-uv Stop!!??
 

-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???

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.

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.

ok thanks but i won't have any corals or fish for a k
 

-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?

splash hazard
 

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.

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

Should he get a uv sterilizer?

uv sterilizer
 

-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...