Recommended pump for an Aqua UV 57watt

[dwest]

One more question for you @dwest did you get the 1/2" to 2" reducer at the hardware store? Just trying to gauge what I may need to order at BRS and it really seems like just the 3 things you ordered. Thanks again!

Yep. I think Lowe’s. But certainly a hardware store. Good luck!

 

[Idoc]

Thanks! Definitely good to see how the plumbing was done as well. This is the one time I'm wishing I had a canopy! I bought mounting clips so I think I'll still try to make something crappy out of wood and try to hide it behind the tank.

That's exactly what I'm looking to do as well... mount the UV sterilizer on a board behind my tank. I started these project last night, hopefully finish tonight. Once i have it working, I'll post it.

 

[dwest]

That's exactly what I'm looking to do as well... mount the UV sterilizer on a board behind my tank. I started these project last night, hopefully finish tonight. Once i have it working, I'll post it.

My best advice is to mount the UV unit so that it can be maintained. For me, this meant the cord side was toward the open side of the tank. I am replacing my bulb every 14 months and inspecting once in about 7 months after replacement.

 

[Idoc]

My best advice is to mount the UV unit so that it can be maintained. For me, this meant the cord side was toward the open side of the tank. I am replacing my bulb every 14 months and inspecting once in about 7 months after replacement.

That's how I was looking to mount mine for easy access. Im going to install it initially on a board that I can move... just in case.

 

[djray77]

Bringing up an old thread here but I have a 57watt on its way also, going to be putting it on my waterbox 7226 which is 230g total. I just care about water clarity and maybe algae control. What pump/GPH do you guys recommend for that?

 

[dwest]

Bringing up an old thread here but I have a 57watt on its way also, going to be putting it on my waterbox 7226 which is 230g total. I just care about water clarity and maybe algae control. What pump/GPH do you guys recommend for that?

If you are not fighting dinos, then you can follow manufacturers recommendations. If it were my tank I would run it off the main return line from the sump as it would be the easiest and likely get the job done. Another good option may be a dedicated pump to and from sump.

https://www.aquaultraviolet.com/drupal/sites/default/files/instructions/Instructions-Classic-and-Twist-Series-06-25-2015.pdf

 

[BrianReefer]

A maxi jet 1200 would work well. That’s whaI I use with my aqua uv 57 watt. I hung mine off the back of the tank and placed the powerhead in the corner. I used black tubing so it’s hardly noticeable. Dino control here too.

Any issues with the AquaUV overheating? AquaUV says it needs a min of 1,066 GPH to avoid overheating and possibly cracking the quartz sleeve. The MJ1200 is less than 300 GPH so curious if you had any issues?

 

[dwest]

Any issues with the AquaUV overheating? AquaUV says it needs a min of 1,066 GPH to avoid overheating and possibly cracking the quartz sleeve. The MJ1200 is less than 300 GPH so curious if you had any issues?

I’ve been using mine for 2 years. I inspect the sleeve every 7 months and replace the bulb every 14 months. I have not seen any problem with the sleeve other than one time it had lots of calcium carbonate buildup. The other times it was clean. I know that @saltyhog ran the same setup at one point and had buildup at least once. Let’s see if he has an update.

I run the mj1200 because it’s a good reliable pump that takes up very little tank space as I run my UV to and from DT. If there was a better option with a bit more flow, I would try it.

 

[saltyhog]

I've been running mine for 15 months with a Sicce Syncra 1.0 (251 gph). The only problem I've had is calcium carbonate build up on the sleeve but the last time I checked it was much less. I've changed bulbs every 6 months.

 

[BrianReefer]

Thanks @dwest and @saltyhog , really appreciate the replies and very reassuring. One more question: are you guys running it vertically or horizontally?

 

[saltyhog]

Horizontally here.

 

[BrianReefer]

Horizontally here.

Any reason you kept the pump higher vs getting down to the sandbed? I've been reading the dinos stay low so the lower on the intake the better. Of course the risk of a complete tank drain if the UV leaks scares me too!

 

[saltyhog]

Any reason you kept the pump higher vs getting down to the sandbed? I've been reading the dinos stay low so the lower on the intake the better. Of course the risk of a complete tank drain if the UV leaks scares me too!

That's a new one on me.

Once they are in the water column they seem to be "in the water column" and not just in certain parts of it. You may be thinking of the fact that amphidinium is primarily on the sand and retreats beneath/into the sand bed at night. That's why it's not sensitive to UV. Only types that go in to the water column at night are susceptible to UV (ostreopsis, prorocentrum). As long as you pump from the DT back to the DT I don't think pump placement matters.

 

[dwest]

That's a new one on me.

Once they are in the water column they seem to be "in the water column" and not just in certain parts of it. You may be thinking of the fact that amphidinium is primarily on the sand and retreats beneath/into the sand bed at night. That's why it's not sensitive to UV. Only types that go in to the water column at night are susceptible to UV (ostreopsis, prorocentrum). As long as you pump from the DT back to the DT I don't think pump placement matters.

Mine is horizontal as well. Agree with salty. In out of the DT and you are good to go. And, my experience is that UV helps with amphidinium IF you remove the sand.

 

[BrianReefer]

That's a new one on me.

Once they are in the water column they seem to be "in the water column" and not just in certain parts of it. You may be thinking of the fact that amphidinium is primarily on the sand and retreats beneath/into the sand bed at night. That's why it's not sensitive to UV. Only types that go in to the water column at night are susceptible to UV (ostreopsis, prorocentrum). As long as you pump from the DT back to the DT I don't think pump placement matters.

Helpful, thx!

 

[Saltyanimals]

I think you would be fine with mj1200 or smaller. Good luck.

My initial reaction was to use an MJ1200 since I have a few laying around, but would that be undersized? I see the 57 itself and it's huge. Maybe 2 inch pipe, yet the inlet and outlet is reduced down to 3/4 or 1/2. I guess pump GPH is pump GPH regardless of volume through the UV? Anyone do a fill-a-bucket timed test to see how much flow is actually coming out of the 57 with an MJ1200? Is it in the range for parasite blasting ?

 

[BrianReefer]

I ended up using the MJ1200 on the same UV, i was a little concerned that flow would be too low and overheat the UV unit, but I was reassured by a few here that any flow would keep the bulb cool, and I had no issues for the ~6 weeks I had it running (and it solved my issue).

 

[dwest]

My initial reaction was to use an MJ1200 since I have a few laying around, but would that be undersized? I see the 57 itself and it's huge. Maybe 2 inch pipe, yet the inlet and outlet is reduced down to 3/4 or 1/2. I guess pump GPH is pump GPH regardless of volume through the UV? Anyone do a fill-a-bucket timed test to see how much flow is actually coming out of the 57 with an MJ1200? Is it in the range for parasite blasting ?

For parasites you might want to go bigger. My recommendation was for Dino blasting.

 

[Saltyanimals]

For parasites you might want to go bigger. My recommendation was for Dino blasting.

I thought the idea for parasites per the chart was to go slowly and thus longer contact time. increase in uw/cm2 = reduction in GPH through

 

[dwest]

I thought the idea for parasites per the chart was to go slowly and thus longer contact time. increase in uw/cm2 = reduction in GPH through

Yes, but the chart shows 1066 gph as the minimum flow for the 57 watt unit. I would be surprised if my maxi jet 1200 was pushing more than 250 gph through the unit. We go real slow for dinos.