Hi,
I was just doing some research about getting rid of diatoms and dinos, and i've seen a UV steriliser can help and it should be 2 watt per gallon , so 140 w for my tank?
And run it on its lowest flow rate?
Thanks mark
I apologize in advance for the verbosity of this answer.
UV sterilizers should be sized based on the gpm/gph of the pump you are using. If the pump's gpm/gph is larger than the volume of the tank then the turnover of the entire tank volume will be at least once per hour and as long as the rest of your system can handle that flow then you're good.
The key to properly sizing a UV sterilizer is based on the manufacturer's recommended gpm/gph. This is critical because the dwell time is what determines what organisms will be affected by the UV sterilizer. Dwell time is he amount of time the water is in the chamber making contact with the UV rays being put out by the bulb.
Every organism has a different amount of UV exposure rate required to be sterilized. You need to see what amount of UV is required for the specific organisms you are trying to remove or prevent. The slower the water flows through the UV the higher the amount of UV exposure and therefore a stronger dose and the broader the spectrum of organisms that will be affected. The faster the water flows through the UV the less contact, less types of organisms will be affected.
I always use the example of being hot and either running in front of a fan or walking slowly in front of a fan in order to get cooled.
The quality of the lamp used by the manufacturers will also vary in how long before you'll need to replace it. I personally prefer the brand AquaUV or Emperor Aquatics as these are professional grade and found on all large aquariums throughout the world and bulbs last putting out UV from 12 to 14 months at 24/7 use.
Keep in mind that just because you see light coming out of your UV sterilizer doesn't mean the bulb is putting out UV. UV bulbs lose strength the older they get to the point they put out visible light, which is not necessarily UV strength.
In other words, any advice without pump flow rate, uv stabilizer flow rate info, and what organism(s) you're trying to prevent or sterilize will be a guess or a broad statement at best. So in closing, if you don't want to figure all this out, but way bigger than you need, sit back and enjoy your tank.
