My reef has alot of buid up, it kind of looks like a brownish/greyish sludge (almost like dirt). I know my tank is healthy because my coral and fish as well as all my paramiters are good, but my vanity would like it to look a bit cleaner. Anyone have any thoughts on UV sterilizers in a reef, I've always heard mixed reviews.
Thanks,
Heather
UV Sterilizer & Reef
12 posts • Page 1 of 2
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saltwaterpimp - Posts: 1307
- Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 2:22 am
hi heather. is this on your substrate or all over? is it detritus growing brown algae on top? sounds like you need more water flow..need more info
swp
swp
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snowboss - Posts: 458
- Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:53 pm
I agree with you on UV having mixed reviews, I'm curious to see the posts others will make for or against them as I'm entertaining one myself...in the interum....are you running any type of cleaner crew in there? I take a turkey baster to my tank everyday and gently blow the crap off everything -- it looks like a real sh*t storm in there for about and hour and then the filters get it all cleaned up - - it's a viscious cycle but it get to be less and less everyday - -also how long has the tank been running? could simply be a regular algae bloom ....we all get it and it does go away eventually.....Good luck, let's see some pics!!! Snowboss
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dick_headers - Posts: 424
- Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:59 pm
Hello,
We really have to know a bit more about your set up, specially the age of it. In my opinion UV sterilizers are great. I have had one on my 75 set up, the one you can see beside my user name. If your tank is in the beginner status ( 0-5 or 6 month) I wouldn't recommend to set up one yet. You can find great articles about UV sterilization, so I am not gonna get into how they work. The matter a fact is that UV light will kill bacterias, bads and goods as well. When you are in your beginners month, your water will be filled with a lots of beneficial and some slightly harmful bacterias. If you set up your UVS it'll basically destroy a big precentage of your bacts. It'll take for a very long time to get your system estabilished.
Almost every saltwater nitrogen cycle ends up with somekind of algae bloom. Yours might one of that,idk. If it is let it dissapear, introduce cleaners and protein skimmer to your tank.
If after the 6 month period film or hair algaes are still present, then you can set some good type of UVS. As I mentioned uvs will not seperate bacterias. When the water goes through on the system, it will destroy bacs that is a fact. But don't forget that you have a pretty much estabilished tank by now, so your cured LR or sand bad will replace those beneficial bacs, and hopefully theres nothing can replace the bad ones+ you'll add trace elmts, calcium mgs etc..etc.. That's when the UVS will show some differents. Your hair and any type of bad nuisance algaes can dissapear in 10 days or less. You won't belive how effective they can be.
An other VERY VERY IMPORTANT rule abot UV sterilization is the flow. There's different numbers of bulbs of Watts out there, you have to choose the right one for your tank, and choose the right flowrate powerhead for it. If the water goes through fast on the system, the UV light has not enough time to do an effective work. BASICALLY WITHOUT A CORRECT FLOWRATE EVEN THE BEST UVS IS ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS!! For a 75G set up you could look at a 9W bulb with a 180-200 G/Hr flow rate, which is about the MaxiJet 900. The perfect set up right there. Enjoy an algae free and healthy environment.
We really have to know a bit more about your set up, specially the age of it. In my opinion UV sterilizers are great. I have had one on my 75 set up, the one you can see beside my user name. If your tank is in the beginner status ( 0-5 or 6 month) I wouldn't recommend to set up one yet. You can find great articles about UV sterilization, so I am not gonna get into how they work. The matter a fact is that UV light will kill bacterias, bads and goods as well. When you are in your beginners month, your water will be filled with a lots of beneficial and some slightly harmful bacterias. If you set up your UVS it'll basically destroy a big precentage of your bacts. It'll take for a very long time to get your system estabilished.
Almost every saltwater nitrogen cycle ends up with somekind of algae bloom. Yours might one of that,idk. If it is let it dissapear, introduce cleaners and protein skimmer to your tank.
If after the 6 month period film or hair algaes are still present, then you can set some good type of UVS. As I mentioned uvs will not seperate bacterias. When the water goes through on the system, it will destroy bacs that is a fact. But don't forget that you have a pretty much estabilished tank by now, so your cured LR or sand bad will replace those beneficial bacs, and hopefully theres nothing can replace the bad ones+ you'll add trace elmts, calcium mgs etc..etc.. That's when the UVS will show some differents. Your hair and any type of bad nuisance algaes can dissapear in 10 days or less. You won't belive how effective they can be.
An other VERY VERY IMPORTANT rule abot UV sterilization is the flow. There's different numbers of bulbs of Watts out there, you have to choose the right one for your tank, and choose the right flowrate powerhead for it. If the water goes through fast on the system, the UV light has not enough time to do an effective work. BASICALLY WITHOUT A CORRECT FLOWRATE EVEN THE BEST UVS IS ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS!! For a 75G set up you could look at a 9W bulb with a 180-200 G/Hr flow rate, which is about the MaxiJet 900. The perfect set up right there. Enjoy an algae free and healthy environment.
