Too much UV exposure?

[Krish]

I was just curious...If using a UV sterilizer, is there a such thing as water having too much exposure of UV light from too slow of a flow running through the UV sterilizer?

 

[Rock-N-Ruin]

Here, I clicked on this thinking I was gonna see a pic. of you in a lawnchair.....buwaahahahahhhaha

 

[Krish]

Here, I clicked on this thinking I was gonna see a pic. of you in a lawnchair.....buwaahahahahhhaha

LMBO! I clicked on here thinking you had some info for me!:lol:

 

[spongebob lover]

well you see now this is becoming to much clicking .
I really don't know dood .. i'm sorry i can't help you.

 

[-=dieseldave=-]

What does slower flow mean, 10% below the rated flow 50% what?
I think that running UV is something you use on a reef tank if you have a problem like Ick not all the time. It kills so much good stuff to (zooplankton). That means lower pod populations in the main tank if you have a refugium you might be ok.
Anyway the only problem with running your UV sterilizer with lower flow is that it is not destroying as many cells as it could.
Just my ½ cent.

 

[Rock-N-Ruin]

From what I have read, you want lower flow (usually set by manufacture) so you will have longer contact time from the UV to the water, It makes sense if water is flying through there at 1000gph it would be too fast to be effective.

Krish: try SPF 45.. hee hee hee hee JK..

 

[liveforphysics]

Depends on the design of the sterilizer. If you slow the flow, its going to more throughly kill things in the water. This means it will be killing more complex animals in the water. Speeding up the flow would cause less and less things to be killed, right up to the point where it does nothing at all.

There is no reason at all to run one unless you are trying to purify the water of some envadeing paracite. If you dont actively have a paracite out break in your tank, you are only hurting your ecosystem.

 

[Krish]

Thanks for the replies. I don't have a UV sterilizer and actually never gave it all that much consideration because I'm not one to throw any and everything in my tank. Konck on wood, never had parasites, ich etc so I personally don't see the need for one in my situation. The reason why I asked was because Tony just installed one and I had asked him about the "too little flow issue", but we never really came up with a concrete answer.

Krish: try SPF 45.. hee hee hee hee JK..

LOL...I go out bare man. I usually shed twice every summer. I always say the next day after getting burnt, that I have to put on sun block the next time, but when the next time rolls around, I'm so anxious to get back in the water I say screw it! and jump right back in!

 

[MikeS]

Anyway the only problem with running your UV sterilizer with lower flow is that it is not destroying as many cells as it could.

Yes and no, depending on the size of the sterilizer vs. water volume of the tank and the amount of flow going through it. Generally speaking, a slower flow through the sterilizer will increase dwell time, which will in turn have the effect of killing a larger percentage of microorganisims that actually pass through the sterilizer, but at the same time, the total volume of tank water passing through the sterilizer over a given time period is reduced, effectively exposing less total microorganisims to the UV light.

Can you overuse UV sterilization? I'd have to say no on that one. The bulk of beneficial bacteria in the tank live in/on the rock, substrate, and other surfaces and will never be exposed to the UV sterilizer. As far as things like zooplankton are concerned, yes the UV will impact their populations, but then the question becomes how much your tank relys upon them as a food source to begin with, which I would have to say is probably pretty minimal.

When I began reefkeeping, I was opposed to UV sterilization, but I've come 180 degrees on that issue, I think it is a beneficial tool in controlling algae and disease, and I think the impact on beneficial bacteria in the tank is quite minimal. The good far outweigh the negatives on this one, IMO....

MikeS

 

[Krish]

Thank you for the info and input Mike. I've heard that UV sterilizers kill algae spores. Does this include the cyno we accidentally brush off of our rocks into our water column or the diatoms we scrape off of our glass with our magnets? If so, I can definately see where it can be useful there. Another thought I had on UV sterilizers was my friend Andrew has started using natural sea water in his tank now. I've been asked on many occasions why I don't do it seeing I have all the water I need in my back yard. I'm personally afraid of adding too many nasties in my tank this way seeing I'd have to get the water close in to shore to make it worth wild. But in Andrews case, maybe a UV sterilizer would be an effective way of "preparing" natural sea water for him...Maybe

 

[MikeS]

Sure Krish, IMO, UV sterilization would be a great way to rid NSW of unwanted organisims prior to introduction to the tank. But honestly, since I live thousands of miles away from the nearest NSW, it's something I really have no first hand experience with. Many members here use NSW, I think you should start a thread asking how they prep it prior to using it, that would be a great topic in the Advanced Forum IMO...

As for Cyano...the UV will kill any free floating cyano in the tank that passes through it, but will do nothing for patches growing on the rock or substrate. However, especially in a healthy tank, reducing the number of free floating cyanobacteria can do nothing but help, IMO...

MikeS

 

[Krish]

Cool...Thanks Mike Since Andrew is the one venturing into the NSW, i'll tell him about starting the thread and see how it goes from there...

 

[spongebob lover]

When I began reefkeeping, I was opposed to UV sterilization, but I've come 180 degrees on that issue, I think it is a beneficial tool in controlling algae and disease, and I think the impact on beneficial bacteria in the tank is quite minimal. The good far outweigh the negatives on this one, IMO.

yuuhhuu !!! i have hope ... sorry dood i just had to say it.

 

[tony2005]

lmao,is this really bothering u krish:lolk the reason why i went brought a uv is because just recently i had lost my fox face to ich and i wanted to kill them all without using any chemical and yes i had the flow running slow enough to kill the ich and now i have it running @ full flow to give my water a crystal clear look which will get those floating organims and algae.

so this the reason i went and invest in a uv,so i don't have to used any chemical especially went i have corals in my tank and with all the chemical out there it's hard to tell if it is reef safe imo,just remember what killing our reefs.


imo maybe it 's just me but i'm a true believer in uv sterilizer is because i had a uv in my 120gal for 3yrs and never had to trouble with ich went is was a fowlr or a reef tank and believe or not i never had to have a isolation tank to treats my fish,knock on wood:lol:

but still i would like to know what will happen if u do go real slow on the flow slower than what the instuction said

 

[wrightme43]

Well if you go just crazy stupid slow, you could probley decrease bulb life thru lack of cooling.
Just my opinion about things, the manufacturer may just possibley have some idea what they are doing. LOL LOL What I mean is, the flow rates they reccomend are probley able to do what they say they will.
If you wanna kill parisites the reccomended flow rate to kill parisites is the way to go, if just algae go with what they reccomend.

 

[Aquatic Guru]

Man just reading this post, I now don't know if I need a UV or not? I was going to get one but now I don't know if I need it. I don't have any fish that had ick on them. All I have is 2 false clown, sixline, and a goby. Should I get one or is it a waste of money. Still debating if I should buy some sort of tang in the future though. Then I might think of getting one.