This is a discussion on UV's within the Saltwater Aquarium Equipment forums, part of the Saltwater Aquariums category; -->
So i was reading a topic the other day and someone was mentioning how you should not keep a UV running all the time ...
So i was reading a topic the other day and someone was mentioning how you should not keep a UV running all the time because it kills not only harmfull items in your water but it also kills thing you want. What does it kill that you want. I am not trying to say that anyone is wrong just curious. I have had my UV running for about a year and a half now, and never had any problems with my fish. Maybe its because my water comes from the ocean and is not mixed so i replenish all the good stuff every 3 weeks or so. So again what does the UV kill that you want in your tank and what harm can come to your tank from killing such things?
Kills any sort of planktonic growth, kills copepods, amphipods, decapods, kills microfauna such as small worms, spores, larva etc...
The reason folks say to only run for about one week each month is that you can kill off a potential clean up crew or food source. The microscopic larva of pods can easily be wiped out and prevent reproduction in pod populations in time they may go away altogether. This could wreak havoc on mandarins and other fish that rely upon them as a food source. Same for SPS corals. Their tiny polyps trap and eat these microscopic critters. It probably won't happen but has the potential.
No real problem to mention other than your pod population and or sand critter cleanup population is probably very low. If everything else is alright then don't change anything since it is working for you at this point.
