UV plumbing

[wowdude11]

Hi everyone. Got some great advice on taking setting up a qt for some fish that got ich and I ended up purchasing a UV.

Now for plumbing. I currently have it plumbed off my manifold from the return and going into my skimmer section which is the section right before the return pump. From reading only this is not ideal sine all I am doing is recycling the same water.

From reading ideally I would want to get water from my display into the uv input then back to the display as a closed loop. Since that’s where most stuff like ich would live because of the sand. Issue with this I don’t want a ugly pvc pipe in the main display.

Other option I’m thinking is buying a pump that goes from my skimmer section to the return pump. Since the water is coming from the display to the skimmer section then back to the return this should accomplish the same thing no? Any advice would be appreciated


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[erickjohnsonaz]

Yes, you are right the ideal is a closed loop in you display.
Second best is from your return directly to you display.
Least best is any option that would circulate any water in the sump, but anything is better than nothing.

Your current plumbing option is the least ideal for a uv, as you are just circulating water in the sump.

In theory you idea of adding another pump would be slightly better because you are at least going with the water flow of the sump, but still all the water you are treating has the "option" to stay in the sump, so you will be sending some of the energy of the uv re-treating already treated water.

The concept of uv is to get as much water through it and the max "dwell time" of that water necessary to damage the dna of the bugs you want to stop from reproducing. If you wast time re-treating water you have already treated you lose efficiency and need larger systems, more power and more expense.

It is a trade off for visual appeal, I suppose.

Here is my uv it is plumbed from the return manifold to the tank. My "sump", though is nothing but live rock. Every piece of equipment is external, plumbed from the manifold and returned to the sump. i consider the "sump" and extension of the tank, just in an easier place to move water in and out of. I have fish and a cleanup crew in the sump.

I'm a but different then most, though. I like showing the life support that goes into maintaining a reef tank, so everything in my reefs is exposed. I've built it so that is I ever change my mind I can enclose it easily and hide it, but for now that is how I feel.