Uv sterilizer in sps tank

[rogergolf66]

What's the feeling on this? I'm getting an unknown algea growth and a little bit cyno growing in established sps tank. It has been suggested to me to try adding a uv sterilizer. Any thoughts on this?

Roger

 

[sirreal63]

I have never used an UV sterilizer but I can tell you most people have a little cyano or other algae, even if they don't want to admit it. I have Valonia and a little cyano that comes and goes. The Valonia is the only pest algae I have at the moment, I don't count the cyano because it has never been that bad. I have seen at least a hundred tanks over the years, just about every one had something. The UV probably will not effect either one so I don't think I would bother with it.

 

[rogergolf66]

Ok called local fish store they say don't do it. It will clear up water to fast and burn corals. Also kills good bacteria.

 

[rogergolf66]

I have never used an UV sterilizer but I can tell you most people have a little cyano or other algae, even if they don't want to admit it. I have Valonia and a little cyano that comes and goes. The Valonia is the only pest algae I have at the moment, I don't count the cyano because it has never been that bad. I have seen at least a hundred tanks over the years, just about every one had something. The UV probably will not effect either one so I don't think I would bother with it.

The for response.

Any idea what this algea is?

It doesn't blow off like cyno does

 

[sirreal63]

It looks a little diatoms, kind of haed to see on phone. See if it brushes off with a toothbrush.

 

[rogergolf66]

Yes brushes off!!! What's the fix so it doesn't come back after I brush it off?

 

[sirreal63]

To be honest, I haven't dealt with them in years but never did anything, they went away on their own or were eaten by snails.

 

[rogergolf66]

All brushed off with tooth brush. What do u think it was?

 

[tdb320reef]

I had a 55 Gallon with a 25 watt old school UV and that tank ran with out issue for almost 12 years.

When I set up my 320 I took everyone's advice and did not install a UV as I ran Bio-Pellets. Since I decided to remove them and had some unknown Bacteria/Virus issue that attacked all of my Acros/ Stylos/ Birdsnest slowly killing them from the bottom up I installed a 57 watt Aqua UV as one of the remediation steps. Not only did it clear up my tank right away I think it helped minimize the plague my tank was going through. In addition some sensitive fish like powerblue tang and blue hippo show 0 signs of ich and the fish coloration is much more significant.

I properly installed with the correct flow is an insurance policy and a risk mitigation of the lose of fish or a bacteria/virus outbreak IMO.

Read what a popular Reefer said in his TOTM about UV. Since my tank resembles his I decided to take his advice moving forward.

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/76-tank-of-the-month

Another Point of Reference is a local reefer that literally has a 2- foot tall by 3 foot wide green slimmer colony and a Red Table that was about the same size. Both corals pretty much fill up his 300 gallon Deep Tank. I have never seen mature colonies this large. He has run UV on if for years.

 

[jda]

I have never used an UV sterilizer but I can tell you most people have a little cyano or other algae, even if they don't want to admit it.

So true.

I don't use UV, but I would have no issues with it if I wanted to. I used to use it, but mostly because I did not QT my fish as well as I do now.

Most tanks will have some amount of algae, diatoms or cyano. If you starve those, you starve the coral too. My approach is to keep the N and P undetectable on Salifert test kits, have a clean up crew to eat the diatoms and algae and deal with the occasional cyano when it pops up (it usually does not need to be dealt with).

I get a small patch of cyano every so often about the size of a half dollar - I suck it out when I do a water change and it might not come back for months. I can get diatoms, hair algae or other types if I don't have enough snails.

Get enough astreas and they will take care of most of it. I use about 75-100 in my 120 and about 150-200 in my 240. I get the little ones from reeftopia and they grow up in my tank. They are cheap too.

Do you have an adequate clean up crew to consume this stuff? I don't see any in the picture and in my tank, there might be 2-3 snails in a shot that size.

 

[Epicreefer]

UV only effects what's suspended in the water, so in theory it could help reduce spors from cyano or diatoms and reduce the spreading. But realistically if conditions are right for growth it will grow, those spors float around in the tank and lie dormant on all your rocks till conditions are right and you'll never get rid of them. I recently had a small patch of cyano form, probably from overfeeding, took biopellets offline and quit feeding for 3 days, it disappeared within a week on it's own no siphoning or scrubbing needed. This happened to coincide with my fridge dying and my fish food going bad hence the no feeding.

I also maintain many systems with uv and only one has had cyano bad in the tank but almost all do have cyano in the refugium, typically where the uv closed loop is, in fact it may be more prevalent than the macro. It helps a lot with water clarity but I think ozone would be a better investment than uv with the controlled orp levels and that's what I'm going to put on my personal tank when funds allow. I have also seen a direct correlation with cyano being more prevalent in tanks with carbon dosing. Makes sence that dosing carbon to grow bacteria increases cyano bacteria populations as well.

 

[rogergolf66]

Thanks for all the responses. I algea cyno in tanks that carbon dose seems very common

 

[ggsteve]

I also maintain many systems with uv and only one has had cyano bad in the tank but almost all do have cyano in the refugium, typically where the uv closed loop is, in fact it may be more prevalent than the macro. It helps a lot with water clarity

Interesting. As I read this thread I wondered if, assuming a UV could reduce unwanted algae in a tank, would it also reduce algae in the refugium where you want it. Your results would seem to indicate otherwise.

I have a UV kicking around the basement that came with a tank I bought off of CL and I go back and forth as to whether I want to install it on my 65. It's pretty crowded in that cabinet. If I sold the copper from all the wires under there I could probably fund another tank!