-uv Stop!!??

[bv_reefer]

-Ok I got a 33-gallon that i'm plannin 2 start cyclin' next week and need 2 know what UV STOP means!

-It's been buggin' me for quite a while now because every1 says that double-ended hqi bulbs like mine need a 3mm sheet of glass covering them 2 block out the harmful uv rays that they emit, that can trouble the skin of fish.

-So the main question iz...IF I HAVE ''UV STOP'' LABELED ON MY
DOUBLE-ENDED BULBS DOES THAT MEEN THAT I STILL NEED GLASS? OR DOES THAT BLOCK OUT ALL THE HARMFUL AMOUNTS OF UV RADIATION BY IT'S SELF LIKE SINGLE-ENDED BULBS DO???

[Bryan]

Good question, I suspect the term "UV STOP" is a translation that actually means UV Caution. The only DE bulbs that I am aware of that have built in UV protection are the latest Iwasaki DE bulbs discussed on RC . Unless you have expensive test equipment to test the UV level, better play it safe and use a protective layer glass. Will protect your bulbs from splash in any event.

[christyf5]

I agree with Bryan. Sometimes the translations on these things aren't exactly top notch. I would use glass on a DE bulb no matter what.

[bv_reefer]

-thanks but i won't have any corals or fish for a month so do u think it'll effect anything in a bad way during the cycling period, like small inverts and benificial bacteria?

[theredben]

Unless you are hanging your MH lights several feet above the tank( and like taking risks), glass sheets are a good idea to prevent splashes of water from exploding the MH tubes.

[christyf5]

-thanks but i won't have any corals or fish for a month so do u think it'll effect anything in a bad way during the cycling period, like small inverts and benificial bacteria?


Yes you'll be exposing everything in the tank to potentially lethal levels of UV light. I wouldn't imagine that much will survive.

[Mik_101]

Should he get a uv sterilizer?

[bv_reefer]

-uv sterilizers are for killing unwanted micro-organisms and bacteria, and
has nothing 2 do with blocking high amounts of uv radiation. But I still wouldn't mind investing in 1, in another 5-6 months...