UVC Sterilizer questions...

[clhardy5]

So, I just bought a 36W UVC for my Reefer 525xl. My tank has 108 gallons in the DT, and a 31 gallon sump. I also bought a Sicce 2.0 pump to run on the UVC. I have the pump dialed way back....and tested the flow through the UV at 180 gallons per hour. I don't have ich....but don't want to get it either....and would love for the UV to help with Cyano (which I do have) and anything else 'bad' that a UV can help with. I'm so confused about what setting to have my pump on for the best use......Am I good....or should I ramp up the pump?

 

[DaddyFish]

What model UV? I can suggest a setting.

Taken from CoraLife website for their TurboTwist UV line, but I find it extremely helpful and a close match based on lamp wattage...

Based on their chart, you could run up to 290 gph and kill parasites. Remember these numbers are based on new lamps, clean quartz tubes etc. UV lamp performance substantially degrades over it's 1-year typical lifespan. But 38,000 uW sec/cm2 is the basic threshold for killing parasites. So you should have some wiggle room.
Personally I target 250 gph with a 36-watt UV unit and that allows me margin for lamp degradation and contaminant buildup without losing the needed killing power over the span of quarterly cleanings.

You do want to keep a healthy waterflow through the UV, as that helps reduce the operating temperature of the lamp with cooling water flow. And that translates to longer lamp life. It's tough to get a full year out of any UV if you're running it slow enough to kill parasites and 24-hours /day. I prefer to have a larger UV that I can run for 12-hours/day and get the job done, but some of my setups simply don't have the physical space for anything larger than a 36-watt.

 

[clhardy5]

What model UV? I can suggest a setting.

Jebao 36W UVC and a Sicce Syncra 2.0​

Thanks!

 

[zalick]

Jebao 36W UVC and a Sicce Syncra 2.0​

Thanks!

Here's a similar chart to the coralife. This one is aquauv.

There is a lot of contradictory info out there for what is needed to kill parasites. Aquauv says 75-90,000. BRS has a good video on it and says some reports even suggest 325,000 for Dinos.

 

[Cory]

Hate to say it but cyano wont be killed with uv. Removing organics helps. Have you tried chemiclean or whatever its called? Yku sure its not dinos? Uv helps a lot with dinos .

 

[reefz]

Using UV to combat ich should have a gph flow of 1x Total Tank Volume. Algae/detritus should have a flow of 3-4x Total Tank Volume. BRS has videos on this topic.

 

[DaddyFish]

Using UV to combat ich should have a gph flow of 1x Total Tank Volume. Algae/detritus should have a flow of 3-4x Total Tank Volume. BRS has videos on this topic.

Just FYI, those are suggested MINIMUM flow rates. Higher flow rates are okay as long as your UV unit can meet the exposure requirements at that flow rate.

 

[DaddyFish]

Here's a similar chart to the coralife. This one is aquauv.

There is a lot of contradictory info out there for what is needed to kill parasites. Aquauv says 75-90,000. BRS has a good video on it and says some reports even suggest 325,000 for Dinos.

Wow! Those are some serious exposure numbers! Probably 4x higher than the CoraLife chart? As you said, there's a lot of contradictory info out there.

I can only attest to my personal experience with UV over the past 18-months where I've had UV failures gone undetected and seen parasites invade and then reduced/retreated by UV units of three different brands using the CoraLife chart numbers as a guideline. So in my experience their numbers work for me.

 

[[Cameron]]

Jebao UV units aren't very strong and don't have good contact time for what they are. 20gph-ish times wattage is going to be the fastest you can run this to get level 1 sterilization which may not fully get you there. So I would target 500gph or so to manage algae. This makes it effective for about a max of 125g of water volume for Level 1 sterilization (algae).

I am not sure you can get this unit to be effective as a level 2 sterilization that combats more complex organisms such as ich. That takes a high output bulb with a long contact time typically which likely means a flowrate so slow it will burn this unit up.

Hate to say it but cyano wont be killed with uv. Removing organics helps. Have you tried chemiclean or whatever its called? Yku sure its not dinos? Uv helps a lot with dinos .

