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02/18/2018, 05:53 PM | #1 |
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Uv sterilizer yay or nay?
So this could very well be partly the fact that my tank is only a few months old and the fact i just added a sump, but i have a bacteria bloom clouding my tank. It's happened before when my tank was just through its cycle. I have plenty of surface agitation (2 700gph powerheads and my sump return) and filter floss in my sump, but its still cloudy. All my parameters are perfect. Would a uv sterilizer help?
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02/18/2018, 05:58 PM | #2 | |
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02/18/2018, 06:13 PM | #3 |
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It might. The water in my 150 looked like that for 3 years until I added a UV. It was a continual haze that didn't seem to be there when my lights first turned on, but was clearly visible 15 minutes later.
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02/18/2018, 06:35 PM | #4 |
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Are you dosing any carbon?
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Quitters never lose. [QUOTE=CStrickland]Who gets mad at a starfish?[/QUOTE] Current Tank Info: 75g DT, 30G refugium, 10g chaeto tank, 50g stock tank basement sump |
02/18/2018, 07:33 PM | #5 |
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Yes it will help
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Fish are not disposable commodities, but a worthwhile investment that can be maintained and enjoyed for many years, providing one is willing to take the time to understand their requirements and needs Current Tank Info: 625g, 220g sump, RD3 230w, Vectra L1 on a closed loop, 3 MP60s, MP40. Several QTs |
02/18/2018, 08:40 PM | #6 |
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02/18/2018, 08:48 PM | #7 | |
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Dosing a carbon source drives bacteria. Which, could have been one of the reasons you have cloudy water. |
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02/18/2018, 08:51 PM | #8 | |
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02/18/2018, 09:06 PM | #9 |
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I was reading through some forum posts and seeing a 50/50 on whether or not UV Sterilizers are good for prolonged use. Based on the assumption that they kill all bacteria good and bad. So if i get one should i use it to clear up the bacteria bloom then turn it off or ?
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02/18/2018, 09:09 PM | #10 |
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I run ozone. I would think a UV sterilizer would result in the same thing - clear water. With ozone you recharge the silica beads every week or so depending on how many cartridges you have. With UV you usually replace the bulb once a year. An ozone generator can be turned up or down depending on the size of your system. A UV sterilizer has to purchased at the appropriate size and flow for your system.
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No man is an island entire of itself; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. John Donne Current Tank Info: 120g Reef 100g Rubbermaid Sump, 20g Refugium; previous tank: 46g Drilled; Self Plumbed, Birds Nest, Anchor, Xenia, Zoas, Yuma Yuma Ricordea, Chalice, Mushrooms, Brain, Acan, Anenome Plate; Clams, Other Inverts, Fish, Live Rock |
02/18/2018, 09:23 PM | #11 | |
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I run one and I run the flow rate as such that I get a polished water look from it. So, flow rate really determines what they kill. The bacteria we want colonize surfaces and not so much in the water column. So a uv really wont kill the good bacteria in an established tank. It really depends on what’s truly causing the cloudy water. Stirred up sand, after water changes, age.....what is your alk, cal, mag numbers out of curiosity. |
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02/18/2018, 09:34 PM | #12 |
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Run one for a few days and clear up your tank, after that decide if you want to keep running it. I bet you will
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02/18/2018, 09:34 PM | #13 | |
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I did have a bacteria bloom a month ago that went away after a week, but kinda weird to have another one unless its just common for newr tanks.. Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk |
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02/18/2018, 09:35 PM | #14 |
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I meant to say alk and calcium.
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02/18/2018, 09:36 PM | #15 |
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02/18/2018, 09:38 PM | #16 | |
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Whats odd is that my buddy has the same setup and he has crystal clear water with no sump. Although his tank is 3 years old Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk |
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02/18/2018, 09:39 PM | #17 |
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I just had a weird snowball effect of dead snails that left my tank like that for a few weeks. Have you noticed any increase in algae in the tank? If so they may be using up all of the nutrients you're testing before hence the good parameters. My other question for you is what all is in that sump? If you have any rubble or sand in it then maybe the particles are just getting kicked up. My problem still isn't 100% resolved but it got a lot better after I found all the dead snails and got them out. If the problem doesn't get better then I would try one but i'd give it a few more days. I lost about $40 in livestock (no corals thankfully) from what I assume was the oxygen getting stripped from the tank from bloom. Which for $60 I could've got a sterilizer and maybe saved that livestock. But from what i've read yay or nay on it seems to be pretty polarized. I'd at least rule out precipitation though. I read somewhere that getting a glass of tank water and letting it sit overnight should show you if its bacteria or something like really fine suspended sand. Good Luck.
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02/18/2018, 09:40 PM | #18 |
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So, it might be precipitation. Adding the sump would mean an addition of water. As I mentioned, water changes can cause cloudy water.
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02/18/2018, 09:42 PM | #19 | |
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110 bucks for 75 Watts is hard to pass up.
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Quitters never lose. [QUOTE=CStrickland]Who gets mad at a starfish?[/QUOTE] Current Tank Info: 75g DT, 30G refugium, 10g chaeto tank, 50g stock tank basement sump |
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02/18/2018, 09:44 PM | #20 | |
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02/18/2018, 09:45 PM | #21 | |
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Fish and coral seem to be not affected Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk |
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02/18/2018, 09:45 PM | #22 |
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I use IO for salt
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02/18/2018, 09:48 PM | #23 |
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I’m not convinced that’s a bacterial bloom. Looks parcipitant to me...
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Quitters never lose. [QUOTE=CStrickland]Who gets mad at a starfish?[/QUOTE] Current Tank Info: 75g DT, 30G refugium, 10g chaeto tank, 50g stock tank basement sump |
02/18/2018, 09:51 PM | #24 | |
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Why do you have zeolite in your system? Did you rinse it well? |
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02/18/2018, 09:59 PM | #25 |
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I rinsed it as good as i could. I put it in as preventative measures for ammonia tho i don't really need it i guess. For whatever reason i thought it was a good idea and have been replacing it once a month since i started Rinsing it till its clean.
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