Using pond UV filter for aquarium pest control?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
kamikaziechameleon

kamikaziechameleon

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Sep 23, 2010
2,339
4
68
western hemisphere
I recently had a visit from some unknow bacteria or other such infection move through all my tanks. It was transferred by siphon hose during water changes. I read an article in one of my fishy magazines denoting one of the best and most reliable ways to fight unidentified bacterial and other such infections is to use a UV filter. The author tried many other means of fighting bacterial and viral infections and the issue he encountered was that almost any treatment other than water changes and addition of UV filtration weakened the fished immune system further or damaged the biological filtration so as to raise ammonia levels in the tank causing the same effect that way.

Any way getting such an bacterial/viral disease seems inevitable as I expand the hobbies footprint in my life.

I was looking at UV filters and was wondering if I could use a pond UV clarifier as a sterilizer if the GPH was below the recommend max flow rate? There is a 120 Watt UV clarifier that is rated for 4,500 GPH If I got a 4,100 GPH pump and with head it was operating closer to 3,600 or 3,900 do you think it would function as a sterilizer? If not at what flowrate would it become an outright sterilizer, this route seems the most cost effective per watt per GPH even if I have to run water through there at 2/3 the max flow rate.
 
It is generally accepted that for the UV to effective for most pathogens you need to run it at 10 GPH per watt of UV or below,so effectively you need to run it at around 1200 GPH.
If you run it at 3600 GPH you will be putting 30 GPH per watt of UV and that is not a long enough contact time to kill pathogens,in fact you may even struggle to clear green water at that flow rate.
Pond UV's flow rates are generally quoted to clear green water as that is the most common problem with ponds.
 
Gosh that is disappointing. That means I'd have to have 400 watts to service a 4,000 gallon per hour setup. How long do UV bulbs last? If I have to replace 10-20 bulbs every 6 months I give up.
 
I know this isn't the DIY section but if anyone has a cleaver solution for Adding a UV sterilizer that might save on wattage? the cost of running a 400 watt settup will be 30-40 a month conservatively speaking. plus about 3,000 in hardware. :nilly:
 
All UV sterilizers are different. To get an accurate dose it must be calculated. Chart data is good reference but the numbers may be different from unit to unit. If you know what you're trying to kill there is a dose requirement needed. Chamber volume, lamp wattage and efficiency, sleeve diameter, refractive index, and fluence rate distribution are contributing factor. If you know all the above I can run a UV program to determine what dose you will get.
 
kendragon said:
All UV sterilizers are different. To get an accurate dose it must be calculated. Chart data is good reference but the numbers may be different from unit to unit. If you know what you're trying to kill there is a dose requirement needed. Chamber volume, lamp wattage and efficiency, sleeve diameter, refractive index, and fluence rate distribution are contributing factor. If you know all the above I can run a UV program to determine what dose you will get.
Click to expand...


I'm a little goofed because I'm not sure what UV sterilizer I would use to meat my requirements I was previously assuming I would run one of these:

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5163+5165+7430&pcatid=7430

As for what I'm trying to kill I want to kill any threatening bacteria, or viral infections. I'm not to worried about parasites persay since they are more easily dealt with by other fish safe means, temp, salinity, cheap meds. Seeing as there is no real feasable way to treat most of the bad viral and bacterial infections and they are spread tank to tank by siphon hose and take a while to ID if they ever can be I was hoping to sump a bunch of tanks together and drop a UV on there. Flow is gonna be 4,000 GPH approximately. Beyond that I don't really know...

If you can recommend a better UV sterilizer for that size by all means. Until I know what UV sterilizer would work its hard for me to give you more info... I mean does daisy chaining sterilizers even really work?
 
For discussion, I ran the program for a typical 25W single bulb, 2" diameter chamber.
If you run 4000gph through it the dose = 2.36mJ/cm^2.
Picture 802.jpg

Reducing your flow to 500gph will get you a dose = 19.1mJ/cm^2.
Picture 803.jpg
Most architects and designers require about 50 mJ/cm^2. As you can see the unit analyzed will not work for you. So if you want 4000gph flow through the UV you would need an UV with a bigger chamber or with more wattage. Is there a reason why you want 4000gph through the UV?

Picture 802.jpg

Picture 803.jpg
 
kendragon said:
For discussion, I ran the program for a typical 25W single bulb, 2" diameter chamber.
If you run 4000gph through it the dose = 2.36mJ/cm^2.
View attachment 685616

Reducing your flow to 500gph will get you a dose = 19.1mJ/cm^2.
View attachment 685617
Most architects and designers require about 50 mJ/cm^2. As you can see the unit analyzed will not work for you. So if you want 4000gph flow through the UV you would need an UV with a bigger chamber or with more wattage. Is there a reason why you want 4000gph through the UV?
Click to expand...


I'm gonna have 1,600 gallons of aquariums setup in my basement in the next 6 months. I was hoping to build a sump in a 300 gallon stock tank to handle atleast 1,000 gallons of that on one filter. I was hoping a UV filter would control/eliminate any disease that ever made it past the quarantine and into that system. I've recently had a very horrible encounter with a bacterial/viral infection that jumped tanks on my siphon hose and I read that UV filtration is the only reliable and safe way to treat such a disease(in concert with additional water changes).
 
kamikaziechameleon said:
I'm gonna have 1,600 gallons of aquariums setup in my basement in the next 6 months. I was hoping to build a sump in a 300 gallon stock tank to handle atleast 1,000 gallons of that on one filter. I was hoping a UV filter would control/eliminate any disease that ever made it past the quarantine and into that system. I've recently had a very horrible encounter with a bacterial/viral infection that jumped tanks on my siphon hose and I read that UV filtration is the only reliable and safe way to treat such a disease(in concert with additional water changes).
Click to expand...

Then you need to design for UV dose of 50mJ/cm^2. Most smaller UVs are advertise for clear water, it takes a very low dose for that so beware. Takes a lot more for protozoan and bacterial.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom