UV QUESTIONS FOR YOU FOLKS

Victoria M · Mar 20, 2020

I am getting black “stuff” when I flush my UV light. I have taken it apart to look for plastic breakdown but I don't see anything. A second set of eyes inspecting it did not find anything either. Anybody see this too? Is it just debris that is killed by the light and it is heavy so settles in the tube?

piranhaman00 · Mar 20, 2020

Is it a jebao by chance?

rusty hannon · Mar 20, 2020

I do see it but don't know it's oragin I haven't even had to change my buld n 2 years.good luck though n happy reefing.R

Victoria M · Mar 20, 2020

piranhaman00 said:
Is it a jebao by chance?

Is that an axolotl I see in your avatar?!

yes it is a jebao.

piranhaman00 · Mar 20, 2020

Victoria M said:
Is that an axolotl I see in your avatar?! yes it is a jebao.

Yes it is!

Yes the jebao UV are known to leech plastic. The UV degrades the cheap plastic housing. I would stop using it immediately.

Victoria M · Mar 22, 2020

That is sad.

Dom · Mar 22, 2020

Interesting. I'll have to look at mine. It isn't a Jebao, but it is a cheap generic 36 watt light that I purchased from eBay.

45ZoaGarden · Mar 22, 2020

piranhaman00 said:
Yes it is!

Yes the jebao UV are known to leech plastic. The UV degrades the cheap plastic housing. I would stop using it immediately.

Before you jump to that conclusion, I have one question. It may sound weird and completely irrelevant but here it goes. Do you run carbon?

Victoria M · Mar 22, 2020

45ZoaGarden said:
Before you jump to that conclusion, I have one question. It may sound weird and completely irrelevant but here it goes. Do you run carbon?

Intermittently but it is after the UV pump.

MentalNote · Mar 23, 2020

Does carbon have an affect on UV sterilizers?

My understanding is that carbon would absorb organic matter passing through it. Would this cleaner water then have an impact on the UV?

piranhaman00 · Mar 23, 2020

MentalNote said:
Does carbon have an affect on UV sterilizers?

My understanding is that carbon would absorb organic matter passing through it. Would this cleaner water then have an impact on the UV?

I think he was hinting at that it could be residual carbon particles build up in the UV and not plastic.

MentalNote · Mar 23, 2020

Ahh, ok.. and the last horse crosses the finish line....

dwest · Mar 23, 2020

Victoria M said:
Is that an axolotl I see in your avatar?! yes it is a jebao.

My jebao UV did that too after about 6 months. I finally bit the bullet and bought an aqua uv.

45ZoaGarden · Mar 23, 2020

Yup.

piranhaman00 said:
I think he was hinting at that it could be residual carbon particles build up in the UV and not plastic.

piranhaman00 · Mar 23, 2020

MentalNote said:
Ahh, ok.. and the last horse crosses the finish line....

lol

45ZoaGarden · Mar 23, 2020

The carbon will still enter the water and eventually end up in the UV. I’m not saying that’s definitely what it is but it’s definitely a realistic possibility.

Victoria M said:
Intermittently but it is after the UV pump.

45ZoaGarden · Mar 23, 2020

If you have a microscope, put some under the microscope. Plastic would be one chunk but carbon should be a bunch of tiny particles bundled together.

Victoria M · Mar 23, 2020

45ZoaGarden said:
If you have a microscope, put some under the microscope. Plastic would be one chunk but carbon should be a bunch of tiny particles bundled together.

I thought about looking at it. But I was doing a million things at the same time. So I might run it again just so I can look at the black stuff.