UV Sterilizers and their effectiveness

[kevin89]

Has anyone ever used a UV Sterilizer to combat cloudy tank water?  Do they really work assuming you use them correctly with the water flow rate as recommended?  What are the best brands out there?

Kevin

[eklikewhoa]

Re: UV Sterilizers and their effectiveness

are you having a bacteria bloom?

cloudy white or cloudy green?

[RussGB]

Re: UV Sterilizers and their effectiveness

Has anyone ever used a UV Sterilizer to combat cloudy tank water?  Do they really work assuming you use them correctly with the water flow rate as recommended?  What are the best brands out there?

Kevin

I had cloudy water when the ick hit my fish per recent posts. Both ick and bloom (bacterial or algal or both? not sure!) gone in short time. Remember you don't need a lot of UV like the marine/reef guys use or even like the pond guys. I use 9w turbo twist 12 hours a day on a 150 community. I also used a phosphate reducer for a few days.

Is it effective? Well I haven't had any disease or algal bloom since I started using it...maybe I just got better at managing my water and filters, and lucky too...or maybe its the UV?...who can say? But they are moderately inexpensive, and easy to use. You have to change bulbs every 6 - 12 months depending on usage.

[kevin89]

Re: UV Sterilizers and their effectiveness

the water is cloudy white with a greenish tint to it.  I have been doing about 30% weekly water change.  It have tried many things including feeding less, cleanning my Eheim filter pads with removed old tank water, decreasing the amount of time the light stay on.... My tank is still like a soup bowl!  I only have 5 discus in a 60 gal tank.  Tank is kept at 85 degree F.

Kevin

[eklikewhoa]

Re: UV Sterilizers and their effectiveness

post up some info on the tank....


ammonia
nitrites
nitrates
length tank has been running
when fish was put in
etc..

[kevin89]

Re: UV Sterilizers and their effectiveness

60 gal tank with 5 3.5 - 4" discus
2 BN plecos
No plants, no substrate
Eheim 2217 (big enough for up to 120 gal tank according manufacturer)
Feed 1 serving of Tetra colorbits and 1 serving of beefheart daily
30 - 50% water change weekly

[kevin89]

Re: UV Sterilizers and their effectiveness

ammonia - dont know
nitrites - dont know
nitrates - dont know

I use dechloriator and ion exchange filter to soften city water.

length tank has been running - 3 months
when fish was put in - 2 months ago

[eklikewhoa]

Re: UV Sterilizers and their effectiveness

im thinking a bacteria bloom, probably because your tank wasnt fully cycled or you just cleaned you filter and cleaned away all the good bacteria. i would check your ammonia,nitrites and nitrate to see for sure if the tank is in a mini-cycle you will see little traces of ammonia and nitrite and when its done you'll see none of those and hints of nitrate.

[kevin89]

Re: UV Sterilizers and their effectiveness

Thanks for the input.  what should I do if there were nitrites, nitrates or ammonia in my tank and that in fact the tank is in a mini cycle? just do water change and wait it out?

[eklikewhoa]

Re: UV Sterilizers and their effectiveness

Get some filter media from a tank that is established
Gravel from an established tank
Bio-spira
Water changes

[Ellen]

Re: UV Sterilizers and their effectiveness

Actually, I've read that the nitrifying bacteria is not the bacteria that makes the water cloudy. Most aquarists associate them because they happen together but there are actually different bacteria for each job. Nitrifying bacteria do the nitrogen cycle, and this other bacteria keep the water clear.

To get this other bacteria in your tanks, (to clear up the water) take some water from an established tank that is clear and do a water change with it. It will kick-start the bacteria to keep the water nice and clean looking...if that is really the problem you're facing.

NOTE: this is the *only* time I'd ever recommend putting dirty water from one tank to another. When setting up new tanks, moving dirty water is doing just that, the water column itself doesn't hold nitrifying bacteria to make your tank cycle.

Ellen