UV Sterilizer vs. Cyanobacteria

[Sonicblast12]

Pretty self explanatory title, can UV prevent cyano?

I know it can stamp out some "green issues" but what about the purple slime we all love?

 

[wsz594]

They will help with cyano for sure. Best thing for cyano is a reactor running GFO. Cyano occurs when phosphate levels are high. You may want to look at why your phosphates are high also. If your using tap water, stop it, also rinse any frozen food before you put it in your tank, and dont overfeed.

 

[Sonicblast12]

I do use tap, and I run four different tanks. A 125, a 75, a 55, and a 29.

The smaller tanks have minor cyano and are run without skimmers. A little stirring of the sand and it disappears for a few days. Water clarity is fine in those. No problem.

But my 125 had persistant cyano problems and water clarity issues. A few months ago I removed the substrate and added a UV sterilizer. The cyano no longer formed on the bottom of the tank but still remained on the rocks. Water clarity improved. After a little while I removed the rocks and scubbed off the remaining cyano and it never returned.

Was it the removal of the substrate or the addition of the UV that has kept the cyano at bay? Probably a little of both. I assume the UV destroys some things that feed cyano.

The reason I ask is because I'm tired of looking at the bare bottom and would like some nice white sand in there again, but don't want to be greeted by another green/purple carpet.

 

[wsz594]

Man, with all those tanks, a reverse osmosis/deionizing system is must. You could pick one up new for under $150. Try to get one made specifically for reefing. Also think about running a GFO reactor. Reactors are cheap, and running GFO will reduce your phosphates to almost nothing. I started using one on my 240g a couple weeks ago and I will never go without it now. My phosphates get high because I dump like 6-8 silversides, 2 ounces of frozen krill, a cube of mysis, some freeze dried krill, a quarter sheet of nori, and a small handfull of Dainichi everyday into my tank! It all gets eaten, but that much food produces alot of fish poop.

 

[jimmy_beaner]

I believe cyano is substrate bound... not free floating. Thus a UV sterilizer won't do anything to it. That said, the cyano will clear up if you manage to start controlling what it feeds off. So, run GFO in a reactor, limit the phosphates you introduce, and grow macro algae in the fuge.

 

[alanbates12]

I agree you should invest in a RODI system. Cyano is usually caused by high Phosphates and Nitrates. Usually these are elevated because your feeding to much. The UV sterilizer may help but it want prevent. It did not come back because you removed it physically. Thats the best way to get rid of it or you can use chemclean to get it off the rock. Preventing the cause it the best cure. And learning that is a must or it will just continue to come back. Proper husbandry is best. My advice is before you start with GFO or UV sterilizer find out where your problem is coming from.

 

[Sonicblast12]

I believe cyano is substrate bound... not free floating. Thus a UV sterilizer won't do anything to it. That said, the cyano will clear up if you manage to start controlling what it feeds off. So, run GFO in a reactor, limit the phosphates you introduce, and grow macro algae in the fuge.

But doesn't the UV neutralize much of what fuels cyano in the first place? I can't think of any other reason that my rocks remained clean after removing most of the cyano.

Years ago, my first saltwater tank was plagued with cyano and I did a lot of research then, so I know exactly what is causes it and how to get rid of it. I used nothing but RODI water then and still had issues.

I eliminated the cyano in my tank with nitrate/phosphate heavy tap water with little effort, that's not really the issue. I'm wondering is if the UV alone can keep it from getting a foothold again, or does the high flow bare bottom with wet skimming play a larger factor in its remission?

 

[wsz594]

I promiss you using RO will help. Also the UV will definetly help, many species of cyano DO have a free-floating stage, dont listen to what anyone else tells ya. Unicellurar Cyano like the the slime you have reproduces by binary fission, and when they split sometimes pieces break free and become free-floating. The UV will break down organic molecules also. I swear by em for FOWLRs. I run a real slow flow through mine(about 100gph) to maximize the kill rate.

 

[Sonicblast12]

Actually the cyano I had was not red/purple, it was green. A light green gel that would thicken and become almost black if left unattended. Hadn't seen that before.

And I love the UV for water clarity alone, even if it does nothing else it would be worth it for me.

I'm going to toss in a thin layer of sand and see how it goes.

 

[Recty]

UV destroys organics, as does ozone. Both will help break down nutrients in the water, thus slowing the growth of cyano.

