24/7 for now. I don't want ANY green water for a while. I may back it down later...I've read some sketchy information that says sterilzers and plant tanks don't mix well.
Ultraviolent sterilizer up and runnin'....
- Thread starter joe schmoe
- Start date
24/7 for now. I don't want ANY green water for a while. I may back it down later...I've read some sketchy information that says sterilzers and plant tanks don't mix well.
I'd just use it right after the water change for about 24-30 hours.
This is the only time that you really need to run it or if you see any signs of GW appearing. GW does no harm to plants so it's not a nuisance really if you have a UV.
You'll get longer life out of the bulb, get better usage when you do use it, save electric. All good reasons to only use it once a week after the water change.
The reason is for algae control? Well after a shock, algae often release zoospores which swim out of the parent cell and land somewhere and start growing a new filament.
If you have klittle or remove all the parent cells, then do a water change after you pruned, then you really reduce the chances of these from starting a bloom.
A UV just tops it off but it's certainly not a needed item. There is some debatre as to whether Chelated iron is knocked out by the UV light and some other degradation products might be formed in the UV light which breaks chemical bonds.
But I really don't see much effect personally with one on all the time or once a week ect.
Regards,
Tom Barr
This is the only time that you really need to run it or if you see any signs of GW appearing. GW does no harm to plants so it's not a nuisance really if you have a UV.
You'll get longer life out of the bulb, get better usage when you do use it, save electric. All good reasons to only use it once a week after the water change.
The reason is for algae control? Well after a shock, algae often release zoospores which swim out of the parent cell and land somewhere and start growing a new filament.
If you have klittle or remove all the parent cells, then do a water change after you pruned, then you really reduce the chances of these from starting a bloom.
A UV just tops it off but it's certainly not a needed item. There is some debatre as to whether Chelated iron is knocked out by the UV light and some other degradation products might be formed in the UV light which breaks chemical bonds.
But I really don't see much effect personally with one on all the time or once a week ect.
Regards,
Tom Barr
I had a tank that looked much like yours before I got my UV sterilizer. Now that my plants have grown in I rarely use it. It's nice to have if you ever get a bacteria or disease outbreak, but I think in 3-4 months you'll stop using it altogether.
Wow, plantbrain. Thanks for that tip. I also do my pruning after a water change. Now I will reverse that order.
Oh and that title made me laugh but no one mentioned it yet. I would be scared of such a sterilizer.
Oh and that title made me laugh but no one mentioned it yet. I would be scared of such a sterilizer.
Not to hijack the thread but when you pull up anything from the substrate, disturb your filter etc, this causes the O2 levels to go down, something way down depending on how much you do.
So removing all that muck, the water itself will raise the O2 level back up with tap water. It will also siphon out any left over algae and any spores also.
Regards,
Tom Barr
So removing all that muck, the water itself will raise the O2 level back up with tap water. It will also siphon out any left over algae and any spores also.
Regards,
Tom Barr
The ultraviolet sterilizer is a great tool to attack greet water, but there is a downside. If the underlying cause of the algae outbreak is not addressed, other forms of algae will gain a foothold.
A few months back, I tried this route but failed to solve the source problem (in my case, too much light). In very short order, I had perfectly clear water and blue green algae covering everything. :sick: This was no fun at all.
As unsighly as green water can be, it is the least problematic of the algaes. So go fix that source problem! You don't want blue green... trust me.
A few months back, I tried this route but failed to solve the source problem (in my case, too much light). In very short order, I had perfectly clear water and blue green algae covering everything. :sick: This was no fun at all.
As unsighly as green water can be, it is the least problematic of the algaes. So go fix that source problem! You don't want blue green... trust me.
Just a little update. There are lots of fine particles floating in the water. I'm fairly new to Fluvals, and they aparently don't do a very good job with the really small stuff. I don't want to spend any more money on filters right now (the LFSs don't rent equipment), so I'm going to have to deal with it.
Nitrates are already up to about 7PPM, from 0PPM on the day the sterilizer was added. Keeping an eye out for algae of all forms, and I'm going to decrease the amount of food given.
Nitrates are already up to about 7PPM, from 0PPM on the day the sterilizer was added. Keeping an eye out for algae of all forms, and I'm going to decrease the amount of food given.
My Fluval 204 does a great job. Maybe yours is in need of a good cleaning. Als be careful how you put the sponges back in - to position properly to avoid bypass.
Bob
Bob
