U.V. sterilizers. Do you use One?

I have a wicked algea prob. I have battled with it for years some months it's better than others but it is always there!
I have heard that U.V.'s kill all the good bacteria along with the bad is this true? Will this solve my algea problem?
And what is the best one to get with a 55 gal tank no sump? and how do you install them in line from a canister filter it's own pump? Please help!

 

Who cares. A bacterium measures it's life in hours...not years. Besides, most of them live in a biofilm on surfaces (sandbed, live rock, tank walls, etc.) anyway.

UV will kill any algal spore that goes through it but it won't have any impact on the algae you already have. For that, you have to figure out what it's feeding off of. The location of the algae tells you where your problem lies usually. For instance, if it's on one particular piece of LR, then your best best is to remove that rock, scrub the algae off, and rinse in saltwater well to remove any spores and return the rock to the tank. If algae is growing on the sandbed, then your sandbed might have filled up.

What kind of algae do you have, and where is it located? Do you use RO/DI water or tapwater, what do you feed, etc.

 

what do you mean by the sand bed filling up?
The algea is on the sand bed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What U.V. whould you recommed?
Every thing in the tank looks good except some zoo's in a colony which won't open because there is algea on the rock next to them!

 

I don't believe he is recommending any UV...probably won't make a difference.

To properly run UV anyway, you need a prefilter, water clarifier (carbon or something) and a new UV bulb every 6 months or so. Very difficult to properly prepare tank water for UV sterilization.

He is getting at treating the source of the problem, not just the symptoms.

Sandbeds, if not properly maintained can be nutrient sinks..in other words, organic debris gets into the sandbed and is not removed by either infauna, mechanical stirring and / or replacement. The debris sits there and rots creating food for algae.


I do not have a deep sandbed in my display and I stir a different section every two weeks or so.

In my fuge, I have a deep sandbed and it is full of infauna to help keep it aerated and clean. Bristleworms , microstarfish, snails and hermits. I will replace 1/3 of it in about one years time. If all parameters are normal, another section will be replaced every 6 months to a year.

If you could answer Curt's other questions, we could help you a bit better! ;D

 

I use only distilled water which I had tested and has 0 phos., 0 nitrites, and 0 nitrates. I feed super sparingly because of algae. The algae is on the sand red and green.
I am sick of it and want it to go
here are some pics.

 

I didn't realize that this would get so deep so fast. I'm quite swamped at the moment but it looks like Birdlady understands the issues so if I don't respond quickly enough, you're in good hands. With proper maintenance, sandbeds can last several years whether it be bio-turbation by critters or mechanical means by humans.

I'm waiting for a phone call ATM so I have a little typing time. Sounds like you're using a fairly good water source. So how else does P and N get into the system? Everytime you put food in your tank, you are putting Phosphorus into your system. Everytime a pod dies in your system, P is being added. Everytime a single airborn bacterium lands in your tank, P is being added. Basically, you have no choice in the matter.

What do you do about it? Minimize P and N in any way possible is my recommendation. However, you are already stuck. Your sandbed appears to be leaching phosphates because the algaes are definately feeding off of something. Explaining "filled up" is not in the time parameters I have available right now.

I'm going to throw some options at you and you can decide what to do.

1: Increase your sand-stirrer clean-up crew to increase bio-turbation and see if it improves.
2: Siphon the top 1/3 of your sand bed to clean it of excess waste to buy some more time. Don't do this to the entire sandbed unless you are convinced that you have no Sulphid Zones in it.
3: Put your critters into another tank, rip out the bed, and put a new one in.

 

I had the same problem till I built my sump/fug. Gone in about week yuip

 

I don't disagree with that. Alagal Fuges can be quite useful at hindering problem algaes in the display tank. However, I'm worried that his sandbed has filled up and is now leaching....might be right....might be wrong. Only time will tell. Unfortunately, the facts lead to leaching IMO.

 

Is it algae? It looks like it could be cyanobacteria as well...

I would, for starters, increase water flow to the affected areas to keep further detrius from settling

 

Whenever I have any problem with algea on my 72 I do water changes weekly and use a bottom siphon to pull stuff out of the sand I find that I have to stay on top of ALL the filter media By changing it out weekly