UV sterilizer--- is it time?

I have had my tank up for two weeks that I started with established live rock. Should I put my Uv sterilizer on now? Will this cause a problem with the procreating bacteria in the nonestablished sand?When should I do my first water change?

 

Probably safer to just wait until you are finished cycling... I just installed mine a week or two ago and my tanks been up and running for roughly 3 months

 

My tank is cycled. Sorry, forgot to mention that it was set up and cycled for 4 months. It is now full of fish and coral for two weeks--- it was transferred from another tank.

 

I would wait. Actually, is this a FOWLR or reef? If reef I would not recommend using one unless you have to.

 

+!^^ yes, I'm thinking if you don't need a UV, then I wouldn't add it.

 

Agreed...UV's only work on WATERBORNE organisms, and most of the problem pathogens are benthic/demersal, and as such aren't found in the water column.

Where UV units HAVE been making a noticeable difference is in SH fry and other fry setups as they seem to control certain protozoans that attack fry. Until fairly recently, it was thought that the "itch" they developed was due to declining water quality, so ammonia was blamed.

I have a UV unit with a brand new tube in one of the spare equipment boxes, and there it will stay until needed.

 

This is a reef tank. The last three times I had an ich problem the uv sterilizer cleared it quickly. I have an ich outbreak.

 

I'm thinking of doing a water change then putting on the uv sterilizer. It has been calibrated to kill free-swimming protozoan (ICH) and does it well. This makes my fish happy. ----but what I am worried about is that doing these two things in my "new" tank would potentially be disastrous to the system stability.

 

I understand about ich life cycles as well.

 

there is some math & science involved in utilizing a UVS. Simply putting one on the tank wont kill ich. someone posted it here not too long ago but the flowrates and size UVS that people put on their tanks are normally to low watt and to high flow to actually kill ich or other biological organisms. i'd say 90% of people with UVS are only killing a smaller percentage of algae spores in their water column. oh and adding to their electric bill.