Miami Reef
Reef Chem Enthusiast
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2017
- Messages
- 17,255
- Reaction score
- 29,660
- Location
- Miami
- What state or country do you live in
- Florida
Some parts of my system were built for my convenience. Others, maybe not so much.
This is the process of how I clean my UV.
First, drain and take out ATO. Then, drain out the UV (notice the PVC extending toward the camera on the bottom):
Unscrew the bulbs, then quartz sleeves through the holes that go through the right cabinet:
The quartz and bulbs must come out from here. I spent a few minutes wrestling through dosing tube lines and hoping I won’t accidentally crack the quartz sleeves in the process:
Here are the quartz sleeves. They usually look yellow and tinted, but this time, they had encrusted “sand” that likely produced from a precipitation event I had earlier this year:
Usually, sliding a vinegar soaked paper towel through the sleeve easily removes the yellow tint and calcium carbonate build up. This time was much harder, and the vinegar wasn’t cutting it.
I made a muriatic acid solution, put it in a spray bottle, then laid the quartz sleeves outside and sprayed from a distance. I heard lots of sizzling, and the sand material fell off after 40 seconds of continuous spraying. I rinsed it out with a hose prior to touching them.
Here’s the final product:
I then had to reverse the process to put the UV and ATO back into place.
It’s annoying, but I got used it. I only do it 2-3x per year. I don’t use the UV year-round; only when I want an extra polish here and there.
Side note:
I mounted my battle coral frags to the new rock structure earlier today:
This is the process of how I clean my UV.
First, drain and take out ATO. Then, drain out the UV (notice the PVC extending toward the camera on the bottom):
Unscrew the bulbs, then quartz sleeves through the holes that go through the right cabinet:
The quartz and bulbs must come out from here. I spent a few minutes wrestling through dosing tube lines and hoping I won’t accidentally crack the quartz sleeves in the process:
Here are the quartz sleeves. They usually look yellow and tinted, but this time, they had encrusted “sand” that likely produced from a precipitation event I had earlier this year:
Usually, sliding a vinegar soaked paper towel through the sleeve easily removes the yellow tint and calcium carbonate build up. This time was much harder, and the vinegar wasn’t cutting it.
I made a muriatic acid solution, put it in a spray bottle, then laid the quartz sleeves outside and sprayed from a distance. I heard lots of sizzling, and the sand material fell off after 40 seconds of continuous spraying. I rinsed it out with a hose prior to touching them.
Here’s the final product:
I then had to reverse the process to put the UV and ATO back into place.
It’s annoying, but I got used it. I only do it 2-3x per year. I don’t use the UV year-round; only when I want an extra polish here and there.
Side note:
I mounted my battle coral frags to the new rock structure earlier today:
- S*x fest
- Garden of Eden
- Goldie bon r
- Homewreckerish blue lighter
- High rainbow
- BC Flamenco milli
- Insane sunset
- Reading rainbow
- Hellraiser
- Trash compactor
- shag priority
- Mc fly sub
- Raindrop on roses milli
- Yellow spath
