UV Sterilizer to kill brown algae?

[chowdan]

hey all.

I've been looking at petco's site for a UV sterilizer to help fight my brown algae problem.

I'm looking to get the 9W "Green Killing Machine" for the 50 gallon tank which would mean it is a 9W bulb.

Heres a bit about my tank. I have a 15 gallon vertical tank. It has a air pump and an aqua clear 30gallon pump(150GPH).

Its not planted, just has a red cap oranda and a black moor. Both are about 2 years old, maybe 1.5 years. They both are healthy, well the red cap is but the black moor has a swim bladder problem.

They are fed 5 nights a week, and 3 peas, chopped every sunday in place of a regular meal. I halt saturday feedings due to the fact taht i tend to have poor regulation on food and they used to be overweight.

PH is the only tester i have but will purchase an ammonia and nitrate tester when i purchase either bulbs for a UV sterilizer or the UV sterilizer itself.

PH: 7.2

Chemicals used:
API tap water conditioner (Used more often)
Novaqua professional water conditioner(nearly out which is why i only use this once every month)
Algae destroy liquid produced by aquarium pharmaceuticals(used only after a water change)
Kordon Amquel(i dont use it but have it)
Tetra Easybalance(just started to use this as i picked it up yesterday)
I change 25% water every 2 weeks and at the end of the month i will change 50%.


Lighting:
T5 - 8W Aqua-glo 2700K. They receive 12 hours of light. Yesterday i switched their hours to 8hrs because i've heard too much light will often promote algae growth.

So know that you know my setup i will explain more on the problem.

I have brown algae throughout the tank. The bio filter has it, the pump has it, the side walls get it, the gravel has it(only on top not seen underneath), my ornaments get it, the glass. Its all over.
I dont see any other issues besides the brown algae.

Thanks in advance

[Lady Hobbs]

That's Diatoms. A natural process in new tanks and it does go away all by itself in a month or so. It's just an inbalance of silicate/phosphates/nitrates.
I would save your money on the UV sterilizer because you really don't need it.

I would not use Algae Destroyer. Many of those algae removers are very toxic and hard on your fish.

So, are you planning on putting the goldfish in the 50 gallon and is it currently being cycled? I got off track there because you are talking of a 15 gallon and a 50 gallon.

You really need to get those goldfish out of that 15 gallon. It's much too small for even one goldfish much less two. If you check the growth chart in my signature, Moor's should grow to about 10". If it's still small enough to fit into a 15 gallon, I would think his growth has been badly stunted and may be the cause of his bladder problem.

[chowdan]

That's Diatoms. A natural process in new tanks and it does go away all by itself in a month or so. It's just an inbalance of silicate/phosphates/nitrates.
I would save your money on the UV sterilizer because you really don't need it.

I would not use Algae Destroyer. Many of those algae removers are very toxic and hard on your fish.

So, are you planning on putting the goldfish in the 50 gallon and is it currently being cycled? I got off track there because you are talking of a 15 gallon and a 50 gallon.

You really need to get those goldfish out of that 15 gallon. It's much too small for even one goldfish much less two. If you check the growth chart in my signature, Moor's should grow to about 10". If it's still small enough to fit into a 15 gallon, I would think his growth has been badly stunted and may be the cause of his bladder problem.

Thank you for the reply!

I only have a 15 gallon tank, the 50 gallon i misstated due to the fact that the UV filter was for a 50 gallon. I know that the tank is to small for them and i have been on the market for a new fish tank. But funds are limited and i dont have a vehicle to be able to drive to pickup a tank from someone(searching through craigslist).

I plan on getting a bigger tank that will be anywhere from 30-100 gallons.

Anyways i've had this problem for much longer than a few months. Could it be a silicate problem in my water? I totally emptied my tank and resealed it because the silicone was coming off and issue is still present(did that about 3 months ago).

[Cliff]

You might have silicates in your water supply contributing to the diatoms. Phosphates and nitrates will also help it along.

I would suggest larger and more frequent water changes and using the below product in one of your filters. It will help to remove / reduce any silicates in your water and the waterchanges will help with the other parameters.

Have you tested your tank and tap water for nitrates and phosphates ?

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/revi...ct=465&cat=500

[chowdan]

Thanks for the replys all.

Will get a test kit to figure out the levels within the tank to narrow down the issue. I'll start changing more water when doing my changes and more often to help keep it stable.

As for tank size i have a few poeple wanting to sell me their tanks. Theres 2 tanks total that im unsure of to get. One is a 55gallon(i think) swim through tank, while the other is a standard rectangle style that is 45 gallons. Any suggestions on which one i should go for?

I plan on using my small 15gallon for raising glofish in hopes of letting them reproduce.

[ElizabethJKR]

As for tank size i have a few poeple wanting to sell me their tanks. Theres 2 tanks total that im unsure of to get. One is a 55gallon(i think) swim through tank, while the other is a standard rectangle style that is 45 gallons. Any suggestions on which one i should go for?

I plan on using my small 15gallon for raising glofish in hopes of letting them reproduce.

Go with the 55 gallon. Bigger is ALWAYS better with goldfish since they are high waste producers and get quite large.

[Demjor19]

That's Diatoms. A natural process in new tanks and it does go away all by itself in a month or so. It's just an inbalance of silicate/phosphates/nitrates.
I would save your money on the UV sterilizer because you really don't need it.

Hey Hobbs! I have a 75 gallon tank with my Dovii in it; that has a terrible Diatom problem. It has had this problem since day one and it's been running for almost three years!!! I do 50% or better water changes once a week and the problem has never gone away. People always said it would...It just hasnt! I use the same water, water conditioner, lighting, filters, w/c schedule, etc as all of my other tanks and it has always been this tank with the issue. Thoughts?

As you previously stated...Most "algae" killing chemicals are terrible on fish and I would NEVER use any of them. I too have contemplated using a UV sterilizer, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I'll be sure to follow this thread to see what happens!

OP - Sorry if I derailed a bit.

Thanks!

[Tiari]

After a hard battle with Diatoms, its a nasty thing that comes back worse after every cleaning. I had days wishing it was green algae, at least that would look normal! Brown Diatoms can make a tank look like you haven't cared for it in years in a matter of 24 hours, horrible horrible stuff. Even silicate and phosphate remover didn't solve the problem, and my lovely black and white zen tank looked, well, all black, yuck.

What finally solved it for me, was to remove all the gravel, all of it, every speck. I replaced it with mostly bare bottom spotted with river stone. I have no idea why this worked, and profess no magical knowledge, only that it worked for me when everything else failed. I had it for about two months, only progressing to get worse and worse with each passing week no matter how much I cleaned or what I used to get rid of it.

Absolutely get those fish into a larger tank ASAP. You will be amazed at the "recovery" that more room and space does for goldfish!

I also +1 Hobbs on the algae destroyer, that stuff is a fish killer, its really really rough on them. A product like that should only be used .......... well, never. I had also mistakenly used that stuff way back in the day, and my fish really suffered for it. Be careful as well, its main ingredients are cancer causing, so please don't dump that stuff down a drain or the toilet!