# UV Sterilizer



## Goose14 (Nov 28, 2014)

Hi everyone,

My city has recently switched over to their well water due to lack of water from the plant i guess. In doing so my water is now a little cloudy. I was thinking about purchasing a UV Sterilizer but not sure what brand to get. I dont want to spend $100's on one. Most reviews I have read make me weary of putting them into my tank with burning plastic problems and other things. Does anyone recommend a certain brand?

I have a 75 gallon tank.

Thanks!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

It's possible that the cloudiness of the water is due to air and not necessarily the well water problems. Does the cloudiness dissipate after sitting in a clear glass for a few minutes?


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## Goose14 (Nov 28, 2014)

Hi, thanks for the reply.

I thought it may be air also at first but it does not clear up. Ever since the city switched over to the well our water smells like straight bleach. I was using a buffer to bring my ph up but have started to slowly stop. I guess the chemicals in the water are so high now that it takes like 10x the amount of buffer than it did a few months ago.

I let my water sit over night in a tote and this was the result after about 24 hours. The sides are coated in white. I guess its calcium deposits......The water also had a slimy layer on the top.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I am guessing that your water provider has increased the disinfectant since they had to switch water sources and if the water feels slimy, it is probably due to that.

Do you have test kits for GH (hardness) and KH (alkalinity)? If so, post the results and if you don't, I suggest getting them. The white deposits are common in alkaline well water.

What was the tap pH prior to the switch over and what is it now? It would also be helpful to do an additional pH test after 24 hours at room temperature in a clean glass container.

I don't think a UV sterilizer will help with your current water problems. You could get some additional info from your water provider for more details on the well water and the disinfectant being used to help determine what you will need to do to make it suitable for your fish.


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## Goose14 (Nov 28, 2014)

I tested my tank water tonight. My KH took 25 drops!! so I Guess my kh is 430??? GH was 11 drops which is 196 for a total hardness of 626.....is that entirely to high? I have some lime stone in the tank along with the crushed coral in my filter and i bought some dead coral rocks and put them in the tank last week.

I didnt have time to test the KH and GH of my water out of the tap due to time but i will tomorrow. Before they switched to the backup wells my PH from the tap was around 7-7.2 now it is around 7.6 or 7.8 kinda hard to tell with the chart.

here is a picture of what my water looks like.


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## siuling337 (Aug 14, 2014)

Thanks for sharing~!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I am assuming you have Malawi cichlids from your pic so I don't see a problem with the test results for GH and KH unless you are seeing that the fish appear stressed.

You don't mention how long this tank has been set up so that would be helpful to know. Have you posted the test results for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate yet?

Also, how many fish do you currently have in the tank and about what size are they?


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## Goose14 (Nov 28, 2014)

No the fish don't seem stressed at all. I just thought that was really high. My tank has been up for a few months. My ammonia is 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 20ppm

The PH out of my tap is 7.2 and holds at 7.2 after 24 hrs. I was wrong about it being at 7.6, I was adding 5 drops instead of 3 drops so the test was not correct.

I have 14 fish currently, they are about 1 1/2 to 2 inches right now.

The slightly cloudy water is driving me nuts though.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

The crushed coral in your filter is probably causing the whitish color in the tank, try removing it and see if it improves.

Your pH is just fine at 7.2, I wouldn't mess with it.


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## Goose14 (Nov 28, 2014)

I removed the crushed coral from the filter and tossed some carbon in the filter and it has cleared up alot. Thanks for the help!


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

No problem, glad it worked!!!


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