UV steriliser is running well, and my water has never been clearer. Highly recommend a steriliser for anyone who's not already using one. The pros and cons:


Yay! #1: Ich treatment. Kills off waterborne ich parasites when flow is slow enough. Downside is, ich undergoes a cycle of being waterborne and being attached to organisms and fomites, so not all will be eradicated. Also, most people put their flow at too high a rate for it to be effective.

Yay! #2: algae spore killing. Need I say more?

Yay! #3: water clarity. UV ionises O2 molecules to form minute amounts of O3 that attack nitrogenous compounds, leading to better skimming.


Boo-boo #1: harmful UV irradiation. Shouldn't be a problem for most models as they are shielded.

Boo-boo #2: electricity bills. Oh come on ... 9W? 6kWh/month. Which is about $1.50 per month in bills. All to let me have a peace of mind, that must be worth it.

Boo-boo #3: cost-benefit analysis. In the past UV sterilisers were a major investment, and even now some of the high-end recirculating models command some $200 or so. Easily got mine at $35 =D

Still continueing with garlic treatment. In addition to soaking food in garlic I've resorted to pouring fresh garlic juice right into the tank. New evidence from some association of fish pathologists or something shows that garlic juice prevents attachment of ich parasites and confuses them into ignoring a prospective host.

Realised my new hammer coral is slightly bleached due to insufficient lighting at the shop. Hope it recovers soon. T.squamosa is still not opening well due to repeated nipping by the darned flame angels.

Going on a shopping hiatus once again, might visit Wakai aquarium this weekend to pick up some sweeties and that's it. No more for now.