Which UV Light?

[TheChad]

Hey All,

I have a 90g Tank, and I am looking for a UV light, there are of course 100's out there all claiming to be better than the next. I Don't want to Hang-on type, This will pump in and out of my sump.

The LFS has AquaUV but it's pretty pricy not sure how good they are?

Some companies like Coralife say I only need 8w for 90g, other companies like AquaUV say I need 25w.

I assume the higher the wattage the faster (more) water you can run threw it because higher wattage will kill the bad stuff faster!?

Any Help on this is apperciated.

Thanks,

-TheChad

[melosu58]

I use the turbo twist. More time around the light is the key IMO.

[roka64]

You also have to take into account the volume for your sump as well.....

[thekeyofb]

I have a question? what is the difference in brand. A UV light is a UV light, correct?
I mean a 24 watt UV light by coralife would operate the same as a 24 watt UV light by the more expensive brands correct? I think the key is the amount of time the light is in contact with the water. So, while design may be different, don't they all operate the same?

[thekeyofb]

PS.....Please don't take my comments as knowledge. I am really asking these questions because I am considering purchasing a UV unit. So, I want to know should I consider brand or should I consider design? Also, I have a 75 Gallon with the following:

2 yellow tangs
1 blue throat
1 4 strip damsel
1 blue damsel
assorted mushrooms
2 green star polyps

What size UV unit should I search for?

[TheChad]

Yes and No.

Design is probably the biggest difference, but the light itself will make a difference too.

Just like buying a German HQI bulb vs buying a China made bulb, they both make light but the German bulb will last longer, hold its color temp longer, and puts out more light.

So a 24w UV light isn't always equal to another 24w uv light..

-TheChad

[melosu58]

Also the turbo twist wraps around the light providing more exposure to the UV light. Most of them just go straight through.

[thekeyofb]

Ok....so, what wattage would you recommend for my tank?

[melosu58]

If you read the links on this page it will tell you a 9 watt will be sufficient.

Aquarium Ultra Violet Sterilizers: Coralife Turbo-Twist UV Sterilizers

[austinsdad]

And don't forget the importance of matching it with the right pump. Don't want the water going thru too fast.

[TheChad]

Hey Guys,

I ended up purchasing the Coralife 18watt Turbo Twist UV light because I was able to get it for about $10 more than the 9w version..

My question now is how should I plumb it and what flow rate should I shoot for? According to the directions it can handle like 500gph but their flow chart on the back says only 110 GPH to kill parasites...

I was thinking of plumbing it inline with the return pump from the sump, which is probably 400 something gph (I am getting a new sump in the next 3-4 months that will be larger & have a fuge that will use an extrnal return pump, at which time I plan to run the UV seperatly with it's own pump.)

Is runing the UV in and out of the sump just as effective as running in and out of the main tank??

Thanks,

-TheChad

[austinsdad]

That 400 gph is likely too fast for a UV. Read the book that came with it for the matching pump speed. Ecited - - OOps you saisd that already above. I'd suggest the 100 to 120. Figure for the maybe 8-14 inches head loss lifting it up to the UV.

400 gph won't kill anything since it travels the light length too fast.

Running it in and out of the sump with a slower pump is gonna be better IMO. Although I was never sure if it got 100% of the water pumping from one side of the sump to and returning it to the other side was really good. But it's better than that 400 gph I believe. I had one like that once. UV Pump was nearer the overflow input from above. Put the return from the UV on the opposite side of the sump.

Don't know if I helped....

[TheChad]

Let me ask this, just so I can try to better understand UV watts vs flow..

My thought is having more wattage would allow a higher flow rate to maintain the same effectiveness.. IE 9w kills parasites at a max flow rate of 50gph vs 18w kills parasites at a max flow rate of 100gph (Just completely made up examples)?? Is this correct or am I way off?

Also what pump can ya'll suggest that flows at only 120gph?? All the mag drive pumps I could find were 340gpg+ I would like to use 3/4ID flex tubing. Also where does pressure come into play in flow?

Thanks,

-TheChad

[TheChad]

Well, I bought a pump it's a Quiet One 1200 (Aquarium Water Pumps & Water Movement: Quiet One Pumps)

at 4' Head pressure it will pump about 150GPH, I actually bought it because it was adjustable flow, but I found out once I got it home that if you plan to use it as an external pump, it eliminates the flow controll..

Now my only issue is that the Pump and the flow meter both use 3/4" ID flex tubing, but the Coralife Turbo Twist wants either 1" or 1/2" tubing. So now I have to figure out something for that...

What kind of tubing did you guys that have the Coralife TurboTwist use? Any Pictures?

-TheChad