High Tide Aquatics

UV question

Zero Gravitas

Zero Gravitas

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Is there such thing as too much UV sterilization? Like say 25- 50 watts on a 120 gal w/refugium. Maybe put it on a timer?


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I would not worry. The flow is important if you want to target specific organisms. But this gets too complicated. The manufacturer gives a flow rating. If you can try to be withen the specified rate, if you cannot do not worry about it just do not go much more than the spesificied otherwise UV will not really work ad intended.

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See this thread from around post #28.

Tank Journal - No Tank

Just wondering, why would it be bad to put even less gph through the UV Sterilizer than suggested by the manufacturer? Is there a negative to UV sterilizer's working too well? I know the debate out there seems to be that they are un-necessary because they usually don't give a long enough...
www.bareefers.org
 
RandyC said:
See this thread from around post #28.

Tank Journal - No Tank

Just wondering, why would it be bad to put even less gph through the UV Sterilizer than suggested by the manufacturer? Is there a negative to UV sterilizer's working too well? I know the debate out there seems to be that they are un-necessary because they usually don't give a long enough...
www.bareefers.org
Click to expand...

Flow rate will matter as you’ll need to make sure you’re having enough tank turnover to be useful as well as the correct dwell time to sterilize whatever you are trying to get rid of (algae, Dino’s, parasites, etc.). Also, if you’re going to run UV, I’d suggest running it 24 hours. No need to let the nastiest you’re trying to kill a chance to grow back.
 
Zero Gravitas said:
Is there such thing as too much UV sterilization? Like say 25- 50 watts on a 120 gal w/refugium. Maybe put it on a timer?


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Click to expand...
That is definitely not too much for your system from the standpoint of too much UV treatment. You can get into problems with heating when you oversize, since UV sterilizers put in about as much heat as a heater of the same wattage. Generally recommended to run continuously. Something in that range would be most people’s target, and the lower end of your range is less than many people would suggest.
 
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It is often better to only run part of your returns through the UV.

Let say you do half.

That means the probability of a bad microbe being killed each time is 50% of what it was.
Because it may go the other way.
But it is repeated over and over. The odds of that coin flip being all heads for 100 times gets low.

On the other hand, you double your dwell time.
That can take you from being ineffective (0%) to effective (100%) if you hit the kill threshold.

And it saves money, less heat, and no issues with return flow.
 
rygh said:
It is often better to only run part of your returns through the UV.

Let say you do half.

That means the probability of a bad microbe being killed each time is 50% of what it was.
Because it may go the other way.
But it is repeated over and over. The odds of that coin flip being all heads for 100 times gets low.

On the other hand, you double your dwell time.
That can take you from being ineffective (0%) to effective (100%) if you hit the kill threshold.

And it saves money, less heat, and no issues with return flow.
Click to expand...
Less heat?
 
Squist said:
Click to expand...

FWIW: I’ve stuck to the guidelines referenced in the above link. Seems most who’ve commented on this thread are going for more exposure at a much lower flow gph.

I’ll have something to report in the next month or two on my use of a 25 watt Aqua Ultraviolet (with new bulb) running at 1,000 gph (per the recommended flow rate for a mixed reef tank; above link.)

I have not plumbed the sterilizer into the return line directly. Instead, I have a secondary pump in my sump (rated at 1,000 gph; probably running somewhat less, given the 3/4” connectors and hose) and it’s on a loop returning to where my tank’s overflow drops its water. So there’s a fast semi-closed loop going through the UV while a similarly sized return pump cycles the sump through the display. Running 24x7 since 2/4.

Big thanks to @ashburn2k for the sterilizer exchange. It cleaned up nicely.
 
rygh said:
It is often better to only run part of your returns through the UV.

Let say you do half.

That means the probability of a bad microbe being killed each time is 50% of what it was.
Because it may go the other way.
But it is repeated over and over. The odds of that coin flip being all heads for 100 times gets low.

On the other hand, you double your dwell time.
That can take you from being ineffective (0%) to effective (100%) if you hit the kill threshold.

And it saves money, less heat, and no issues with return flow.
Click to expand...
I don't see the logic as to why half is better
 
rygh said:
It is often better to only run part of your returns through the UV.

Let say you do half.

That means the probability of a bad microbe being killed each time is 50% of what it was.
Because it may go the other way.
But it is repeated over and over. The odds of that coin flip being all heads for 100 times gets low.

On the other hand, you double your dwell time.
That can take you from being ineffective (0%) to effective (100%) if you hit the kill threshold.

And it saves money, less heat, and no issues with return flow.
Click to expand...
Not sure this logic is correct. I thought The flow rate dictate the exposure time. Each organism will have a certain exposure time to die from the UV power otherwise it will pass...
Is that not the case?

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All Mark was saying is that if you put your UV in-line with your return, don’t feel like you have to have it on the only return pipe if your flow rate is too high for proper dwell time. He’s saying that the exposure time is what’s important for UV, like everyone else is also saying. Just giving the example of what this means if it’s plumbed into your return.

I don’t have my UV plumbed into my return, I have it with a separate controllable DC pump from and back into my sump, so I have more control over the flow rate.
 
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