How Do You Feel About UV Sterilizers
- Thread starter Travis L. Stevens
- Start date
Steven Pro
New member
For how long?
NoSchwag
Premium Member
easy.. ..wormhole
Hey G let me ask you.. I have a bunch of clams in my tank, one is football size. I have not noticed any real calcium demand after putting them in there all at once (like a month ago)
Do you think this is because clams eat phyto and I am harvesting too much of it for the clams to use the ca.?
Steven Pro
New member
September/October 2005?
G-money
Premium Member
NoSchwag,
I'm not a real big clam guy, but I seem to recall that their "need" for phyto is only when they are real young. As they mature, they can derive predominantly from photosynthesis. I've kept them for many years and only part of that time did I feed any phyto.
I'd guess they are just adjusting to the tank and aren't growing all that much yet. I do know from experience that phyto (additions) aren't required for 2"+ T.maxes to grow. That's about all I know, though.
I'm not a real big clam guy, but I seem to recall that their "need" for phyto is only when they are real young. As they mature, they can derive predominantly from photosynthesis. I've kept them for many years and only part of that time did I feed any phyto.
I'd guess they are just adjusting to the tank and aren't growing all that much yet. I do know from experience that phyto (additions) aren't required for 2"+ T.maxes to grow. That's about all I know, though.
NoSchwag
Premium Member
thanks g.. I'm just stumped, I hear people talk about clams sucking up ca.
Mr. Pro it was september 05.. I know people go years without one, but my tank is amazingly clean without a sandbed or filtersocks or carbon.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=669601
Mr. Pro it was september 05.. I know people go years without one, but my tank is amazingly clean without a sandbed or filtersocks or carbon.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=669601
Steven Pro
New member
So, you have gone about 6 months without a water change. And, you don't think this might be a little early to be drawing any conclusions?
Steven Pro
New member
That everything is ok. That all one needs is wet skimming.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
"Let me start out by saying that I'm going to bet you like your DSB? 
"
Only for the variety of life really.
"Organic phosphate is not broken down into nothing in your tank."
Of course not. But doesn't algae take phosphate, nitrate, and other chemicals to grow and then expels nitrogen gas as a waste?
"At best, it becomes inorganic and reassimilated organically. Unless you remove it by harvesting biomass, precipitating with kalk (or other), or skimming, it's indeed in your tank forever - either as biomass, detritus or a mineral precipitate."
I'm not 100% sure what a "biomass" is in this situation. Luckily, I do skim. Not at the moment, but that's another story. Work and upgrades on tanks are never done
"I'm stumped here. I have no algae growth in my tank (save a few growths of Halimeda) and no sand for P to sink into. Where is all this phosphate going when my only methods of nutrieNt processing are UV and skimmer? I have an idea..."
Speculating here, but I would assume something other than algae might be using it and not necessarily the UV which I think you're hinting at.
"Conversely, where does it go when it's allowed to settle into the sand?"
Why, eventually back into the system of course. Right? But then it would just filter through as food for something else.
***Now, how does all this phosphate get into the system in the first place. Death and decomposition of living material such as live rock, fish, corals, snails, and more; sure. But I'm talking about unintentionally introduced phophates. Would controlling what we put in our tanks be the most beneficial part? After all, more and more people are using RO/DI and being careful of the food they feed. Speaking of sand, it has been speculated from time to time about major physical disturbance of a sand bed (regardless of depth) is a benefit. But that is venturing more towards a BB vs DSB and that is the last place I want to go with this thread
"Would you rather have your P tied up in bacteria and other planktonic algae (all very skimmable) or other algaes that are unsightly and can overgrow coral?"
Would a proper and adequate clean up crew and selection of herbivores take unwanted macro algae out of the picture and leave that extra phosphate tied up in bacteria and planktonic algae?
"Never had ick with or without UV, so I can't comment on that one."
***FWIW, I have had it without UV and I did no "treatment" but actually increased feeding with specific foods that I found to be "healthy"
"Something's susceptibility to being skimmed is basically just a function of whether or not it is amphipathic (both hyrophobic and hydrophilic), can be imbedded in the "walls" of a bubble, and pushed out of the system. To my knowledge, only very large particles would be difficult to skim. Consequently, there is no more effective use of a skimmer than to get the bubbles to pop at the top and "throw" the associated water into the cup. Wet skimming rules...IMO of course."
***I'm a wet skimmer myself, but for the sake of knowledge how big is too big of a particle to make it difficult to pull out
"Eeegh...SPS do not eat phyto."
***They don't? What do they eat? I may have been mislead by the masses.
I know that they highly depend on their replationship with their zooxanthallae algae, but SPS have a polyps for a reason don't they?
