Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Why Use An Aquarium Or Pond UV Sterilizer - UV Sterilization Basics
Basics:
Ultra violet sterilization is one of the most effective means of controlling algae (green water) in ponds and is also effective at disease prevention in aquariums and ponds and for general water quality control in aquariums and ponds. There is a lot of new evidence as to the benefits of UV sterilization for ALL fish, and many myths have been dispelled such as UV Sterilizers destroying beneficial nitrifying bacteria, so please read on.
UVs are also useful in Reef aquaria, especially new ones where the chance of disease introduction is high and the UVs help in keeping a balanced Redox Potential is useful. As the reef aquaria ages the sterilizer can be placed on a timer or turned on and off as needed.
As for the Redox Potential, this is an often overlooked aspect of both freshwater and saltwater aquarists. The Redox Potential is basically the oxidation and reduction properties of water. This is VERY important for proper breakdown of organic waste!, especially in aquariums where the fish/invertebrates come from waters of low turbidity (African Cichlids) or tend to produce a lot of waste (Goldfish). Most experts agree that the proper Redox Potential should be -300-390 mV (less or more is not good, which is why a proper UV is excellent for this, as this is the range they tend to keep it at).
The key to success is water flow, water temperature and cleanliness of the bulb or quartz sleeve. It is important to have a flow rate that will turn over the pond or aquarium at least once or 1 times per hour for disease prevention or every three hours for green algae control (I have achieved effective disease sterilization as tested with a bacterial cloud with as little as once per two hours with a good installation in an otherwise well maintained aquarium). Example: 100 gph will service a 100 gallon pond well. The reason I mentioned such seemingly slow rates is too high a rate will not usually allow for adequate contact time with uvc radiation. Follow manufacturers recommendations for flow rate [our 15 watt model is 200-350 gph]. The other key is temperature. 60 to 85 degrees [F] has worked best for me.
Quartz sleeves help keep up a higher temperature (around 5 F in my tests) but dont allow for as good of contact with the water and are difficult to keep clean, so in my opinion the benefits are a wash. Which brings me to key # 3, keeping the bulb or quartz sleeve clean? First, you want to change the bulb every 6 months for disease prevention or once every year at the beginning of the growing season for green algae prevention. You want to clean the quartz sleeve at this time too, which is one reason for a simple model without a quartz sleeve, use just throw away the dirty bulb. [Although the temperature aspects of a quartz sleeve are worthy of note].
Back to temperature; if your water is very cold (such as a pond or even well water treatment system), I would suggest pre-heating your water before it passes through your UV Sterilizer unit, this is more effective than a quartz sleeve.
Other factors of note are water turbidity (dissolved waste particulates in the water column, poor circulation (a poor flow pattern that that has the water pickup and return too close where too much water goes unfiltered). If these factors exist you will need a larger UV Sterilizer for an effective pathogen kill.
Many arguments against UV Sterilizers in ponds is that they are not natural, but for the clarity most persons want out of their pond, this is not possible without either UV sterilization or a flow thru stream (although many persons with well planted, well shaded ponds do well with clarity). I also have read many anecdotal aquatic forum and blog posts that state that a UV Sterilizer is not that beneficial to an established aquarium as a healthy aquarium depends on beneficial bacteria typically growing on media in your filter which neutralize ammonia. Unfortunately the problem with this statement is beneficial bacteria belongs in the filter, not in the open water (and there is scientific research to back this up, one just needs to look for better sources of aquarium information and articles). Also this is great for advanced aquarists who are not adding fish and have a healthy Redox Potential, but not in the real world of average and above average aquarists that I have dealt with in the 100s of aquariums I have serviced.
How UVC Works:
All gases, liquids, and solids are made up of elements. The fundamental building blocks of elements are atoms, which in turn are made of electrons, neutrons and protons..., all held together by electronic attraction. This is referred to as polarity, the principle that positive and negative poles attract and remain bound together based upon the strength of that attraction. There are over 100 elements known in our universe. It is the elements that form compounds.
