Uv Sterilizer

[zuulan]

Has anyone tried one of these?


The link
Funny video here

Are they any good? I'm interested in 1 because my Cories lost their barbels (I have sand) so I want something that'll kill any bacteria in the water.

 

[KittyKat]

..you could just improve the general conditions in the tank..

 

[karin]

I think that for the corys, water changes are the best. Fresh, clean water. I do have a UV sterilizer that I use in the tank because I hate green water and this seems to do the trick but it doesn't mean that you can skip water changes and basic water care or keeping a vigil for disease IMO.

 

[zuulan]

..you could just improve the general conditions in the tank..

I do do weekly water changes etc. Everything else is fine in the tank including zero ratings on ammonia, nitrites & nitrates. No idea what's caused the barbels to go. Tried meth blue etc. Just wanted to try something else but if this just kills algae then it's no good.

 

[markandhisfish]

what substrate are you using? corys will fare much better with sand . when i had corys in gravel , which can be quite sharp/rough a lot of mine lost barbels . but when i had them on sand not a single barbel lost . so it could well be a case of needing a different softer substrate .

imo a uv steriliser would be a waste of time

edit: just read it agin and i see youre using sand , so that rules out substrate . making the most likely cause a water/trank quality issue

nitrate at zero? that shouldnt be . are you sure you mean nitrates and not nitrites?

 

[KittyKat]

..you could just improve the general conditions in the tank..

I do do weekly water changes etc. Everything else is fine in the tank including zero ratings on ammonia, nitrites & nitrates. No idea what's caused the barbels to go. Tried meth blue etc. Just wanted to try something else but if this just kills algae then it's no good.

How large are waterchanges? Do you vacuum? Take water from the top of the tank? How often do you clean the filter(s)? Do you keep plants? What are pH and hardness readings?

Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are only a small part of what affects water quality. Just because all of those are at 0ppm, that doesn't mean the water quality is good.

 

[zuulan]

How large are waterchanges? Do you vacuum? Take water from the top of the tank? How often do you clean the filter(s)? Do you keep plants? What are pH and hardness readings?

Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are only a small part of what affects water quality. Just because all of those are at 0ppm, that doesn't mean the water quality is good.

10%-20% weekly water changes by sucking the dirt off the sand. I skim the top if I see any dirt/film on there. Yes to the live plants question.

Both Nitrites & Nitrates are nil. Water should be soft in this area but I don't test pH. I can't effect last 2 things so I don't test them but I will do, just so I know what level they are at. What's the best values for corys?

 

[KittyKat]

How do you get nitrates at 0ppm?

 

[zuulan]

How do you get nitrates at 0ppm?

I use an API master test kit and the colour doesn't change. If it does it's a very minor change.

 

[KittyKat]

That is a very unusual reading. How much do you feed and how often?

 

[Vin Swords]

u might got sharp sand types....


UV? best ever happen to me.. i use two 25w TMC in same extarnal. ( try to slow down the flow..)

use one, u will feel the difference in a week or two.

 

[zuulan]

I feed once a day, 6-7 days a week.

Not using any UV sterilizers.

 

[zuulan]

How do you get nitrates at 0ppm?

This is my results today. Would you agree it's equal to 0 nitrates? (Can you see it in the photos?)

 

[mattlee]

the API nitrate test kit needs a really goos shake to mix the bottle contents before adding them to the water, especially bottle number 2. give them a good hard shake for about a minute then add to the water and see if this makes a difference. once both are added to the water give then another good shake and wait for 5 minutes , maybe longer before you get the true reading.

 

[zuulan]

Yup, it's done as per the instructions. So a 30 sec shake of bottle 2 and a 60 sec shake of the test sample after all the drops have been added.