I had a cyano problem going in my 210 and started ozone running, water turned crystal clear and cyano dried up and disappeared within a couple weeks... miracle

 

[MrTuskfish]

, dont listen to what anyone else tells ya.

IMO, this is an absurd comment to make on a forum. A forum is an exchange of opinions, ideas, and experiences. Nothing more, nothing less. A fellow hobbyist posts a question, hears all sorts of info, then makes up his mind; based on the forum members comments. To represent your comments as the only thing worth reading goes against the grain of the entire concept of a "forum.

 

[wsz594]

IMO, this is an absurd comment to make on a forum. A forum is an exchange of opinions, ideas, and experiences. Nothing more, nothing less. A fellow hobbyist posts a question, hears all sorts of info, then makes up his mind; based on the forum members comments. To represent your comments as the only thing worth reading goes against the grain of the entire concept of a "forum.

Its not absurd at all, its a matter of someone telling him the wrong information. Saying that cyano doesnt go free-floating is just plain wrong, it has nothing to do with his opinion. I was not saying that my comment was the only one worth reading, I was just stating that one of the posts was not scientifically sound. If someone told him that pouring bleach in his would cure Cyano, if would be fair to correct that person right. I went to school for this stuff, im just trying to help the guy out.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Its not absurd at all, its a matter of someone telling him the wrong information. Saying that cyano doesnt go free-floating is just plain wrong, it has nothing to do with his opinion. I was not saying that my comment was the only one worth reading, I was just stating that one of the posts was not scientifically sound. If someone told him that pouring bleach in his would cure Cyano, if would be fair to correct that person right. I went to school for this stuff, im just trying to help the guy out.

I may have jumped the gun and got the wrong impression from the post. Sorry if this was the case.

 

[jimmy_beaner]

Its not absurd at all, its a matter of someone telling him the wrong information. Saying that cyano doesnt go free-floating is just plain wrong, it has nothing to do with his opinion. I was not saying that my comment was the only one worth reading, I was just stating that one of the posts was not scientifically sound. If someone told him that pouring bleach in his would cure Cyano, if would be fair to correct that person right. I went to school for this stuff, im just trying to help the guy out.

Is it your opinion that cyano doesn't live in/on substrate? The statement wasn't that it *can't* go free floating to spread around. The cyano being described is a phototropic biofilm... again, not free floating. This wasn't to suggest they couldn't go planktonic or that some of them aren't free floating. When they are in the biofilm stage, the UV sterilizer won't directly kill them as they aren't free floating.

 

[MrTuskfish]

IMO; UV is,at best, a band-aid approach to any problem. Algae, bacteria, parasites, etc. These problems require a near 100% kill rate and that's impossible with UV; because all of the water would need to pass through a well-maintained UV with precise flow. No UV can do that; which is why UV isn't nearly as popular as it once was, except with pondkeepers.

 

[Sonicblast12]

Every single piece of equipment in the marine hobby is a band aid.

 

[dzfish17]

I dont know much about floating or non floating algae but I'm using a UV sterilizer on my tank and it clearly keeps the nuisance algae at bay. My tank was originally set up for FW and I had a really bad problem with algae and cloudy water. I installed the UV sterilizer and it cleared it up pretty quickly. I decided to leave it on the tank and run it a few days a week. I think once the tank is established (9mo-12mo.) its probably not necessary to use it.

 

[L.R.fisherman]

Cyanobacteria or Red Slime is usually caused by having a high nutrient system. This would include high nitrates and phosphates. By doing regular RO/DI water changes and limit your feeding schedule will help with these issues.

 

[Sonicblast12]

Sand back in the tank. We'll see how it goes.

 

[kiel]

A forum is an exchange of opinions, ideas, and experiences. Nothing more, nothing less. A fellow hobbyist posts a question, hears all sorts of info, then makes up his mind; based on the forum members comments. To represent your comments as the only thing worth reading goes against the grain of the entire concept of a "forum.

totally agree with that.....

in the right mood it's easy to loose your cool when sharing a 2d cyberspace space with someone elses head, but even when supported by facts (which can be different depending on who you ask ) there's never any harm in listening to the alternative.....

there seems to be a whole lot of different ideas about cyano bacteria, but it continues to be the bane of many people marine system.....that alone is a fairly convincing indication we're far from having how these organisms work all wrapped up