Plumbing a in steriliser

CaptainFishFingers · Dec 30, 2020

Hi, I’m very new to the marine tank side of things and after a few weeks of having my 180gallon tank.

I'm wondering how I could plumb a uv steriliser in my sump, but absolutely no idea how it would fit in with my set up, I’ve recorded a video to show you my setup any help would be massively appreciated!

Waters · Dec 30, 2020

CaptainFishFingers said:
Hi, I’m very new to the marine tank side of things and after a few weeks of having my 180gallon tank.

I'm wondering how I could plumb a uv steriliser in my sump, but absolutely no idea how it would fit in with my set up, I’ve recorded a video to show you my setup any help would be massively appreciated!

Unfortunately I cannot see your video, but the easiest way is to just have a dedicated pump sitting in your sump which feeds the UV, and returns the water back to your sump, ideally closer to the return side.

threebuoys · Dec 30, 2020

Another option is to splice into your return line from the sump to the main tank. This is what I've done and it works well for me. Depends a bit on whether the sterilizer mfg has any special requirements in the instructions, but the devices are really very simple. Varying opinions on what the flow rate should be, but my thought is 24 x 7 as fast as the return flow to the tank is just fine.

homer1475 · Dec 30, 2020

I agree with the separate pump. UV works by the amount of time the light has to contact the water. Depening on what your trying to accomplish flow rates vary, and you want to be able to tune the flow to what your trying to accomplish. If it's plumed inline to your return, there is no easy way to adjust that flow(you don't really want to be changing the flow rates of return).

threebuoys · Dec 30, 2020

I read the various opinions about flow. Some say it depends on what problem you are trying to solve. For example, the reproduction rate of certain bacteria that causes cloudiness in the water column is to double every 20 minutes or less. In that case, the higher flow rate will more than keep up with the bacteria population explosion and aid in water clarity.

Some feel that a slower rate will be more effective in fighting parasites. Likewise, algae in the water column can be tackled by UV, and since it reproduces more slowly, why use a fast flow rate.

In either case, the UV alters the DNA of single cell life to prevent reproduction.

I view it a bit like exposure to the sun's UV rays. If every 5 minutes of sun I get is followed by 5 minutes of shade, I'm still gonna get sunburned if I'm exposed too long. Likewise for the bacteria. If I have a flow rate of say 5 to 10 times tank volume per hour, then the parasites I'm trying to target are still getting exposed to 6 to 12 minutes of UV every hour while the bacteria with the rapid reproduction rate are still getting exposure before they are able to double in population in 20 minutes.

I can turn off the power to the sterilizer if I get concerned that I'm using too much UV , but so far that's not a problem.

A lot of room for different opinions based on individual experience. In any case, I recommend the use of a UV sterilizer and look for the cheapest you can buy. Again, they are really very simple, and FYI, most of the products on the market, high or low priced, use the same replacement bulbs.