Ultra-violet Sterilizer

[Bullrock74]

I suffer from green water often because I tend to overfeed my fish. But, even when I don't overfeed, the water in my tanks is never crystal clear. So, about six hours ago, I installed an ultraviolet sterilizer to help me defeat green water. It is a severe case...the water is so green I can only see about six inches into the tank. Does anyone know approx. how long it might take for the water to clear? Overnight, or days, or weeks?

 

[fishdawg]

it usauly takes about a week or a week and a half for realy "green" water. it depends on what watt your sterilizer is.

 

[Kevstir]

Takes about a week m8

here's what i wrote on another thread


Well for a few weeks i was suffering from a very bad case of Green water, i eventually bought a Fish r Fun 9watt UV Sterilizer from eBay, here's a before and after picy for you to look at

well here was my tank last Thursday (17/11/06) when i added the UV Sterilizer

And here is a pic of the tank Last night (24/11/06)

what a difference , i thought the tank would have cleared in a day or 2 but i didn't start to see a difference till the Sunday , after that you could see it getting clearer as the days went by. i would think the 24watt model would have cleared it up faster as my 180 is at just about at the size limit for the 9watt.

Here's where i got the Steriliser from

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Internal-UV-Sterilis...0QQcmdZViewItem

Kev

 

[Bullrock74]

Takes about a week m8

Wow...what a difference! My tank is as green as yours was, so I'll give it time to act. I have an 18 watt bulb and a powerhead pumping 400 gallons per hour for a 350 gallon tank. Thanks for your help.

 

[Kevstir]

isn't 400 gallons per hour going through the steriliser to much?? from what iv read you have to have a set time where they nasties should be exposed to the UV light to work , if the water flow is to strong then it doesn't work as good as there not spending enough time under UV to do damage

 

[Bullrock74]

isn't 400 gallons per hour going through the steriliser to much??

400 gph is what the manufacturers of the sterilizer recommended. The brand name is AquaMedic in case you are interested. Also, I didn't see any improvement the morning after the first night, but this morning (after second night) the water is considerably clearer. So, I'm guessing that the water will, indeed, be clear after about a week of UV irradiation.

 

[Lateral Line]

I suffer from green water often because I tend to overfeed my fish.

Then don't.

If your tank is in balance, you will not have green water problems. By UV zapping the algae etc. in the water column, you are taking away the symptom, but the problem will still be there. The algae is blooming because the water is far to nutrient rich. This will be having a negative effect on your fish.

 

[Bullrock74]

I suffer from green water often because I tend to overfeed my fish.

Then don't.

If your tank is in balance, you will not have green water problems. By UV zapping the algae etc. in the water column, you are taking away the symptom, but the problem will still be there. The algae is blooming because the water is far to nutrient rich. This will be having a negative effect on your fish.

Could you be more specific? Which nutrients? Nitrates? Phosphates? After much reading online about green water, it seems nobody knows for certain exactly what causes it, mostly because you never know exactly which organism is causing it. Therefore, how can you be certain I have too many nutrients? My water parameters are all fine, but I do not test for phosphates since it seems they don't measure total phosphates.

 

[Lateral Line]

The organisms producing the green water are clearly "eating" something, and there is obviously a lot of it. Since the majority of tanks do not have green water, something is clearly available to excess in your tank.

 

[whip]

I suffer from green water often because I tend to overfeed my fish.

Then don't.

If your tank is in balance, you will not have green water problems. By UV zapping the algae etc. in the water column, you are taking away the symptom, but the problem will still be there. The algae is blooming because the water is far to nutrient rich. This will be having a negative effect on your fish.

Could you be more specific? Which nutrients? Nitrates? Phosphates? After much reading online about green water, it seems nobody knows for certain exactly what causes it, mostly because you never know exactly which organism is causing it. Therefore, how can you be certain I have too many nutrients? My water parameters are all fine, but I do not test for phosphates since it seems they don't measure total phosphates.

In your original post, you said that when you do not feed them the green water goes away. Clearly the overfeeding is the problem. If you told your doctor your hand only hurt when you made a fist, the doctor would tell you to stop making a fist.

 

[Bullrock74]

In your original post, you said that when you do not feed them the green water goes away. Clearly the overfeeding is the problem. If you told your doctor your hand only hurt when you made a fist, the doctor would tell you to stop making a fist.

Actually my original post says that the water never clears, even when I am not overfeeding.

The organisms producing the green water are clearly "eating" something, and there is obviously a lot of it. Since the majority of tanks do not have green water, something is clearly available to excess in your tank.

I agree that there are enough nutrients that the green water causing organisms have enough to flourish on, but I am pretty sure (not absolutely, though) that those nutrients are not in high enough concentrations to cause my fish problems. They are all healthy and have GIANT appetites, so tbey must be feeling pretty darn good. If after the green water is gone, I detect the slightest problem with my fish, then you can bet I will suspend the use of the UV sterilizer.

 

[Bullrock74]

Apparently the UV sterilizer I have is undersized, but it still managed to clear up the water. It took two weeks to do so, but again, it is undersized. No ill effects on the fish, yet, as a result of any nutrient imbalances. I sure hope it stays that way.