UV inline question

[FishWife]

1. If we put a UV inline after our refugium, won't it kill the plankton/good critters that I'm trying to cultivate there??

 

2. If so, is it better to put it on a closed loop?

 

TIA for comments.

Edited September 5, 2007 by FishWife

[YBeNormal]

Yes, it might decrease the polulation a bit but you should have lots 'o good critters in the main tank anyway so the impact is minimal. Besides, the impeller in the return pump has probably done much of the damage already. If you are trying to increase the pod count in the main tank, a HOB refugium or one mounted higher than the tank and fed using a small pump is probably a better option than relying on pods being pumped up from the lower fuge.

[flowerseller]

Personally,

I don't like UV going directly to or from a fuge and our fuge flows directly to the display.

Notice I said flows. There's been discussion since the beginning about how much damage pumps do to micro life. It does do damage somewhat but in a healthy tank, there's so much it's almost negligible.

It's best on a line that can be adjusted to get the proper flow for the UV unit itself.

We have ours on a line feeding the skimmer which can be adjusted. It's a CurrentUSA 40w with between 500-550gph flow thru.

[treesprite]

I've been thinking about this myself. So when people have fish that live off pods and need a continuing supply, should they have their fuges above to flow down to the tank?

[Black Mammoth]

I have mine in my sump and it isn't inlined. I wanted to kill bacteria and parasites so I needed a flow of 90gph. The inline approach was too much flow for me.

[FishWife]

Personally,

I don't like UV going directly to or from a fuge and our fuge flows directly to the display.

Notice I said flows. There's been discussion since the beginning about how much damage pumps do to micro life. It does do damage somewhat but in a healthy tank, there's so much it's almost negligible.

It's best on a line that can be adjusted to get the proper flow for the UV unit itself.

We have ours on a line feeding the skimmer which can be adjusted. It's a CurrentUSA 40w with between 500-550gph flow thru.

 

 

So... water comes thru your UV to your skimmer? First from the display?

 

We have a 75 gallon (converted tank) sump that we're starting up, and plan to put it on the floor (behind a wall, so, effectively right next to the tank at floor level). The display is a drilled bow 80, so we plan a simple loop that starts with gravity (not a pump) to three compartments of the 75 tank to include: first the skimmer -- then the fuge -- bubble trap -- to a return compartment, where a pump returns water (and plankton) to the display.

 

If we take water from the (first) skimmer compartment via a pump, run it thru the UV, and thence to the fuge (section 2 of the 75, then allow slower flow thru the bubble trap and into the overflow/pump back to the 80 bow display, is that ok?

 

Another thing I'm curious about: in a closed system like a fuge/display, where do parasites enter, anyways? Is UV before the fuge as good as after, or do Cheato/sand breed bad stuff? (In this question, I'm assuming correct quarentine, so let's not get off on that, unless we're going to say that all we need do is UV the QT, and be done with UV for the whole system?)

 

ALSO, while I'm at it... does a UV filter break a closed loop (as does a skimmer, for instance) or is balanced siphon maintained?

Edited September 5, 2007 by FishWife

[Almon]

I have a question about in-line UV.

 

Should the UV unit be connected before the pump or after the pump? Is there a concern about a build-up of high pressure that would damage the UV unit if the unit is between the pump and a penductor/eductor?

[rioreef]

My Aqua UV 25w unit is part of my closed loop. Intake in the main tank and the output also. With the amount of pipe and connections I would have, I determined the head pressure and sized an appropriate pump to get the flow for proper kill ratio of the parasites.

[flowerseller]

We push water thru a chiller, then the UV and then on to the DD skimmer then back to the sump. The rest goes to the display and or fuge.

Typically it's not a great idea to have a UV on an outflow since it may be loaded with bubbles which will reduce the effenciency.

 

I don't think it's a great idea to feed a fuge with water directly from a UV, nor do I think it's good for it to go thru a UV directly after the fuge.

 

A good UV with a quality quartz sleeve should not make a difference if the line has an penductor/eductor after it but I would try to avoid it. I see no reason why it can't be before the pump assuming that run is free of bubbles before entering the UV and ofcourse the pump.