My tank sits in the corner of a room where the sun its it on one corner for about a half an hour to an hour in the morning and i am starting to develop a little bit of an algea problem. I know the best answer would be to move the tank but there is no other place in the room suitable. My LFS told me that a UV sterilizer would solve about 90 percent of the algea problem and i was wondering if this is true i have read where many people think they are useless and just a way for the LFS to make a few extra bucks.
UV Sterilizer
- Thread starter Yazoo1970
- Start date
It is begining to turn the water i have been cleaning the algea on my pumps and on the glass for about a month and its not been real bad then all of a sudden it just took a turn for the worse about three days ago i wish i could move the tank but i just don't have anywhere else to put it and my wife will not let me hang a blind as it takes away from her decorations in the room she says and you know if momma ain't happy no ones happy
I use a uv sterilizer in my discus tanks. They will only get free floating algea spores (ie, pea soup) The brown algea that stick to the glass caused by too much sunlight usually will not be affected. In my experience with fw tanks, if a tank is in front of a window, the algea will reappear often. That could be different for salt.
I find it absolutely astonishing that people blame sunlight for their algae problems and then spend hundreds of dollars trying to recreate sunlight. My tanks always have had and always will have sunlight if they can.
If you have algae problems then they ar basically nutrition problems....
1. Tune /improve skimmer
2. get a clean up crew, or get a bigger one.
3. Hows your alk and pH - get them up
4 More circulation
All marine tanks have algae, you need to learn to manage it. I think you would be better to spend the UV money on some rowaphos and carbon (assuming you have a decent skimmer)
If you have algae problems then they ar basically nutrition problems....
1. Tune /improve skimmer
2. get a clean up crew, or get a bigger one.
3. Hows your alk and pH - get them up
4 More circulation
All marine tanks have algae, you need to learn to manage it. I think you would be better to spend the UV money on some rowaphos and carbon (assuming you have a decent skimmer)
yes all tanks do have algea at some point or another - because algea is airbourne spores. Algea in a freshwater tank is usually a big pain in the a**, especially if it's planted. Alot of ferts and stuff have phospates and nitrates in them and it doesn't always say on the bottle....but I am still working on the new sw tank so I don't know yet. I do use a uv sterilizer, but not for algea. Discus are very sensitive to pathogens that don't seem to affect other fish so much.
No, I don't believe that is likely. Your bacterial numbers will increase progressively as you increase bioload. Avoiding dieoff is not a bad thing, it is only a means to an end.
You are still thinking of this in freshwater terms. This is not the same really. You do not need to cycle the filter - it's done for you - either there are bacteria present, or there are not, and buying in live rock adds them in.
You are still thinking of this in freshwater terms. This is not the same really. You do not need to cycle the filter - it's done for you - either there are bacteria present, or there are not, and buying in live rock adds them in.
Because the bacteria are already there? You do already have cycled live rock in I assume. There is a population of bacteria, and there are already other things in there living and dying on a scale you haven't seen or noticed. There will be enoguh bacteria to deal with the increase in bioload when you add a fish.
If you try to add a lot of fish at the same time you're asking for trouble as that is more change than the system will bear.
It is a long, long time since I actively 'cycled' a tank
If you try to add a lot of fish at the same time you're asking for trouble as that is more change than the system will bear.
It is a long, long time since I actively 'cycled' a tank
