UV Sterilizer turned water yellow overnight

holdyourlight · 12/09/2012, 09:15 AM

Just installed a brand new 40W Aqua UV sterilizer on my 125G tank. Woke up this morning and my water is almost pee color yellow. What the heck is happening? i though UV sterilizers are supposed to make water clear, not the opposite! The water was clear with no yellow at all before i installed the UV last night........ any thoughts?

swcc · 12/09/2012, 09:20 AM

maybe there is mfg. residue on or in the uv. Also could be that it has effected(irradiated) a lot of organisms and algae in the water and if the skimmer has not removed them they are just floating around in the water column. I would contact aqua UV and see what they have to say.

holdyourlight · 12/09/2012, 10:55 AM

it's very odd. i had chloroquine phosphate in the water before hand. wonder if its causing the yellowing from the reaction with UV. i am going to run some GAC for while and hope that clears it up

ironwill723 · 12/09/2012, 11:36 AM

chloroquine phosphate turns the water yellow

holdyourlight · 12/09/2012, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironwill723

chloroquine phosphate turns the water yellow

what is interesting is the water only turned yellow after i hooked the UV up, it was not yellow before

pencil3 · 12/09/2012, 02:00 PM

It's from the chloroquine phosphate, same thing happens to me. If you add a lot of carbon it will strip it out, or a large water change (I do close to 100%, anything smaller and the yellow/brown color comes back on my QT system).

holdyourlight · 12/09/2012, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pencil3

It's from the chloroquine phosphate, same thing happens to me. If you add a lot of carbon it will strip it out, or a large water change (I do close to 100%, anything smaller and the yellow/brown color comes back on my QT system).

it's just weird because i have dosed CP many times before and the water has never turned yellow. i even used less this time than normal. so are you saying this happens to you in conjunction with a UV sterilizer or just normally when you dose CP?

pencil3 · 12/09/2012, 03:34 PM

Yes, it can happen when CP is used with a UV Sterilizer.

Fishbulb2 · 12/09/2012, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pencil3

Yes, it can happen when CP is used with a UV Sterilizer.

If that's true, which I'm not denying, it would suggest to me that the UV will render the CP useless (because it's likely breaking it down).

FB

holdyourlight · 12/09/2012, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishbulb2

If that's true, which I'm not denying, it would suggest to me that the UV will render the CP useless (because it's likely breaking it down).

FB

i know for a fact that UV does render CP useless, i was just unaware of the two combining to make pee water!!!

Coigula · 11/11/2016, 03:06 PM

I have had the exact same effect from starting UV after running 20 mg/l chloroquinine phosphate for two weeks. It is less clear to me that yellow is from CP, but combination of CP and dead algae.

tkeracer619 · 11/11/2016, 03:38 PM

Where are you getting your CP? CP in water is clear, the cheep stuff that is cut with who knows what turns the water yellow.

The stuff I got from ebay turns yellow. The CP I got from the compounding pharmacy does not.

zachfishman · 11/11/2016, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holdyourlight

it's very odd. i had chloroquine phosphate in the water before hand. wonder if its causing the yellowing from the reaction with UV. i am going to run some GAC for while and hope that clears it up

There it is. CP will brown your water significantly if you run UV.

Coigula · 11/13/2016, 06:52 AM

There are only a few sources in US worth mentioning that also provide a COA from pharm companies. The discussion was yellow/green color bodies when UV is turned on which is entirely different than poor quality. I use National Fish Pharmacy in Florida. The question in my mind is the CP gone when water changes and carbon/GFO removed the color. I did have phosphates go from 1.1 mg/l to 0.45 mg/l overnight with GFO. I am sort of going away from delicvate ich magnets in future as I did have one loss. CP cleared active ich in 4-5 days. It was very water soluble so I don't beleive the banter it binds to substrate to high degree.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tkeracer619

Where are you getting your CP? CP in water is clear, the cheep stuff that is cut with who knows what turns the water yellow.

The stuff I got from ebay turns yellow. The CP I got from the compounding pharmacy does not.

12/09/2012, 09:15 AM	#1
holdyourlight Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 984	UV Sterilizer turned water yellow overnight Just installed a brand new 40W Aqua UV sterilizer on my 125G tank. Woke up this morning and my water is almost pee color yellow. What the heck is happening? i though UV sterilizers are supposed to make water clear, not the opposite! The water was clear with no yellow at all before i installed the UV last night........ any thoughts?

11/11/2016, 03:38 PM	#12
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	Where are you getting your CP? CP in water is clear, the cheep stuff that is cut with who knows what turns the water yellow. The stuff I got from ebay turns yellow. The CP I got from the compounding pharmacy does not. __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

12/09/2012, 09:20 AM	#2
swcc Moved On Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Tampa Fl Posts: 1,659	maybe there is mfg. residue on or in the uv. Also could be that it has effected(irradiated) a lot of organisms and algae in the water and if the skimmer has not removed them they are just floating around in the water column. I would contact aqua UV and see what they have to say.

12/09/2012, 10:55 AM	#3
holdyourlight Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 984	it's very odd. i had chloroquine phosphate in the water before hand. wonder if its causing the yellowing from the reaction with UV. i am going to run some GAC for while and hope that clears it up

12/09/2012, 11:36 AM	#4
ironwill723 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 980	chloroquine phosphate turns the water yellow

12/09/2012, 02:00 PM	#6
pencil3 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 282	It's from the chloroquine phosphate, same thing happens to me. If you add a lot of carbon it will strip it out, or a large water change (I do close to 100%, anything smaller and the yellow/brown color comes back on my QT system).

12/09/2012, 03:34 PM	#8
pencil3 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 282	Yes, it can happen when CP is used with a UV Sterilizer.

11/11/2016, 03:06 PM	#11
Coigula Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2016 Posts: 11	I have had the exact same effect from starting UV after running 20 mg/l chloroquinine phosphate for two weeks. It is less clear to me that yellow is from CP, but combination of CP and dead algae.