[niko]

This is an idea of mine that I started to think about after trying to carefully collect and syphon Cladophora out of the tank. There are always parts that remain in the water...

The idea is simple - use a beam of UV light to spot treat the algae.

I was thinking about fiber optic cables but I don't know anything about them.

1. How thick is the cable? Does one need to use many of them to get a thickness that is usable?

2. Will the cable transmit the UV light with no losses?

3. Any alternative to fiber optic cable?

And finally - I was thinking of a simpler way - a "UV flashlight" - a UV bulb in a thinner casing with a clear wall on one of the sides and a switch.

What do you think about that whole idea?

--Nikolay

 

[gpodio]

I guess one would need to know what effects UV light have on algae first. With UV sterilization we usually go after spores so that algae is unable to propagate and spread, I haven't seen any tests on agae patches using UV. If it works, then you could simply use some lenses to collimate the flashlight into a narrow beam, you may also want to look at what LEDs are available in the required UV wavelength. Finally, I have done some work with UV lasers in the past, back then they were expensive but now there are diode UV lasers available that are far better priced. You may even be able to retrofit a regular red laser pointer with a UV diode. Otherwise purchase the head assembly that includes the driver circuit.

Here is one of many suppliers:
http://www.crystalaser.com/new/uv-laser.html

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Giancarlo Poido