UV Sterilizer ?????

[ChrisPrusha]

Originally Posted by Krux

several reefers with very deep tanks figure that it is helping with water clarity by keeping bacterial blooms in check. i have no test for this, but in looking at one particular tank that is about 8 feet deep, i can tell via eyeball method whether it has been on or not based on water clarity.

i guess it depends a lot on why you want one.

8 feet deep?? w000f!!! Now that's deep!!!

[AdamG]

Originally Posted by Geoff

it all depends on which algae you are trying to remove. they are great at removing planktonic algae. hence there frequent use in ponds! as far as SW algae, if used improperly they can actually increase the amount of algae in your tank. if not run just before the skimmer, than the killed planktonic algae will be released back into the system. when these decompose they release their bound phosphates. these phosphates can then be uptaken by rest of your algae in the system. this is why it is important to run one just in front of the skimmer. that way all dead planktonic algae is immediately removed by the skimmer.

G~

Mine is run right after my skimmer, should that have helped with the brown algae?
P.S. Had beef brisket/pulled pork and guiness last night while I watched the super bowl

[Geoff]

Originally Posted by AdamG

Mine is run right after my skimmer, should that have helped with the brown algae?
P.S. Had beef brisket/pulled pork and guiness last night while I watched the super bowl

oooh, you are making me so hungry right now.

after the skimmer is prolly the worst place for it. as for the brown algae, it depends on which brown algae it is. but either way it will not help being befind the skimmer. diatom algae feed mainly on silicates. these get taken up by sponges as the system matures so they will go away naturally. if it is a brown cyano, than the UV sterilizer will not be helping here. it will prolly be hurting, if it stays in it current configuration.

is there any way you can move the sterilizer to just before the skimmer? even if it is in a loop hanging out right in front of the intake for the skimmer. anything to increase the likely hood that the sterilizer output would be picked up they skimmer.

G~

[AdamG]

Geoff,
Here is a pic of the stuff:


okay, it is brown and algae, but what kind i do not know.... Now how should I set up my skimmer and UV sterilizer?
and is the UV causing it with how it is set up?

[SaltBlock]

Geoff, could the UV be connected inline between the skimmers feeder pump and the skimmer?

Andrew

[PACOLIANT]

jebo 36w come with pump for about $65 will this do or is this not good ?

[volitanking]

.

[PACOLIANT]

That explains the price. how about turbo twist 6x ?

[volitanking]

works great i have it plumbed so the last thing the water passes through is the uv then in the tankand i like that all the water in the tank goes through it.

[PACOLIANT]

thank's

[Geoff]

Originally Posted by SaltBlock

Geoff, could the UV be connected inline between the skimmers feeder pump and the skimmer?

Andrew

this all depends on the kind of skimmer. if it is a venturi skimmer than you can. if it is a needlewheel skimmer than prolly not. they do not take well to haveing any backpressure on them. the bigger the tubing in the sterilizer the better. this is why the expensive ones have such large tubing.

AdamG- how long has the tank been setup? if it is under 3 months than it is prolly diatom and it will go away pretty quickly. if it is over 3 months than it is prolly cyano and you have a phosphate problem. cyano comes in many colours so going by colour can not be a good indicator.

G~

[Campbell17]

i have a 15w on my 29g and it has done wonders for my tank havent had any algae at all and i leave my lights on for about 16 hours a day and i know that normally algae would love that cause my dad did that in his and his tank is coverd in it so i think they do do good fro the tank i would also recommend one

[Minnreefer]

I have become a VERY strong believer in UV's but I think that you need a strong expensive one in order to have it work well. I have a 150W HO UV on my 135, it is a 6' UV but since I have installed it (about 2.5 years ago) I have had a kid and neglected my tank far more then I want to admit. But I have not had any sick or dead fish, nor any algae problems even with sparse water changes and infrequent skimmer operation. I firmly believe that a good UV is a big insurance item and I probably would not have a tank without one.

P.S. I also infrequently clean my glass if that means anything(once a month)

Jon

P.S.S. I have been keeping tanks for about 7 years, not very long but long enough to be dangerous.

[titanfan]

Out of curiosity... Would anyone that is in love with their UV remove it for a month or 2 and keep track of tank readings and algea/disease. I would like to see if any change would come to the tank. It just seems to be one more thing for me to pay for and tank care of. Also reading in here about some of the flow rates that you guys put through it I do not see how it would have time to actually do anything.

[gwaco]

worth it ? yep . although i run mine in what many consider the wrong way . mine is plumbed off one of the tank over flows . just didn't want to add another pump.