UV Sterilizers, for freshy's too?

[Alchemy129]

I regularly buy stuff from Fosters and Smith so i get catalogs all the time and for a while now i've been eyeing their uv sterilizers, i can get one for my size tank for about $100 so price isn't a issue, but would i see any improvement in my tank? I notice i have alot of algae growth on my plants and theres small debri in my water that my Xp3 isnt getting and its really annoying me, would the UV help with either of these and make my water more clear? Thats what I'm getting from the descriptions but they are all written biased towards saltys so i wasnt sure.

Tank info:
It's a 65 gallon medium to heavy planted tank with a spraybar Xp3 , 96 watt 10k/6700k bulb and laterites in the soil and i dose the full liquid fert library about once a week. I feed pretty well becasue i have lots of small fish in there as opposed to just having 3 big ugly ones like some people like to do with big tanks(no offense to anyone). Its becoming mainly a rainbow tank with a school of Boseami's that i'm slowly adding too along with a school of New Guineas and a pair of australians. Other inhabitants include a large mixed school of panda and albino cories and a school of brilliant rasboras that are starting to get older and get more red in there tails.

Thanks alot in advance!

 

[triazole]

i found them to be very handy if you have a case of gw.
other than that, they won't help much with filtration.
sometimes, recommended for discus tanks.
try adding some filter floss in the xp3 for smaller particles.

 

[Alchemy129]

What's gw? green water?
and on a side note i posted this at 10:30 this morning so in 12 hours I got 1 reply? I know i've been gone a while , but when did these forums die so hard? seriously...

 

[Devilishturtles]

Posts usually die down in the summer because people are outside and doing other things. It could also be the fact that triazole pretty much summed up the answer to your post.

They might help kill some algae, but I doubt it'd solve your problems. Personally I can't justify spending the money on a UV sterlizer unless I absolutely needed to clear green water issues. Do you run CO2 on your tank? That might be part of your problem.

 

[Alchemy129]

Thanks, I don't run CO2 in my tank, are insinuating that that would make the situation better or worse? I'm guessing worse, so no thats not the source of my problem. I guess i'll just add a few more layers of filter floss to my pump here next time i do maintenance on it. I'm guessing my problem is my lighting works a litttle too well and i don't have the proper filter media, thanks guys!

 

[Devilishturtles]

Actually, for the most part, CO2 would greatly help your algae issues. If you tank is heavily planted, that may be your problem. I would post a thread in the planted tank forum, with your lighting, fert schedule, and possibly plants listed out and the plant gurus can probably tell you their verdict on CO2 or not. I don't know enough about planted tanks to say, sorry.

 

[Big Ben]

High light+no co2=algae. I second Devilishturtles. It doesn't sound like your lighting isnt That high, but it looks to be def in the medium range. Your plants would grow way better with co2. You can make a diy system for pretty cheap like this one http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html#6 . I don't think dosing goes as far without the co2. But yeah the plant forum is top of the line

 

[newfound77951]

96 watts on a 65 is fairly low light, but still, CO2 always helps with algae, as well as plant growth. To do DIY CO2 on a tank that size will require a good, powered diffuser, I don't think a passive diffuser would do much good on a big tank. I second adding some filter floss to the XP3 to help with the cloudyness...if cloudy water is a chronic problem (could be the laterite in the gravel if you are replanting frequently) a diatom filter might be a better choice as that will clear the water up very well. The UV only kills algae floating in the water, it won't help algae growing on anything nor will it do anything about particulates in the water.

 

[Alchemy129]

So a diatom filter would cut back alot on my algae growing all over my plants and all over everything else so quickly? I have to scrape the glass quite often and its getting on the leaves of all my plants, who are growing extremeely well. Are there any inserts available for my Xp3 concerning diatom filtering? I'm having trouble finding a diatom filter on fosters and smith website? any help or suggestion of where and what to get for a 65 gal?

 

[newfound77951]

A diatom filter will not help with algae growing on the plants, only CO2 and correct nutrient dosing (and maybe a pleco or two!) will help with that. The diatom filter will remove very small particles from the water, making it clearer. Think of it as a water polisher. Usually they are not run all the time, just for an hour or two as needed. I have a Vortex diatom filter, I can't remember if I got it from Drs F&S or Big Als. If you have green spot algae (the little green dots that are hard to scrape off) that usually indicates a phosphate deficiency, so you might want to test your phosphate levels. I am not too familiar with the XP3s but I doubt there is an insert for a diatom filter, as it would slow the water flow down too much.

To summarize the different filter options:
--A UV kills algae and bacteria IN THE WATER only, and does not remove the dead stuff
--A diatom filter will remove ALL small particles from teh water, but is only run as needed
--Filter floss in your XP3 will remove more of the particles in the water than usual, but not as much as the diatom filter
--algae on plants is best treated with CO2, correct nutrient levels, algae eating fish, or less light. None of the above filtration methods will help.

 

[Big Ben]

alchemy, your lighting is pc right?

 

[Alchemy129]

Yes power compact 96 watt bulb thats half 10,000k and half 6700 k and it works very well all my plants are flourishing and i have to prune them often and i dose like 6 differnt bottles of various ferts about once a week. I just tried to double my otto population but all the new comers died in two days....damn ottos, I guess i'll do a like a 3 hour accliamtion process with a new batch here next time i go out.

 

[imcgary]

another down fall of the UV sterilizer for a planted tank that is being dosed is that the UV sterilizer is going to counteract alot of the nutrients that you are adding to the water. Another good way to help slow the growth of algae is by adding more plants. The more plants you have (to a certain extent) the better your tank looks and the excess nutrients that the algae would normally feed on get used up by the extra plants.

Also be carefully on what typ of algae eating fish you choose as some will also eat your plants. Visit the planted forum for alot of really good input on the overall health of your tank.