UV Sterilizers are VERY effective at killing of quite a lengthy list of baddies that may be lurking in your tanks. The addition of a UV is a huge boon to fish in the aquarium because, if used correctly, it will greatly reduce the number of fungi, bacteria and parasites within the tank it is sterilizing. In short, your aquarium water will be sooo crystal clear and free of harmful organisms, it will "almost" be safely drinkable!
REMEMBER: replace your UV bulb after a years worth of use. They can and do quickly lose their efficacy after that amount of time..........
UV kill list
All of the baddies listed below can be dessimated by a UV. Not to mention that they are all top contenders for "pathogen of the year"
:Flukes, trichodina, costia, ergasilus, argulus, lernea, chilodonella, tetrahymena, epistylus, hexamita, spironucleus, coleps......
Saprolegenia, aeromonas bacters, pseudomonas bacters, flexbacter, tuberculosis, sporozoans.......
Head pressure and why its imortant
First, I need to touch on head pressure a bit. Head pressure is the force exerted back into the pump from ANY amount of water that is traveling upwards through tubing or plumbing. If you purchase a pump new, it should come with information about head pressures and how much water will come out of the outflow at certain heights.
For example; If you take a pump that is sitting in just enough water to cover it, hook a 6 foot tube to the outflow, lay it down in the resevoir, and turn it on, its maxium flow rate will come out of the outflow. BUT, if you were to take the outlow end of the 6 foot tubing and hold it up above the water a foot or two, the flow rate from the outflow will decrease. This is because of "head pressure". The water above the pump/waterlevel is pushing back at the pump via gravity. The higher you pull the outflow above the waterlevel, the less comes out.
So, you can try to do the math, according to the description in your manual, but the very best way to know exactly how many GPH you are getting through your UV unit is a series of simple tests involving a stopwatch or clock:
Set your UV just as if you were about to run it permanently. Prime it and get water flowing freely. Now, take a 3-5 gallon bucket and place it as close to your return coming from the UV at the top of the tank. Place the return from the UV into the bucket for exactly one minute and return the outflow to the tank. Measure the gallonage in the bucket and multiply it by 60. The sum will be the GPH going through your UV. Remember, this only works accurately if the return coming out of the UV is going at least to the height of the tank before into the bucket.
Basic set-up and operation
There are three basic ways to operate your UV filter. A powerhead, an external (in-line) pump, or a canister filter.
I'll start with powerheads. This is the cut-rate, bare-bones alternative to running your UV. I do not recommend them for long term use. Striaght to the point, the pumps are not designed to push water up and out of the aquarium, let alone getting it back into the aquarium again. But, despite this, they still work well enough to mention. Here is a diagram of how the powerhead would be set-up for use with a UV:
[attachmentid=7239]
Tips for powerhead users:
-Priming this set-up is quite a chore if you dont have a syphon starting rig. I have been known to resort to "orally" priming, via the return in the tank... (yuck? It works)
-Hose clamp the tubing to the powerhead outflow.
-Power outtages can cause the plumbing to lose its prime and restarting it will need to be done manually.
-Utilize a sponge pre-filter
-Utilize T's and elbows to reduce the need to bend the tubing any. Bent tubing can easily kink and stop the flow.
-Set the powerhead as far down into the aquarium as it can go, its nice to try and keep it running at waterchanges since priming is manual. Did I say manual? I meant oral.....
Next, we will hit on external pumps (in-line) and canister filters together. These guys do the job and are the two best choices for running your UV. Strong, long lasting and quiet (research permitting) are the major reasons for this. Here's a diagram that stands true for in-line pumps and canisters (If an inline pump is used, omit the splitters and bypass tubing) :
[attachmentid=7240]
Okay, now for the hardware (tubing, elbos, etc) that would be needed to set your UV up to be efficient, out of the way, and easier to set-up. Here are some links to photos of the stuff needed:
vinyl tubing
locking elbows
T splitter
ball valve
You will need to think about an intake tube and possibly a return head if you are going the in-line pump route. It will need to have, at least, an intake screen to keep from damaging your fish and/or the pump. The intake tube needs only to go deep enough to keep the prime going. But, as with the powerhead, its best to have it lower than the waterlevel gets during a normal waterchange. Prime restarts automatically though. Here are a couple links to photos of an intake tube and a returnhead/nozzle:
intake tube w/suction cups
outlet/return with sponges
There is also the VERY cheap way to get intake tubes and returns. DIY! I know its ounds tedious and boring but when money is short from the cost of the UV (and the pump to run it), a little enginuity and patience goes a loooong way.
( I will have to come back to do the DIY part of the project at a later date)
UV brands/models and flow rates for pathogens
Coralife 3X 9watt Turbotwist
Bacteria- 253gph
Algae- 121gph
Parasites-55gph
Coralife 6X 18watt Turbotwist
Bacteria- 500gph
Algae- 240gph
Parasites- 110gph
Coralife 12X 36watt Turbotwist
Bacteria- 1550gph
Algae- 680gph
Parasites- 290gph
UltraLife Ultra V UV 16 watt (Link)
Bacteria- 630gph
Algae- 315gph
Parasites- 150gph
AquaUltraviolet
UV sizing chart
(more brands to come soon)
Good stuff, though.
