penguinleo Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Does a UV Sanitizer in a planted aquarium help decrease the amount of algae in the tank? And is it a CONSIDERABLE decrease? Or does it actual prevent the algae from growing? Besides the fact that it kills pathogens and etc. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 It will kill free floating algae (which are like photosynthesizing bacteria) but it will do nothing to kill algae that is not in the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 In other words, it'll kill green water but do nothing for algae on surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquarium Dude Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Dont get me wrong, I dont know but wouldnt a uv steriliser kill algae spores which create algae on things, so if you ran a uv steriliser from the start it would prevent alge woulnt it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 I had that thought too I'm curiously watching this thread, as I'm always fighting the war against thread algae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 One is "free swimming" so will go through the sanitizer and the other is anchored so will not. It may reduce the reproduction of the anchored algae by killing spores but it is more than likely that the anchored algae will grow by cell division than by sending free floating spores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquarium Dude Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 cell division? Woulnt it help though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 No Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 Yeah, it would help, in some tiny microscopic fractional way. But you'd get about 1000 times the bang for the buck as far as algae fighting goes by doing a water change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguinleo Posted January 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 So if you DID NOT have green water but just had some green dot algae on the glass and on some plants and tiny bits of sludgy algae, would you get a UV sanitizer? Or would it not be worth the money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpidersWeb Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 Not worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 If anything it will make it worse, all the plants, algae's etc are compeating for food, if you kill one (the free floating) it going to leave more food for the other types. If you have an algae problem you need to find out why , not try and put a bandaid on the syptom. You have to remeber that you need a balance in the tank, light, C02, and nutirants, if anyone of these is out you will get algae problems. The most common is nutirants, through either, over feeding, not enough water changes, or poor water filtering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 17, 2007 Report Share Posted January 17, 2007 UV sanitizers are not specific. They kill everything that is vulnerable. (good and bad) Your tank is a living thing and if you kill off part of it you upset the natural balance. Everything that is killed contains protein and protein contains phosphate that can be released in the water. The only time I have used UV is when I was using seawater to keep cold water marines and removing it from the sea upsets the balance and can cause a bloom of microorganisms. I would only use it to control algae when growing madigascar lace (dream on) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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