which UV ?

[nava405]

i barely have any experience with UV, so i have no idea which brand is better or are they actully all the same ???

i'm looking for something maybe 30watt+ or 40watt for my 210gallon tank, so any sugguestion would be good, thank you !

[klam114]

Emperor Aquatics makes a really good unit and you can hard plumb it as part of your return if you want to.

[nava405]

so something with 40 watt would be better ?

i'm thinking to run it with my chiller, so either before chiller or after chiller, and i really don't want to spend more money on buying a new pump. right now i have mag with 700gph pump running through my 1/3 jbj chiller, so which way would be better ?

is it goign to have enough flow rate for UV if i run it after chiller ?
is it going to have enough flow rate for chiller if i run it before chiller ?

[BeanAnimal]

The larger the better. Most "hobby" UV systems have to little contact time and too high of a turnover to be usefull. I would certainly read some of the better articles (advanced aquarist, reekleeping, etc) before purchase.

[DarG]

If you buy one of the affordable "hobby" units, make sure you slow the flow rate down atleast within the recommended flow of the unit. Most of them give a kill % based on a single pass for given flow rates. Go for the flow rate that offers max kill %.
The UV's have come a long way over the years and have improved features to increase performance. Some have spiral water colums to increase contact time. The one I use is a basic tubular unit but they specifically made the water tube shallow so that the water passing the UV lamp was only 6mm deep. UV only works effectively close range. I think that Bean is right, the truly effective units are those beyond the hobby grade units, in complexity, size and price. But the hobby units still can be effective units although not nearly as efficient as thoise commercial units.

My unit is a 25 watt on a 90 gallon with somewhere between 150 - 200 gph flowing through it which is less than the flow rate they spec for maximum single pass kill %. I turn the tank over through it about 2X per hour which definitely helps eventhough I'm sure that system turnover rates through commercial units are probably much higher. Back in the old days over 25 years ago an 8 watt HOB Hawiann Marine unit was the difference between me staying in salt water and giving up on it in a 55 gallon and later an Aquanetics unit on a 70 gallon. The UV helped make up for my inability and inexperience back then and it really had an impact in helping me keep a healthier tank. I really believe that it was the difference. I have used them ever since. I have gone for lengths without one because of burned out bulbs or ballasts and can keep a tank without them now but I know that they help keep pathogens (and algaes) down and definitely are a useful tool. Even the hobby grade units which is all I have ever had.

[nava405]

so that means it's better to stay in the flow rate range or even higher instead of less than the flow rate ?

[DarG]

I try to get the flow through the unit so that it is set at the spec for 100% kill (or 98% or whatever the highest is) on the first pass.

Most units will list a range of flow rates with different percentages of organisms killed. The faster the flow, the lower the percentage of pathogesn killed in a single pass. So, slower flow equals a higher percentage kill. Slower = better to a point. But still stay within the units flow ratings. You dont need to go slower than the listed flow rate for 100% kill. That decreases efficiency.

[Nanz]

Can I just put a small rio 400 pump in my sump and then return it to my sump or do I have to plumb it through my return?

[DarG]

More efficient drawing from sump and returning to display but it will work fine retruning back to sump.