tanksfishtank
Premium Member
What size and brand UV sterilizer should I have for my 210g FOWLR with a 50 gallon sump? I currently am running a 18 watt from my previous tank but it is way to small and need to upgrade when taxes come in.
UV for 210
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tanksfishtank
Premium Member
Water clarity and algae control mostly.
sandwi54
New member
Agreed. Though, I think a strong skimmer is more important than UV in terms of algae control + water clarity. Lowering the nutrient levels prevents algae from spreading. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Also, new tanks go through several phases of algae boom, and these will go away once the tank is more mature (usually around 6 months). By then, with good husbandry, water will be clear and you won't really have algae problems.
Not trying to discourage you from buying a UV but just want to point out some facts in case you weren't already aware. UV (and frequent bulb replacement) is quite expensive and I don't think you really need to spend that money if you don't have to. It would be more beneficial to invest that money in other equipment, such as a strong skimmer.
Steve_B
New member
I have a 36 w for my 70 gallon which I failed to mention in my topic.
It’s A TURBO FLOW that claims to be able to work for up a 500 gallon tank or some stupid #.
It exposes the UV to more than 1 pass by a typical UV.
There is a term "dwell time" which means the time that the water is actually exposed to the UV bulb. The more dwell time will have the most kill power. The problem is that the dwell time your water is exposed to the UV bulb will increase the killing power, but the # of gallons that actually get back into your tank is a lot less. It will only lessen the amount of water that is pumped back into the tank.
I consider it a way of making the amount of whatever you are trying to kill less than it would be without it.
It’s A TURBO FLOW that claims to be able to work for up a 500 gallon tank or some stupid #.
It exposes the UV to more than 1 pass by a typical UV.
There is a term "dwell time" which means the time that the water is actually exposed to the UV bulb. The more dwell time will have the most kill power. The problem is that the dwell time your water is exposed to the UV bulb will increase the killing power, but the # of gallons that actually get back into your tank is a lot less. It will only lessen the amount of water that is pumped back into the tank.
I consider it a way of making the amount of whatever you are trying to kill less than it would be without it.
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