UV Sterilizer and Freshwater w/ EBJD

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C

cjbarth

Gambusia
MFK Member
Sep 12, 2009
662
2
18
WI
any help is appreciated!!

Alright guys, need some help. I bought a EBJD last week and absolutely love 'em. Tought to tell if its male or female, but I am concerned about all of the bad stories of internal parasites. I have done some reading on UV Sterilizers and was going to get one for the tank.

I know they are mainly used in a Reef tank setting normally, but they would still play their roll in a freshwater tank.

I am just concerned that something may happen to the little guy (EBJD). I spent a lot on him and I would like to have "a little piece of mind" with this one. Although I know, they are not necessary, they would definately benefit. Check out my pics of my Community tank, the water could use a little polish too, but it looks pretty good cuz I do regular weekly water changes and tank cleanings as well.





 
You said you would like some help... but I didn't see any specific questions...


Having used UV lights with young Blue Dempseys for several years, I've settled on a formula of:
1W of UV strength per 10 US gal...
At 10 US GPH per 1 W of UV strength...

In other words, a 9 W unit at 90 GPH for a 90 Gal tank...

Using this formula I have never had any signs of internal parasites on my Blue Dempseys...


If you have any specific questions feel free to ask and I (and others I'm sure) will do my best to respond.
 
I was thinking about a coralife twist 3x 9watt and a powerhead (adjustable of couse). that should geti it done, or is there something you would recommend?
 
What size tank is it going on?

I have a couple of Turbo Twists... they are decent... I have no complaints about them...

Powerheads are okay to push water through them... canister filters are better. The reason being that you do not want to push any particles through the UV. So be sure to use ample prefilters on the powerhead.

Particles being pushed through the UV cause two concerns. A) Scratching the quartz sleeve. The sleeve is "scratch resistent" not "scratch proof". Each scratch reduces the clarity of the quartz and therefore reduces the amount of UV rays that penetrate... and B) the particles themselves cast tiny little shadows which also reduce the UV effectiveness.
 
In your calculation nc_nutcase, what were the flow rates on your setup with UV?

Since flow rates is one of the key elements in setting up a proper UV sterilized tank.

The less flow rate the more contact time with the water through the UV sterilizer = better filtration
 
HrHagel;3610638; said:
In your calculation nc_nutcase, what were the flow rates on your setup with UV?

Since flow rates is one of the key elements in setting up a proper UV sterilized tank.

The less flow rate the more contact time with the water through the UV sterilizer = better filtration
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if a higher flow rate would necessarily be a whole lot better. With a lower flow rate the water would spend more time inside the sterilizer... should even out to a certain degree. I have a 24W on my 90 with a weak built-in pump, but it seems to work well....no parasite infections (knock on wood) and the water doesn't smell :D
 
peathenster;3610692; said:
I'm not sure if a higher flow rate would necessarily be a whole lot better. With a lower flow rate the water would spend more time inside the sterilizer... should even out to a certain degree. I have a 24W on my 90 with a weak built-in pump, but it seems to work well....no parasite infections (knock on wood) and the water doesn't smell :D
Click to expand...
Hehe, read my post again mate :screwy:
 
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