Uv steralizers, thoughts, suggestions, experiances?

[gleach]

How's this for wiered? I came home today, 48hrs give or take that I've had the Uv steralizer on and in my refugium I have a bit of green water? The main display is beautiful but just the refugium has it?

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[gleach]

Noticed my chaeto is starting to turn white now? I turned off the sterilizer. I think it is killing whatever is feeding the chaeto cause the water above the chaeto has a green film almost like the steralizer is sucking the nutrients out of the chaeto is this normal? I am 98% sure it is the steralizer I just added it this is 3 days later?

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[Mebbid]

Originally Posted by gleach

Noticed my chaeto is starting to turn white now? I turned off the sterilizer. I think it is killing whatever is feeding the chaeto cause the water above the chaeto has a green film almost like the steralizer is sucking the nutrients out of the chaeto is this normal? I am 98% sure it is the steralizer I just added it this is 3 days later?

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Its very very unlikely that it's the sterilizer. The chaeto feeds off of nitrogen, potassium, phosphate, and about a dozen micro nutrients. The uv sterilizer has no effect on any of those.

My uv sterilizer is right before my chaeto in my refugium and I'm pulling over a pound of macro algae off a month.

[gleach]

Yeah well. Just seems a bit coincedental.

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[gleach]

What would explain it bleaching and the green water hovering above it?

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[gleach]

I have had the same chaeto for 11 months and can't explain anything other than adding that steralizer that would cause that chaeto to randomly begin dieing?

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[jrc0528]

Keep in mind that the UV sterilizer kills the micro algae that is the cause of green water. The now dead organisms will have a negative effect on water quality as they decompose. Perhaps this is causing the effects you're seeing with your chaeto?

This effect is similar to the warnings you'd read on pond algae killer to increase aeration for a period as the decaying algae will lower the oxygen levels in the water.