UV sterilizer or Copepods

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

It's strictly my personal preference. I've been able to prevent parasite outbreaks from spreading before the diseased fish can be captured and hospitalized. It's enabled me to treat copper-sensitive fish like puffers using UV and tank-transfer without the use of meds, copper or otherwise. I can now freely move fish from one tank to another with little to no acclimation for maintenance, population adjustments etc.
I have a lot of fish in my tanks, heavy bioloads and some significantly oversized filtration systems to support them. UV buys me time like nothing else, but mostly keeps me away from meds.

Interesting points, now I don't know what to do. My overall goal is a healthier reef, whichever one promotes a healthier reef is what I want. I could even go without the mandarin, I just wanted one since the tank would be filled with copepods anyways.

 

[Lightspeed]

Keeping a healthy reef can be as easy or as complex as you would like it to be.

Using a UV sterilizer has many benefits at level 1 and 2 sterilization, sterilization exposure dwell time can also be manipulated by means of a ball valve to adjust the dwell exposure time up and down depending on what it is you need it for at the time.

Although Harpactoid Copepods are Benthic they also are planktonic in their larvae stage so will end up being put through the sterilizer, but not all UV sterilizers are capable of making Copepod larvae sterile, it depends on dwell time calculation/net water volume flow and wattage .

Aside from feeding a Mandarin etc pods have many beneficial abilities to exploit in your system, and i would not give up on them simply because your intent on using UV, even a powerful skimmer will scrub larvae out and your filter socks too. I will be running my UV and also intend on a good pod population, i guess i will just wait and see after my display finishes cycling, i intend on introducing pods as soon as i can.

Good luck, i say give the pods a crack anyway, even if you have to culture them, they are one of the foundations of the reef.

 

[ca1ore]

I want the fish to have an abundant live food source, that's why I'm planning to build a massive population before adding any fish. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this route healthier for the reef overall?

If you want to do it, then do it. Doubt the ‘health’ of your tank will be materially affected either way. I personally prefer to use a large UV even if it affects pods.

 

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

Okay after reading the comments on here and reflecting, I believe we may have come up with a solution. The primary issue is that the copepods have a one-way ticket to the UV sterilizer with a single sump and return connected to the UV. However, if I were to add another refugium that isn't directly connected sump, and also put a filter on the return, wouldn't that fix the problem? It will ensure that a marginal amount of copepods ever go through the UV so it shouldn't really hinder the population at that point. However, there is an issue with this route since the majority of pods would find their way to that chamber and not the display. Let me know what you guys think.

 

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

Here's a sketch of the potential solution, red circles are where the filters go to prevent copepods from going into the UV. The black pipes are the intake pipes and the purple one is the return. Let me know what you guys think

 

[Lightspeed]

I think we all understand what you are trying to achieve. Having more area for pods to populate and more area for nutrient export is great. Using water capacity/ refugium area to try to overcome the possible effect of pod neutralizing effect by the UV.
The only eventuality i can see is at some point all water will pass through the UV with the possible outcome of neutering your pod larvae, but with filters in place you are again trying to minimise that effect, so thereby having a refugium that you can culture and effectively dose pods to your display.
Myself personally i know if i had the space to do so i would, although you need an extra powerhead as return, i say try it on.
Worst case you will have tried and successfully found a way that may not work.

 

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

Myself personally i know if i had the space to do so i would, although you need an extra powerhead as return, i say try it on.

Can you please elaborate on why I would need the extra return pump if we connect the chamber and sump?


Yeah at this point I've invested so much brainpower into this, I can't back down now. I think this should work. I can easily buy the chamber off of Kijiji for cheap so it won't be costly and if worse comes to worst, I'll just have a huge refugium chamber with more overall water in the tank. So overall it will be beneficial regardless of the outcome.

 

[Lightspeed]

My mistake, i looked at your plumbing direction of flow incorrectly, so ball valve or gate with check valve then i guess.

 

[Mr. Fishy Fish]

My mistake, i looked at your plumbing direction of flow incorrectly, so ball valve or gate with check valve then I guess.

Perfect I was planning on putting a ball valve on all the pipe sections anyway.

 

[Robert Binz]

Perfect I was planning on putting a ball valve on all the pipe sections anyway.

Any update?

 

[Glenner’sreef]

So there are two schools of thought regarding this topic. One, uv kills copepods. And two, it does what the name suggests, it sterilizes them or renders the sterile. I’ve read the endless back and forth of this interesting discussion and presently lean towards the idea that our relatively low uv sterilizers keep visible creatures like copepods and amphipods from reproducing. It does not kill them. I say this because I have a 40w uv. I also have a spawning pair of Mandarins and a Copper Banded Butterfly fish. These three fish are constantly on the hunt for there small animals. They are also very healthy. My uv sterilizer is a part of years of success in the hobby. If at any time I noticed my fish thinning, I would definitely turn to the possibility that the sterilizer was the problem. This has not happened. My pod population out produces the crazy and constant appetites of these three fish. Thx. Good luck.

 

[blaxsun]

Here's a sketch of the potential solution, red circles are where the filters go to prevent copepods from going into the UV. The black pipes are the intake pipes and the purple one is the return. Let me know what you guys think

Yes, this would probably work. I also run and swear by a UV, but honestly - while it is going to kill some % of copepods, beneficial bacteria, etc. the same can also be said of sock filters, filter floss and protein skimmers. The benefits far outweigh any other considerations, IMHO. A good-sized tank and plenty of rock for copepods to thrive works wonders.

 

[lelandmarine]

It would be interesting to see if an early heavy copepod population reduces the risk of Dino and cyano outbreaks later on. I would just keep the UV sterilizer off in the beginning.