UV is a sterilizer and not designed to kill organisms. It basically corrupts the DNA/RNA and slows propagation. No reason that I know of that UV shouldn't work on cyano. UV in general being a sterilizer isn't meant to be an all-in-one solution for anything. UV sterilization is a tool designed to attack an issue on another front not win a war by itself.

 

[Cory]

Jebao UV units aren't very strong and don't have good contact time for what they are. 20gph-ish times wattage is going to be the fastest you can run this to get level 1 sterilization which may not fully get you there. So I would target 500gph or so to manage algae. This makes it effective for about a max of 125g of water volume for Level 1 sterilization (algae).

I am not sure you can get this unit to be effective as a level 2 sterilization that combats more complex organisms such as ich. That takes a high output bulb with a long contact time typically which likely means a flowrate so slow it will burn this unit up.


UV is a sterilizer and not designed to kill organisms. It basically corrupts the DNA/RNA and slows propagation. No reason that I know of that UV shouldn't work on cyano. UV in general being a sterilizer isn't meant to be an all-in-one solution for anything. UV sterilization is a tool designed to attack an issue on another front not win a war by itself.

Yes i agree it. While it may work for free swimming cyano it wont do a thing for those on the rocks or sand.

 

[[Cameron]]

Yes i agree it. While it may work for free swimming cyano it wont do a thing for those on the rocks or sand.

A UV will help keep them from spreading into the tank and after someone vacuums, scrubs, etc it will sterilize whatever is kicked up which in turn means a lot less fiddling with it in the long term.

 

[Cory]

A UV will help keep them from spreading into the tank and after someone vacuums, scrubs, etc it will sterilize whatever is kicked up which in turn means a lot less fiddling with it in the long term.

Yes definitely work envolved in the cyano battle.

 

[threebuoys]

Germicidal UV Dose UV Irradiation Dosage Table ​

Germicidal UV dose table shows the UV dose needed to inactivate germs
www.americanairandwater.com

quote from above article:

"Please note that many variables (air flow, humidity, distance of microorganism to the UV light, irradiation time) take place in a real world environment that make actual calculating of the UV dosage very difficult. However, it is proven that UV light will kill any DNA-based microorganism given enough UV dosage. UV breaks down DNA on a cumulative basis. Therefore, as air circulates through the ductwork of an HVAC system containing an UV light, the UV light continuously disinfects the air. If a microorganism is not effectively deactivated on the first pass through the ductwork, the UV light will continue to break its DNA down on subsequent passes. Microorganisms do not sit in a static environment in HVAC systems except on coils which can be exposed to UV light also. Microorganisms multiply rapidly if not controlled. The UV light helps to reduce airborne microorganisms from the indoor environment."

I recognize the above was written with concern for the sterilization of air, but air is just a different type of fluid and I believe the statements are just as relevant to water.

So , assume the following:

UV device holds 1 gallon of water,
return pump operates at 125 gallon per hour,
therefore, each gallon of water is exposed for (60minutes x60 seconds)/125 gallons=28.8 seconds per gallon per hour

Now, assume the return pump operates at a flow rate of 10x per hour,
therefore, each gallon of water is STILL exposed to 28.8 seconds per hour
60 minutes x 60 seconds = 3,600 seconds
3,600 seconds/10 = 360 seconds per cycle
360 seconds per cycle / 125 gallons = 2.88 seconds per gallon per cycle
2.88 seconds per cycle x 10 cycles per hour = 28.8 seconds per gallon per hour... imagine that

So, single cell bacteria that replicate every 20 minutes are exposed and sterilized once every 6 minutes preventing rapid reproduction, and
Multi-cell parasites are exposed 28.8 seconds per hour x (? hours to replicate{I know, I don't have this value yet to complete the calculation}) and sterilized preventing their rapid reproduction.

Also keep in mind that almost all of the devices used for aquariums use the same UV replacement bulbs.
So, I suggest you opt for the highest wattage unit you can find and set the return rate for what you require for your filtration. The UV will only affect the organisms found in the water column. So, only the free swimming parasites will be rendered sterile, but that's still good, and bacteria and algae in the water column will be sterilized to boot.

My belief is that many of the vendors of these devices fail to recognize the fact that aquariums are closed systems and cumulative exposure due to high turnover rates is just as effective as one time exposure when no turnover occurs (as in municipal and industrial water systems.)