UV Sterilizer or Protein Skimmer?

[Beginnerreeftanker]

Hi everyone, I have a 16 gallon Biocube that I have had running for around 3 months with great success.  The only problem is that there is so much dang algae, along with tons of brown algae on the sand as the day progresses.  Coralife produces a UV Sterilizer that fits into my sump for $50, as well as a protein skimmer that fits in the sump for $50 too. Just curious what everyone’s opinions are about which of the items and what everyone thinks I should get that will help me in the long run and get my tank looking better faster.  Thanks!  

[DSA65PRO]

I have a Coralife hang on the back or in Sump Protein Skimmer and I was not impressed with it at all, constantly needed to be fiddled with. I had to make multiple modifications to it, so I could trust it not to go haywire and overflow. The cheaper UV have to be reset every time you have a power blink. You have to push down on the switch, release. Push and hold for a few seconds to restart the lamp. I had the Brown Stringy Algae outbreak in my tank, a high quality Skimmer and a cheap UV did nothing. Hydrogen Peroxide Dosing did nothing. A simple Turkey Baster**, starting at three times a day, moving my wave pumps around and once a day filter sock change out did the trick. I’m now at using the Turkey Baster once a day and filter sock once a week, and it’s back in the partial flow filtering position. BTW You’ll need three Filter socks so you can keep bleaching them, rinsing and rotating them. Do you use RO/DI water ? If they are out of your price range I would consider at least a portable Resin filter.  BRS was very helpful and I felt they were very honest in their advice. ** Take your Turkey Baster to your local ACE Hardware and get one of the plastic snap clamps, for where the bulb attaches to the plastic base, so you can get some force behind it. 

[Beginnerreeftanker]

8 minutes ago, DSA65PRO said:

I have a Coralife hang on the back or in Sump Protein Skimmer and I was not impressed with it at all, constantly needed to be fiddled with. I had to make multiple modifications to it, so I could trust it not to go haywire and overflow. The cheaper UV have to be reset every time you have a power blink. You have to push down on the switch, release. Push and hold for a few seconds to restart the lamp. I had the Brown Stringy Algae outbreak in my tank, a high quality Skimmer and a cheap UV did nothing. Hydrogen Peroxide Dosing did nothing. A simple Turkey Baster**, starting at three times a day, moving my wave pumps around and once a day filter sock change out did the trick. I’m now at using the Turkey Baster once a day and filter sock once a week, and it’s back in the partial flow filtering position. BTW You’ll need three Filter socks so you can keep bleaching them, rinsing and rotating them. Do you use RO/DI water ? If they are out of your price range I would consider at least a portable Resin filter.  BRS was very helpful and I felt they were very honest in their advice. ** Take your Turkey Baster to your local ACE Hardware and get one of the plastic snap clamps, for where the bulb attaches to the plastic base, so you can get some force behind it. 

I do not use RO/DI water, but I want to start soon.  What is a portable resin filter?  For the turkey Baster, did you just suck the algae up?  I’m definitely in the ugly stage.  Also, what is the filter sock?  I’m very new to the hobby, and I have learned a lot, just not about this.  So that’s a no for the UV sterilizer and the protein skimmer?  Thanks for the help.  

[applejk]

Just letting you know what I did when I had a biocube and saw algae.  I would take a turkey baster and blow the algae off the rocks when I did a water change and then suck it out of the tank or I would go directly to it on the rock and suck it out.  A filter sock is something like this like a sock that catches debris that gets down the overflow like extra food, fish poop, or algae.  something like this https://www.marinedepot.com/innovative-marine-200-micron-filter-sock-desktop?utm_source=mdcsegooglebase2&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=mdcsegooglebase2&utm_content=0I10512&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6575BRCQARIsAMp-ksNkGHZrwCe7WkJMWCO0cJGQcXEnTOavUPw8zdk0phRcltW7M6J9mVcaAqs3EALw_wcB&  that one doesn't fit your tank but you get the idea.

 

Do you clean the sand with a gravel vacuum when you do a water change and how often are you doing water changes?

[Beginnerreeftanker]

I clean with a siphon and do water changes every 2 weeks, a 2 gallon water change.  So you wouldn’t recommend getting a protein skimmer or UV sterilizer

[Clown79]

If you are using tap water, thats most likely the reason for all the algae and neither UV or skimmer will do much for the algae with continuous use of tap water.

 

If you don't have an rodi, switch to distilled.

[applejk]

1 minute ago, Clown79 said:

If you are using tap water, thats most likely the reason for all the algae and neither UV or skimmer will do much for the algae with continuous use of tap water.

 

If you don't have an rodi, switch to distilled.

Agreed with clown79.  Then if you're still seeing algae I'd run some gfo.

[Tamberav]

Use distilled water and get a clean up crew of algae eaters if you don't have them. Snails and hermits. I don't see any?

