I have a 125 gal tank with geos and acaras my filters are 2 fx6 with custom media setup. I wanna add a UV that i would be able to plum to both filters. I need ideas and recommendations on how to do it and what UV light i should get to do it. I'm new here as a member but i lurk and read a lot of the posts and you all seem to know a lot from experience and ideas . Thanks in advance for any help
To be effective, flow rate, turn over rate, dwell time have to be taken under consideration. Here is a definitive article on UV sterilization which discusses clarification, Level One and Level Two Sterilization. It's probably more info than you want to deal with, and over the years, the article has changed and become more confusing with category A,B,C added.
Information how a TRUE Aquarium, Pond UV Sterilizer/clarifier work. Category A, B, & C Sterilizers. Affect on green water, disease prevention, & Redox
www.americanaquariumproducts.com
This table from the article is helpful.
The trouble with using a UV sterilizer with your FX-6, is that with the relative high flow rate of the FX-6, you will need more wattage to achieve Level One Sterilization. Each UV sterilizer comes with a maximum recommended flow rate. It's kind of fun to figure out wattage based on flow rates. I actually run a 40 W Lifegard Aquatics UV Sterilizer with my FX-6 for Level One Sterilization.
If you are determined to run the UV sterilizer with your FX-6, you will need at least 36-40 Watts, depending on the UV sterilizer. If you had a slower flow rate with 1.5 times/hr turn over rate, you could get by with under 10 Watts for Level One Category B Sterilization. It comes down to what you want. If more is better, go for it. I'm a member of the more is better school too. My big system is still not set up, but I have two 120W UV Sterilizers that I will run with Ultima II 4,000 filters with Reeflo Barracuda Gold pumps all of which are still in their boxes. And the recommended flow rates match the flow rates of the Barracuda Gold pumps. Could I have gotten by with less wattage? Yes, but my heart was set on running Ultima II filters.