"Phosphate is an antagonist to calcification. Meso and Eutrophic waters have reservoirs of phosphate. That's enough for me to know what's right."
This is a tough one to decide on. Basically, sacrifice coral growth for food for others? It almost seems like Phosphates are being given a near completely bad wrap. There has to be something phosphates are good for besides algal growth
*** - Denotes a side topic. Feel free to PM me about it for the sake of not swerving the thread off topic
"Only for the variety of life really.
"Organic phosphate is not broken down into nothing in your tank."
Of course not. But doesn't algae take phosphate, nitrate, and other chemicals to grow and then expels nitrogen gas as a waste?
"At best, it becomes inorganic and reassimilated organically. Unless you remove it by harvesting biomass, precipitating with kalk (or other), or skimming, it's indeed in your tank forever - either as biomass, detritus or a mineral precipitate."
I'm not 100% sure what a "biomass" is in this situation. Luckily, I do skim. Not at the moment, but that's another story. Work and upgrades on tanks are never done
"I'm stumped here. I have no algae growth in my tank (save a few growths of Halimeda) and no sand for P to sink into. Where is all this phosphate going when my only methods of nutrieNt processing are UV and skimmer? I have an idea...
"Speculating here, but I would assume something other than algae might be using it and not necessarily the UV which I think you're hinting at.
"Conversely, where does it go when it's allowed to settle into the sand?"
Why, eventually back into the system of course. Right? But then it would just filter through as food for something else.
***Now, how does all this phosphate get into the system in the first place. Death and decomposition of living material such as live rock, fish, corals, snails, and more; sure. But I'm talking about unintentionally introduced phophates. Would controlling what we put in our tanks be the most beneficial part? After all, more and more people are using RO/DI and being careful of the food they feed. Speaking of sand, it has been speculated from time to time about major physical disturbance of a sand bed (regardless of depth) is a benefit. But that is venturing more towards a BB vs DSB and that is the last place I want to go with this thread
"Would you rather have your P tied up in bacteria and other planktonic algae (all very skimmable) or other algaes that are unsightly and can overgrow coral?"
Would a proper and adequate clean up crew and selection of herbivores take unwanted macro algae out of the picture and leave that extra phosphate tied up in bacteria and planktonic algae?
"Never had ick with or without UV, so I can't comment on that one."
***FWIW, I have had it without UV and I did no "treatment" but actually increased feeding with specific foods that I found to be "healthy"
"Something's susceptibility to being skimmed is basically just a function of whether or not it is amphipathic (both hyrophobic and hydrophilic), can be imbedded in the "walls" of a bubble, and pushed out of the system. To my knowledge, only very large particles would be difficult to skim. Consequently, there is no more effective use of a skimmer than to get the bubbles to pop at the top and "throw" the associated water into the cup. Wet skimming rules...IMO of course.
"***I'm a wet skimmer myself, but for the sake of knowledge how big is too big of a particle to make it difficult to pull out
"Eeegh...SPS do not eat phyto."
***They don't? What do they eat? I may have been mislead by the masses.
I know that they highly depend on their replationship with their zooxanthallae algae, but SPS have a polyps for a reason don't they?"Phosphate is an antagonist to calcification. Meso and Eutrophic waters have reservoirs of phosphate. That's enough for me to know what's right.
"This is a tough one to decide on. Basically, sacrifice coral growth for food for others? It almost seems like Phosphates are being given a near completely bad wrap. There has to be something phosphates are good for besides algal growth
*** - Denotes a side topic. Feel free to PM me about it for the sake of not swerving the thread off topic
G-money
Premium Member
Well, it's also a good idea to have a way to deal with some of the non-amphipathic organic acids and compounds that are produced in the tank. Skimmers won't touch those as they are. They need to be "modified", adsorbed or broken down. Any ideas? :lol:
Wet skimming is the biggie though. IMO, of course.
:lol:Wet skimming is the biggie though. IMO, of course.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6968653#post6968653 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NoSchwag
I drew none about UV, that was already done for me.
Sorry... Did I do that?
Or did you mean the recommendations? I don't want to step on toes or put words in anyones mouth.
Travis L. Stevens
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6968789#post6968789 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NoSchwag
Do you wet skim, or do you have wet skimmate
Neither at the moment, but before I started remodeling, it was a bit of both. I didn't have a way to regulate the height of the water in my sump where the skimmer was located. So, when the sump was full, it was wet skimmate and as I evaporated water it turned into wet skimming until I refilled my sump and went back to wet skimmate. I never had my sump drop so low that it was dry skimming though.
I might have my "wet skimmate" and "wet skim" terms mixed up, but you get what I mean.
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