 

A UV won't kill the GHA and diatoms...it only kills what flows through it which isn't what is on your rocks. 

 

That brand of skimmer is meh and probably won't help because the source water is likely the issue. 

[FISHnChix]

1 hour ago, Beginnerreeftanker said:

 So you wouldn’t recommend getting a protein skimmer or UV sterilizer

Nope... 

 

Like everyone is saying use rodi or distilled.. most lfs sell rodi for reasonable. 

 

 

Fyi that is not a lot of algae. Lol just part of a new system and learning to take care of a tank..  use your money to buy test kits.. 

[Beginnerreeftanker]

Ok great!  What is distilled water?  I mean I used a clarifier in the water to make it good for my tank if that’s what you mean.  Are there any super cheap RO/DI systems that would be good for a small tank?  Thanks for the advice.  I have a little cuc, 5 blue legged hermits and a nassarius snail.

[applejk]

Distilled water is the way they filter it.  Like this https://www.walmart.com/grocery/ip/Great-Value-Distilled-Water-1-Gallon/10315382?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=2973&adid=2222222242031942437&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=447124026882&wl4=pla-298984517450&wl5=9026792&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=120643079&wl11=local&wl12=10315382&wl13=2973&veh=sem_LIA&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6575BRCQARIsAMp-ksOIzBFtOim4uqolo_XaIu1Wgg6dOYmTE8AT70yt6TChUBkEVuHagQIaAlx9EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Its usually cheaper to buy RO/DI water from the fish store per gallon if you already have 5g jugs.  Just be careful buying a used ro/di system because if you have to replace all the filters sometimes its not worth it.

[Clown79]

4 hours ago, Beginnerreeftanker said:

Ok great!  What is distilled water?  I mean I used a clarifier in the water to make it good for my tank if that’s what you mean.  Are there any super cheap RO/DI systems that would be good for a small tank?  Thanks for the advice.  I have a little cuc, 5 blue legged hermits and a nassarius snail.

Distilled water is pure water, filtered through a distillary and ozone.

 

It can be purchased at pretty much any grocery store, walmart, pharmacy etc.

 

You want just distilled water not remineralized distilled(ex. Dasani is distilled water but remineralized for human consumption)

[Beginnerreeftanker]

Ok the Anka everyone!  I’ll probably just used rodi water from store.  

[Garf]

Ya, that isn't a lot of algae. It looks like typical new tank growth. That thin green stuff on the rocks will soon turn to corraline if your calcium and alk are stable. I wouldn't do anything other than switch to RODI water, and testing for a few more months. Perhaps add in a few more snails/crabs over time. Manually remove excess algae growth, your cleanup crew will remove it if it isn't too long. 

[WilliamBowman]

I am using AA Aquarium Green Killing Machine Internal UV Sterilizer. Not sure how long it will last, but it cleared up a long running and bad algae bloom in a week.

[mcarroll]

On 8/4/2020 at 2:38 PM, Beginnerreeftanker said:

Ok the Anka everyone!  I’ll probably just used rodi water from store.  

Good move!

 

Also, double check that you have a cleanup crew...or that it's not currently composed of just scavengers.  From the pics it looks like your crew is small...maybe zero?

 

Look for some herbivorous snails....turbo, astrea, trochus, cerith, nerite, etc.  

 

Depending on which you find available and how big they are, add from 1 to 5.  

 

Then (just as important as adding the snails) hand pull the longer algae you see around the tank....snails can't eat that.  If it seems like too much to pluck...remind yourself to do it more frequently in the future 😉 ....and work in small sections so you can complete at least one section every time you can work on the tank.  As long as you can hit it around once a day, you'll be done before you know it.  If you can, place a snail right on the newly cleaned patch so they know it's there....they hunt from memory.

[mcarroll]

About your title: "UV or Protein skimmer?"

 

UV

UV would be nice to run for 6 months or so if you were adding new fish.  Choose the model/size with parasite control in mind.  Depending on the brand and stye of UV you get, that means a either a larger unit vs. a smaller one...or it means running less flow instead of more.

 

I think that the Coralife you're looking at is 5 watts, so should be fine for the 16 gallon BioCube vs parasites...but run it in the display with the fish, not in the back chamber.  (If you had the 32 gallon BioCube I think I'd say run two of them.)

 

Protein Skimmer

A protein skimmer would be nice for general usage...it provides aeration and mild filtration while requiring having no consumable parts to be replaced every week or month.

 

Might not be a bad idea to have both, but save the UV for the fish and use the skimmer now.

[DSA65PRO]

I’m going to Walk Back on the UV. I Found out mine isn’t working most of the time. It’s one that you have to reset after a power failure. During the Day you can’t tell if it’s on or not, too much background light. I was resetting it after our many power failures, then I noticed it was off and needed a reset with no power failure. Today due to flooding we are an island, hoping the power stays on, not much wind today, but a lot of leaning trees.