Elements combine to form gases, liquids or solids. For example, water is made of two molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen. Carbon dioxide is one molecule of carbon and two molecules of oxygen. These and all other combinations of elements are bound together by the force of attraction or polarity at the level of the atoms. Organic compounds. The compounds of our focus are those structures that are organic in nature. Primarily it is the organic molecules that are the basis of indoor contamination. We need to understand these compounds so we know how to clean and purify the home. Organic compounds are carbon based. Life is determined by carbon based DNA and amino acid chains. Carbon is not only found in "life," but a whole range of chemicals. A number of useful organic compounds are made up of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and traces of other elements. The most recognizable organic compound is based upon the carbon and hydrogen combination, or hydrocarbons. Plastics, petroleum products and gasoline are hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbon Organic compounds tend to break down or decay faster than non-organic. The decaying process means hydrogen and carbon molecules separate. For example, if the plastic (organic) in milk bottle is left in the sun for a couple of years, much of it will decay. Skin, hair, tissue (all organic) decays more rapidly. This also shows the effectiveness in UV Sterilization in removing oil based pollutants from an aquarium
With the understanding that carbon is the building block of life (and more), we now need to look at the forces that will break down organic and carbon based contaminate molecules. In short, a photochemical process, initiated by short-wave ultraviolet can do this. Short-Wave ultraviolet We all accept but dont understand the damaging effects of x-ray and gamma ray radiation. Why isnt visible light as destructive on human cells or bacteria as x-ray and short wave UV have been shown to be? X-ray, gamma, ultraviolet, infrared and visible light energy all fit in a category called "electromagnetic" energy. They all have the same characteristic "lazy S" energy wave, that travel at the speed of light. The light ray energy is called photons that oscillate, resulting in wave frequency. The difference in each type of wave energy is the wavelength, the distance across this wave. By definition, the shorter the distance across the wave, the more powerful the wave will be. The difference in the wavelength determines how the wave affects its surroundings. It is this wavelength difference that allows short-wave x-ray to pass through walls, while longer-wave visible light cannot pass though the same material; short-wave ultraviolet and x-ray can destroy DNA in living microorganisms and breakdown organic material while visible light will not.
Nanometers: Measuring light Energy All light energy is measured on a "nanometer" (nm) scale. Nanometer means one-billionth of a meter. The lower end of the scale has the shortest wavelength, and the upper the longest. Cosmic, gamma, x-rays and "C" band UV are all classified short-wave energy. Visible light is at middle ground, at 400-700 NM on the scale. Infrared light is in the upper end of the spectrum, running from about 800 to 1400 NM, and radio waves are longer yet in the 1400 to 2200 NM range. Spectrograph: Charting light Energy in Nanometers. What is ultraviolet Light? ultraviolet light is toward the low end of this scale, from about 100 to 400 NM, with three categories, "A," "B" and "C." UV is beyond the range of visible light and cannot be seen. We only see evidence of its presence. Short-wave UV, called "C" band (100 280 NM) is known as UVC. Most C band radiation is screened from the sun before reaching the earth by the production of ozone in the upper atmosphere. Useful UVC is entirely manmade, found in todays low-pressure UVC lamps. The most effective sterilizing range for UV is within the C bandwidth. This range is called the germicidal bandwidth. The ideal germicidal curve is considered 240 NM to 280 NM, with the most effective at 265 NM. With the initial exposure, UVC has properties that alter the cells of living tissue, particularly microbes. UVC radiation triggers the formation of peptide bonds between certain amino acids in the microbes DNA molecules. This renders bacteria, viruses and molds harmless by robbing them of the ability to reproduce. If the germ cells are exposed for longer periods, they start breaking down to the molecular level (carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen ions, etc.).
For further information, please visit ULTRAVIOLET STERILIZATION (How UV sterilization works). This article explains in depth with more links and diagrams the benefits and myths about aquarium and pond uv sterilization.
By Carl Strohmeyer
http://aquariumuvsterilizer.blogspot.com/
Free Yoga Workout Video DemosHome Theater Solutions
Home theater - Out of the box
What has made the home theater experience more accessible and affordable for more people in recent years is the emergence of what the industry now calls "cinema in a box". This is a great option for the home-theater novice, those in apartments or renters as it is most cost effective.
For as little as a few hundred dollars, you can enjoy basic cinema sight and sound. You need to look around for all the latest specials in this area. Just go into your local shop and ask about cinema in a box.
For those on a budget this provides an ideal way to create a home theatre from scratch. Instead of having to choose and buy expensive separate components, you get all the equipment you need for one fixed price. Will the home theater fit in my room?
Where you decide to put the home theatre is just as important as the equipment itself. The position, size of the room, along with how many windows it has, will influence your cinema experience to some extent. large, uncovered windows and wooden floors will detract from the big screen as it will introduce the unwanted glare factor. It would be a great idea to hang heavy curtains to reduce this glare and to lay carpet in the proposed cinema to eliminate noise reflection.
Square rooms are the worst for home cinema because sound waves bounce off the rear wall. So a rectangular or odd-shaped room will be much more suitable when it comes to sound if that is possible.
Several manufacturers now offer a solution to this in their home-theatre systems that will automatically balance the sound between all speakers, making it easier for the home-theatre novice.
So where is home theater headed in the future? Wireless! Actually it is already here so keep your eyes peeled for more news on that!
You are welcome to seek further information about a LCD TV at our web site. At our web site you will discover further resources that provide information such as the Plasma TV.
Lower Back Repairkit Yoga VideoThe Development Of The Equipment And Golf Accessories
golf today has evolved as one of the most followed sports in the continent. golf clubs alone have some original accessories that are easily found and made more special with personal touches. golf clubs with the owners name engraved in them is the beginning of a long list of wonderful personalized and customized golf equipment. golf apparel is no exception to the personal side of golf.
Technology plays a big part in the development of the equipment and golf accessories that are on the market today, from the clubs to the golf balls, which have more technological input than any other type of sports ball. one of the latest golf accessories on the market that is getting the most buzz is GPS tracking. Since these GPS devices are becoming smaller they make so you can carry it with you and it fits right in your other golf accessories. golf is a wonderful sport and with the advancement of technology your golf accessories collection will surely increase.
An interesting thing to note here is that golf accessories are available in a variety of prices. wholesale golf accessories are available in select places across the continent. If you are interested in buying wholesale golf accessories online, there is provision for that too. You can also learn about the various golf accessories wholesalers operating in the country. Apart from all this, one can also find out about golf accessories stores and golf accessories wholesale information.
Customizing your golf accessories can range from the practical to the outrageous. So find those golf accessories that will help your game. Besides the essential equipment of playing the game of golf, there are plenty of other golf accessories that help make it more fun and maybe even improve your score too. Find a variety of golf accessories, gifts, and games. Manufactures and exports specialty golf tees, putters with built-in slope detectors, and other golf accessories.
Accessories
Accessories are all par for the course in golf, so get kitted out and enjoy the round. These accessories can improve the enjoyment of your golf game and also help to keep your golf equipment maintained at their best. Bearing this in mind, you will want to select the best accessories that will fit your budget requirements and your golfing goals. You can buy golf accessories that will improve the overall quality of your game (including how much you enjoy it as well as how skilled you are at it). If you are looking to add some major improvement to your golfing skills, you should consider getting lessons from a private tutor instead of spending your money on accessories.
Scoop up a bag full of bargains including sunglasses, towels, caps, divot tools, watches and many more exciting buys in our special offer golf accessories. More accessories are made for golfers than for any other sport. With so many fantastic accessories available it's sometimes hard to sift through it all.
James Young Clark is a successful Webmaster and publisher of www.AGolfersParadise.com. He provides more information about golf and golf issues that you can research in your pajamas on his website.
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