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View Full Version : Plumbing in a UV Questions


yetiman
11/17/2008, 09:16 PM
I finally purchased a UV sterilizer for my aquarium but I'm not sure where to plumb it in. The sterilizer is a Aqua 40W. I was thinking I would plumb it in after my Magnum 350 that I run with carbon. I was also thinking that it should be plumbed in line with my return pump, a Eihem 1260. Whats the best way to plumb it in? Thanks for the help

amstar
11/17/2008, 10:13 PM
I have always heard to plumb UV's at the last point before the water returns to the main tank. So like you stated the line from your return pump

I think the thought behind this is that all of the bigger particals and things have been "cleaned" out by your filtration. This allows the UV to work in a more efficient way and "zap" the smaller things (parasites, small algae, etc) without having to work to hard because the water has not been cleaned through whatever filtration you have.

phurst
11/17/2008, 11:26 PM
Mine in plumbed in line with my return. Pump -> chiller -> UV -> tank.

rezaktp
11/18/2008, 07:05 AM
+1 do your filtration first then run it thru the UV on the way to the tank. Just be sure you are not exceeding the truput of the uv. My 57 Watt is rated at 355GPH and recommended to pat 3-5 times tank volume.

jdg
11/18/2008, 07:51 AM
I run my UV before the skimmer and run the output into the main pump manifold. I've read that running the UV output into the skimmer helps the skimmer to remove DOC's as the UV helps to break them down.

I'll see if I can find the article, but basically, it says running the output of the UV into the skimmer makes the skimmer more efficient.

btw, is it an HO40? Or just a NO40? With 180g of total water volume, an NO40 might not be enough for parasite control due to the reduced flow rates it would require.

yetiman
11/18/2008, 10:11 PM
Thanks for the replies. The way my tank is setup I will need to utilize a lot of creative plumbing to hook it up inline with my return. More pictures of how everyone else has hooked up thee uv's would be helpfull.

jdg
11/22/2008, 03:24 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13774482#post13774482 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yetiman
Thanks for the replies. The way my tank is setup I will need to utilize a lot of creative plumbing to hook it up inline with my return. More pictures of how everyone else has hooked up thee uv's would be helpfull.

Mine is just on a closed loop with the output directed towards the intake of the skimmer. It's really not scientific at all, but I'll try to get you a picture. By keeping it on a separate submersible pump, I don't have to worry about regulating flow, etc ... I buy the pump for the flow I want and that's that. ;)