If you are going to use one make sure you have a fairly slow flow through the UV filter. In general the UV light does not kill the bacteria instantly and if the flow is too fast you will not get much benefit. Especially true for smaller ones like the 9 watt ones.
UV sterilizers
- Thread starter nwilson7
- Start date
does UVS make your water "crystal " clear , like i see some of the tanks here ?
the reason i ask is because im thinking of getting one , but i do not have an algae problem just an occasional grayish hase .... would it help? or would i be wasting my money ....?
the reason i ask is because im thinking of getting one , but i do not have an algae problem just an occasional grayish hase .... would it help? or would i be wasting my money ....?
lunk71;2653404; said:
If the haze is caused by a bacterial bloom the UV will help (but you should address the cause of the haze first to make sure you don't have serious bio issues). If the haze is from dissolved waste it will do noting significant.
For crystal clear water you need a healthy biological system, very good mechanical filtration, and regular water changes to eliminate any dissolved colors (driftwood, etc.). There are other things you could add (ozone, etc.), but they generally aren't necessary.
Where would the optimal placement for the UV sterilizer? I'm running a 150g setup, dual overflows and returns, with a 20g high sump pumping at around 750gph. I'm not to familiar with the UV sterilizer setup and want to purchase one due to my alge bloom! what is the average price and what size/watt would i need? My filtration besides the sump is a rena xp3 and a fluval 305. been doing water changes everyday for about 2 weeks and haven't turned on the lights the whole time to try and control the bloom but no luck so far...
Ians aro;2659414; said:
If I were you, I'd get that cheap $40 UV sterilizer that is like 8-9 watts from petsmart like the other person. I think a great place to put it is in the sump. If your pumps prohibit you from placing it in there maybe put it under the compartment of the bioballs if you can. Then I would point the flow of the uv/pump towards inlet of the return pump.
I use to run a 8watt on my 180 and it worked great so I wouldn't worry too much about the wattage.
Hi guys, first post but been a lurker for a little while.
i don't have a UV sterilizer but i have had a bit to do with bacteria (i study biotechnology/medical science) and i've been looking into getting a UVS for the oscar tank.
so i thought i'd throw in my 2 cents
in the real world you will never kill all the bacteria in your tank beneficial or harmful. bypass or not. it ain't goin 2 happen.
Why?
1. as mentioned above bacteria can divide in a short space of time given optimal conditions some bacteria can double their population size in about 20 minutes. So they make babies faster than those convicts you breed for feeders.
2. with large populations sterilization doesn't really kill an entire population but reduce the population. there is a thing called decimal reduction time or D-value which is basically the length of exposure to heat, chemical, UV etc. that will kill 90% of the population or cause a ten fold reduction in numbers i.e 1D kills 90% 2D kills 99% 3D kills 99.9% and so on
3. the d values when using a UVS depend mainly on power of the lamp, length of exposure (meaning low flow rate is better), area of treatment chamber/inside unit, and the physical characteristics of the bacteria (different species can have different d-values). but also on the wavelength of the unit and turbidity of the water .
so basically that your UV sterilizer won't leave your tank barren if you don't use a bypass and if something knocks out the bacteria on your filter (meds) the filter will re-seed (but make sure you have the unit on the filter output). and you wont get rid of all the algae or bacteria.
oh and 4 that crystal clear water lunk try a 20 micron filter pad. that should filter out all particles you can see.
Jeff
i don't have a UV sterilizer but i have had a bit to do with bacteria (i study biotechnology/medical science) and i've been looking into getting a UVS for the oscar tank.
so i thought i'd throw in my 2 cents
in the real world you will never kill all the bacteria in your tank beneficial or harmful. bypass or not. it ain't goin 2 happen.
Why?
1. as mentioned above bacteria can divide in a short space of time given optimal conditions some bacteria can double their population size in about 20 minutes. So they make babies faster than those convicts you breed for feeders.
2. with large populations sterilization doesn't really kill an entire population but reduce the population. there is a thing called decimal reduction time or D-value which is basically the length of exposure to heat, chemical, UV etc. that will kill 90% of the population or cause a ten fold reduction in numbers i.e 1D kills 90% 2D kills 99% 3D kills 99.9% and so on
3. the d values when using a UVS depend mainly on power of the lamp, length of exposure (meaning low flow rate is better), area of treatment chamber/inside unit, and the physical characteristics of the bacteria (different species can have different d-values). but also on the wavelength of the unit and turbidity of the water .
so basically that your UV sterilizer won't leave your tank barren if you don't use a bypass and if something knocks out the bacteria on your filter (meds) the filter will re-seed (but make sure you have the unit on the filter output). and you wont get rid of all the algae or bacteria.
oh and 4 that crystal clear water lunk try a 20 micron filter pad. that should filter out all particles you can see.
Jeff
