Temporary UV setup

[SaracensRugby]

So I have a couple tanks, that are both setup already. I want to get a UV that I can use back and forth between tanks as needed. Maybe one month on main one, a couple weeks on other, etc.

A. do most people run UV constantly on their tanks? Meaning if I start/stop will I be chasing the algae tail so to speak?
B. if I do this, should I just set up a quick and dirty DT to DT closed loop? Won't be pretty when it is running as it will be out in the open, but think both tanks could benefit from UV.

Cheers.

 

[Tamberav]

UV only effects what runs through it... so bacteria blooms...green water... some strains of dino. It will not help GHA/cyano/diatoms.

So what is your goal here? What are you trying to cure? You may not need it at all and moving it around may be pointless.

 

[SaracensRugby]

@Tamberav: I had been battling some weird algae type stuff on my sand bed for about a year, guessing dinos. It does not go on my rock work at all. I have tried many water changes with siphoning it over over a couple weeks, lowering nutrients some with GFO, but nothing seems to work. Tried Vibrant as well. The algae on the sand bed does lighten up over night, which leads me to believe the UV would destroy a good bit of this issue as it seems to be free floating at night. The second tank is new and almost bare bottom, and is going through the uglies, so figure it could not hurt there. Make sense and/or am I missing something?

 

[Tamberav]

@Tamberav: I had been battling some weird algae type stuff on my sand bed for about a year, guessing dinos. It does not go on my rock work at all. I have tried many water changes with siphoning it over over a couple weeks, lowering nutrients some with GFO, but nothing seems to work. Tried Vibrant as well. The algae on the sand bed does lighten up over night, which leads me to believe the UV would destroy a good bit of this issue as it seems to be free floating at night. The second tank is new and almost bare bottom, and is going through the uglies, so figure it could not hurt there. Make sense and/or am I missing something?

If you fix the cause of the dinos, biodiversity... low nutrients and such then you should not need to run it all the time. I used a large UV in the past on a nano for a month while I fixed the problem and it did not return once I removed it.

I doubt it does anything for the uglies, my tank went through the ugly phase and I had a UV on it from day one.

 

[SaracensRugby]

Yeah, I had nitrate at 5 and phosphate at .16, which I though extreme low numbers led to Dino’s. Not in my case apparently. It seems like a lot to spend on a fix for this, if you factor in I need to buy a pump for this as well. Tank is 2 or three years old now, can’t remember which. So not a “new” tank.

 

[anthonygf]

So I have a couple tanks, that are both setup already. I want to get a UV that I can use back and forth between tanks as needed. Maybe one month on main one, a couple weeks on other, etc.

A. do most people run UV constantly on their tanks? Meaning if I start/stop will I be chasing the algae tail so to speak?
B. if I do this, should I just set up a quick and dirty DT to DT closed loop? Won't be pretty when it is running as it will be out in the open, but think both tanks could benefit from UV.

Cheers.

I put my 25watt UV bulb in the sump next to return pump and has been there running 24/7 for 4 years now, of course I replace the bulb every year or sooner. You won't need a pump, and the bulb is water tight. Cheap enough you can buy 2.

 

[Jon Fishman]

I run 100 Watts of UV (Four 25W Aqua UVs) on a 150 gallon system, 24/7

If you’re battling algae you will want continuous..... if you just want clearer water you could run on each tank for a few days each month and probably be happy with the results.