Uv Sterilizer Stopped Working

[shodoshi]

Hi folks,

I was having a difficult time getting my tank clear so I bought a sterilizer and within a few days the water was perfect. In the last week the tank seems to be cloudy again; not as bad but not as good as it had been. The sterilizer appears functional: the intake is working, the water output is there, and the light is still on. I'm not exactly sure what happened. The water levels (ammonia, etc) are excellent. I don't see any dead fish and I've done what I know how to do to get this under control. I have done water changes with no luck.

I'm mostly interested in hearing from folks who have had a similar problem with their sterilizer and what they did to rectify it.


Thanks in advance

 

[Bignose]

I'm mostly interested in hearing from folks who have had a similar problem with their sterilizer and what they did to rectify it.

Despite this phrase right here, I'm going to say: there is most likely a root cause that needs to be investigated and remedied rather than band-aided. From your story, it looks like the UV band-aided the issue for a week, and now the band-aid isn't enough.

Overfeeding? Tank lights on for a long time or in the sun long periods? Not doing water changes? Plenty of possibilities for "cloudy water".

I suggest you post your tank specs: volume or LxWxH, your current stocking, and your current ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings, and if you have them, pH and hardness. And how long the tank has been running. This info will help people get to the root cause quicker.