[Guest]

What are some cheap pump brands that can deliver about 700gph for a UV Sterilizer? I was thinking of getting a used mag drive, but it'd still be expensive.

 

[Toby_H]

700 gph sounds extremely high for even large UV lights...

For aquarium use I suggest using 10 gph per 1W of UV light... and 1W of UV light per 10 US gal of tank volume...

At this capacity the light will kill parasites as well as free floating algae... it will also turn clean water into truly crystal clear water...

I find them best when connected to the output of a canister. This ensures the water is at it's best when it passes through the UV light. Particles can damage the sleeve in the light and will have a shadowing effect lowering the effectiveness of your UV.

But to directly answer your question... I recently consulted Ken of Ken's Fish for advice on pumps and he suggested I try the SEN Submersible pumps. I've only had them for a week or so therefore I cannot give them a true testimonial, but upon first impression I'm impressed (I've been using Mag Drive pumps for years and have tried several other major brands).

 

[moneygetter1]

8) Not sure which UV sterilizer you're gonna use w/ 700gph pump but most reliable pumps w/ that high a gph I wouldn't classify as cheap. Some that come to mind are Quiet One 3000, Mag Drive 7, Eheim 1260 that are in the $50 to $100 range. 'T'

 

[Guest]

According to Aqua Ultraviolet, 700gph is what's suggested for their uv sterilizer 15watt unit which I'm going to use on my 265g.

http://www.aquaultraviolet.com/newproducts3.cfm?id=2
http://www.aquaultraviolet.com/brochure ... ochure.pdf

 

[Toby_H]

I’ll confess I’m not 100% up to speed on the terminology of these things, but I assure you I’ve used them for 5+ years and have experimented with several brands in several applications to maximize my benefit from them…

At the top of the page (first link) there is a chart listing uw/cm^2 ratings… 30,000 uw/cm^2 is what you get when you run this light at 700 gph, which is enough to kill green water (free floating algae) but not much more…

A very large percentage of the people I talk to who try out UV lights do not get a big enough light or they run it at too high of a flow rate… then 2 months later they run around saying that UV lights don’t work. Well if the user buys the wrong product for the job… it’s not the products fault… it’s the buyers…

The same chart to the far right lists 233 gph for 90,000 uw/cm^2 which is what they suggest to kill parasites & just about anything else…

The max flow rate at the far left of this chart is 1,800 gph, which is the maximum capacity that the housing can handle before leaking of risking damage to it’s internal parts such as the sleeve…

In the second link there is a chart which lists it’s max flow rate at 700 gph which is the maximum flow that the bulb will have any killing effect on anything… so for minimal effect use 700 gph…

I run my UVs at the rates I gave above (10 gph per 1W; 1W per 10 US gal of tank volume) and I trust that this rate kills parasites as well as clarifies the water (I’ve been working with Blue Dempseys for a couple years and they are prone to parasitic based illnesses)…

I’ve ran a 9W unit at 150~200 gph actual and I was not satisfied with it’s result…

I put an 18W on the same filter (150~200 gph actual) and was then quite impressed… I put the 9W on a PowerHead with an actual output of around 100 gph and was then satisfied, although the sleeve is now scratched due to particles being pushed through and it also requires cleaning much more often than when I use a filter as opposed to a powerhead… I could make many examples such as this working with UV lights as small as 5W and as large as 40W… on set ups as small as 10 gal and as large as 300 gal…

Again… I highly suggest using them in conjunction with a canister filter as opposed to a pump or PowerHead…

 

[Guest]

I can't use them on a canister filter. I probably could put a prefilter on the sponge though. Besides my sump should've filtered out debris beforehand.

Would you suggest I get a 25w UV then for maximum sterilization of algae and bacteria?

~Ed

 

[fishyfishyfishy]

You have to look at the kill rate you're going for. The higher the uw/cm2 the more effective it is. Then you have to make sure that you're turning over the tank volume a minimum of 2 times per hour through it for it to be effective.

So, say you're looking at the 75,000 rating since at 280gph it's closest to your tank size. But, that's one turn per hour so you'd probably end up needing a minimum 30 watt instead based on this example to get the minimum 2 turns per hour.

As a clarifier, these things are pretty forgiving. But killing bacteria and parasites definitely requires a bit more attention to flowrates and tank turnover.

 

[Nixxed77]

My tank was very clean but not crystal clear until i added a UV light to it. I have a 9w turbo twisted hooked up to the output of my XP3. My water right now is absolutely crystal clear and i feel safer knowing some potentially damaging organisms will be destroyed by the UV. Go with a UV light that is a bit over rated for your tank and make sure the water doesn't pass through to quickly.

 

[a_c_arnold]

I like the quiet one pumps as a cheaper brand. I use one on my pond to pump to my uv filter. The pumps can be used submerged or not. I didn't catch the size of your tank but if the pump is simply being used for a UV light, you do not need to circulate a ton like one does with biological filtration. The longer the water remains in the light, the more effective it will be towards microbes. You may look at a much lower flow rate and possilby a smaller light if the one that you have can handle 700gph.

 

[Toby_H]

For aquarium use I suggest using 10 gph per 1W of UV light... and 1W of UV light per 10 US gal of tank volume...

I follow the above which would suggest a 26.5 W light at 265 gph… I recommend overkill as opposed to cutting corners so I would use a 30~36 W light at 10 gph per W…

I use a 20W light on both my 120 & 125 gal tanks powered by a Magnum 350 which has an actual output of 150~200 gph depending on when it was cleaned last…

I use a 9W light on my 75 & 90 gal tanks powered by a Magnum HOT which has an actual output of around 100 gph…

I have no way to truly ‘test’ my approach other than this is what I use for my Blue Dempseys and I’ve completely avoided the parasitic illnesses most owners of them have…

A pump coming out of a sump is probably equal to a canister… I missed that detail earlier…

 

[Guest]

My sump pump is rated at 1800gph. It's nothing like a canister pump and it is PVC plumbed, so I'll need an extra pump for the uv.

The 25watt is rated on the website as 70,000 uv/cm^2 at 480gph, and 90,000 uv/cm^2 at 400gph. What's wrong with that?

~Ed

 

[Guest]

My sump pump is rated at 1800gph. It's nothing like a canister pump and it is PVC plumbed, so I'll need an extra pump for the uv.

The 25watt is rated on the website as 70,000 uv/cm^2 at 480gph, and 90,000 uv/cm^2 at 400gph. What's wrong with that?

~Ed

Well?