UV-Clearer and Ozone-Generators, recommended or superfluous?

[Jakxx]

I was wondering about the use of UV-Light clearers and Ozone generators.

I was told that using a Ozone generator will help to increase the efficiency of the skimmer and bio-filters,
while UV-Clearers neutralize algea, viruses, bacteria and germs in the water (if the flow rate is audiusted correctly they are said to remove 99% of those)

Does anyone recommend or even advise the use of this equippment for an octo tank, or is it basically not really needed?

 

[Steve O'Shea]

Hi; Nancy & Colin will have more to add here, but I'd just like to express some reservation regarding UV usage on squid (and I know you were talking octopus). I've had a few bad experiences with UV, but as I've not replicated experiments I cannot actually pin squid mortality down to UV. I think Jean has had similar experiences.

I don't know anything about ozone, but larval squid actually take 'particulate food' in through the skin. In fact experiments with larval squid have shown that the little guys actually did better when 'fed' enriched DOM (dissolved organics) than those fed the likes of copepods (even though they're not exactly an appropriate foodstuff; this was just the experimental design). Therefore protein skimming is to be avoided when rearing little squid (and probably octopus) [I only put the protein skimmer on after ~ 30 days (from hatching)].

Adult squid and octopus could well be another matter altogether (I know squid are; I still wouldn't use UV though).

O

 

[Nancy]

Colin is on vacation and won't be able to reply right away. However, I once asked him about UV, and he did not recommend it.

Your point of view on using UV for squid is quite interesting, Steve.

Often these devices that are described in such a positive way have unintended secondary effects, so we have to be very careful with them. I recently read the advertisements for an ozone generator and it sounded good, but I'm wary.

I was reading an article by an expert on reef lighting, and he said something interesting that could be applied to other areas as well. Rather than looking for ever better technical solutions and better types of lighting, he felt people should pay much more attention to maintaining what they have - people don't clean their lights, use spotted pieces of
acrylic as tank covers, and don't even make sure their water is crystal clear. These things are more important than a better technical solution. Maybe the same thing applies to us in ceph care.

Nancy