Uv Light Suggestions Wanted

[blacktang]

I have a 250 gallon reef tank, and a few tangs. I invested in the UV light to help with any ick brake outs. I have the UV light setup in my sub-tank. