Your complete guide to UV sterilizers
Killing thing with light! What an enlightening way to destroy something. Jokes apart, this is exactly what UV light does. But what is UV light in the first place and how does it work and what are the factors that you should consider before buying a UV light? This article is your complete guide to UV sterilizers. From A to Z.
UV Light
Before jumping in the working of a sterilizer, we should first understand the word that we are casually throwing around; UV! The abbreviation stand for Ultra Violet and is an electromagnetic radiation. What sets all lights apart from each others is their wavelength. UV light has a wavelength shorter than X-rays and longer than visible light. Why does it matter? Because this amount of wavelength (frequency) is perfect to kill obnoxious micro-organisms (Laughs in evil!!). But that's not all to that, the time of exposure matters too. Which we will cover in the subsequent sections of this article.
Sterilization
Sterilization is a process through which you can eliminate micro-organisms like fungi and viruses etc. from any surface. There are a number of ways to sterilize objects. Including boiling, steaming, fire or incineration. Pretty cruel way! But hey, gotta get rid of the annoying like bacteria.Now you know what is UV light and what is sterilization. Time to put two and two together? Ready? UV sterilization means to eliminate micro-organisms like bacteria and fungi through UV light.
How does it work
Okay Einstein, explaining UV light was pretty simple. Explain the workings too. Sure, we will. UV Sterilizers, as you must have guessed by now, are used mainly in Aquariums and other water storage where there is a risk of bacterial development. Since the fungal and bacterial is so minute scale that it is not visible by naked eye, it is a good practice to install a sterilization unit beforehand. So here's the deal: You put the UV light in your water storage and/or aquarim and wait to see the results.UV light has a wavelength of 254 nano meters. When water passes over/around the light, it mutilates the DNA of the organisms. This stops them from further spreading in the water tank. A very legit question that must have, and honestly. should have pepped up in your head: Doesn't it kill small fishes in the tank? Glad yo asked! No it doesn't. The light frequency is such that it can only mutilate the DNA of very small organisms. Other factors like exposure time also contribute to it.
UV Effectiveness
We mentioned twice that some factors effect the effectiveness of the UV light but what factors? Here they are:
1. Size and type of organism
UV radiation can only kill smaller organisms like bacteria. When it comes to fishes, even smaller ones, UV light needs more power and exposure time to kill them. If you are looking for that sort of thing, you might get a more powerful UV light. And a psychiatrist appointment!
2- Power of UV Bulb
Do not confuse the power of UV bulb with the wavelength on which operates. The power is measured in Watts or Wattage. A UV bulb with higher wattage is more likely to kill your smaller fishes as well. UV light is best produced at temperatures of 104-110°F and will need a change every six months.
3- UV Penetration
The penetration of any wave depends on a number of factors but we need not worry about them. For UV, the penetration depends on Salinity, Cleanliness and Turbidity. The more saline the water, less effective the UV light. UV light performs best when used in fresh water. Turbidity is another factor that adds to the effectiveness of a UV light. UV light perform best if placed in aquarium after some biological filter. Now, the next factor is cleanliness. It is very important to clean your light. If the light has gathered some residue, it will effect the UV penetration. Now, you must be asking "What's the point of UV light if we have to use the Biological filter first". The answer is very simple. Biological filter eliminates the algae once. UV takes care of it once and for all.Now you cannot dump any UV light in the tank, because obviously if you do, it is going to explode. UV light installments come in all shape and form. They can be vertical, horizontal, can be put in water, can work from outside the aquarium. Depends all on how you want to utilize them.With this handbook on Your complete guide to UV sterilizers , you are ready for some cleaning. No longer seeing your whole weekend of cleaning the aquarium get undone. Now, you don't have to fear keeping an aquarium in your house. Thanks to us, you now know you can install UV sterilizers.If you want to save your pet fishes and keep your aquarium clean with minimal effort, drop us an email. And we'll happily get back to you to help you keep a cleaner water storage.