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snowboss - Posts: 458
- Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:53 pm
see there you go - -the reason I don't {i should didn't} like UVS is because I didn't know enough about em - - I would like to retract my above statement and say - - I haven't had any expierience with them because my system is to new to benifiet from them at this time ..... Thanks for the lesson Mr. H.....Boss
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dick_headers - Posts: 424
- Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:59 pm
Hey Boss man,
You're right, til you don't really know what it is or haw does it work, you can be very confused about things such as uvs. That's a good thing. You're cautious. I wasn't. I set up some cheap "bummade"( that's my own word for something thats hommade and worthless, because lots of other hommade stuffs can be great and very usefull..) uvs on my very first set up, because I heard that is a good thing. I had no knowledge about flowrate and wattage at all, neither does my LFS owner who sold that crap for me. Now that's sad. I wish I had comp. back than, but forums weren't as popular back than as they are today. Forums are great. I built up lots of knowledge and still working on it today. Everything i'ms aying here is my own experiences, none of them "just something that I heard" phrases.
uVS 's are certainly not a must for saltwater. Not as beneficial as a good skimmer. But if you know when and how to use one, can be a great addition to your tank. When I bought mine, I had an awesome deal on it. By the time I was searching around for a godd UVS this LFS owner (from a diff. city) was about going out of business. I couldn't belive he had the UVS that I was looking for, ( Rainbow, Lifegard)70% off! Yes I paid somewhere around 40.00 bucks for a very good quality uvs. That was my luckiest day in my saltwater past:-) The unit worked great, didn't even had to unhooked when I changed the bulb.
I can't use one on my new nano tank.. I wonder if there's any uvs out there for nano tanks, but I doubt it. It'd have to have a very low flowrate to make a successful job. Something like a 3-5 W bulb, and a 20-30G/Hr flowrate. Where can you find a powerhead like that?
Once I'll have a tank over 100G, I'll buy one again..Til than I'll cry every time i go to the doctors office and see their beautiful UVS systems..:-)
You're right, til you don't really know what it is or haw does it work, you can be very confused about things such as uvs. That's a good thing. You're cautious. I wasn't. I set up some cheap "bummade"( that's my own word for something thats hommade and worthless, because lots of other hommade stuffs can be great and very usefull..) uvs on my very first set up, because I heard that is a good thing. I had no knowledge about flowrate and wattage at all, neither does my LFS owner who sold that crap for me. Now that's sad. I wish I had comp. back than, but forums weren't as popular back than as they are today. Forums are great. I built up lots of knowledge and still working on it today. Everything i'ms aying here is my own experiences, none of them "just something that I heard" phrases.
uVS 's are certainly not a must for saltwater. Not as beneficial as a good skimmer. But if you know when and how to use one, can be a great addition to your tank. When I bought mine, I had an awesome deal on it. By the time I was searching around for a godd UVS this LFS owner (from a diff. city) was about going out of business. I couldn't belive he had the UVS that I was looking for, ( Rainbow, Lifegard)70% off! Yes I paid somewhere around 40.00 bucks for a very good quality uvs. That was my luckiest day in my saltwater past:-) The unit worked great, didn't even had to unhooked when I changed the bulb.
I can't use one on my new nano tank.. I wonder if there's any uvs out there for nano tanks, but I doubt it. It'd have to have a very low flowrate to make a successful job. Something like a 3-5 W bulb, and a 20-30G/Hr flowrate. Where can you find a powerhead like that?
Once I'll have a tank over 100G, I'll buy one again..Til than I'll cry every time i go to the doctors office and see their beautiful UVS systems..:-)
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dick_headers - Posts: 424
- Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:59 pm
Very good job Pimp, I'm totally impressed.. If I culd find a small Uv bulb I think I could build one.. Wonder what's the smallest flowrate on this pump. 48 is still a lot though..
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saltwaterpimp - Posts: 1307
- Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 2:22 am
put a valve on it .it says 48 max thats with 0 head. so if you add a few feet of tube or some 90's it will reduce the flow alot.
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dick_headers - Posts: 424
- Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:59 pm
I see now,
I didn't pay close attention.. 48 is the max rate. Did you see how small it is? WOW! I could attach some to my lower corners just to keep my sandbad areated.. Man.. Now I'm seriously think about it...Damn you Pimp, attacked my wallet again..lol..
I didn't pay close attention.. 48 is the max rate. Did you see how small it is? WOW! I could attach some to my lower corners just to keep my sandbad areated.. Man.. Now I'm seriously think about it...Damn you Pimp, attacked my wallet again..lol..
