to use a timer as this can be a hassle.

 

[jmesmcm]

I run my UV 24*7 and have had no problems whatsoever.

 

[cholland]

I have heard that a UV can kill phytoplankton and pod eggs in addition to keeping your outbreaks down.
Anyone know if this is true or not?

 

[farslayer]

Yes it's true. I don't run my UV when I dose with kent phytoplankton and zooplankton as I want to make sure my little filter feeders can eat.

 

[jimlssc24]

I run mine 24/7. But i have to put phytoplankton in every other day. Or my corals start to look sad

 

[mpls man]

well ? i'm not sure which way to go, since i've been running mine my corals have been looking kind of sad, i'm going to keep it off for a couple of days and see what happens, i just got done treating for ich , so that could be the problem also?

 

[euphoria]

I've been running mine 24/7 for almost 9 months now and never had an ich problem (had one before buying the UV). Corals look fine, but I'm not sure if they'll look MUCH better if I turn the UV off.
Now that you guys mention it, I may just try to turn it off for a week and see what changes.

 

[flatzboy]

Imo run it 24/7... Yes it can kill pods, phyto extc. But Imo not enough to put a big effect on the population. I run a 36 watt uv on my parents 75g. and I didn't notice any affect on the pod population.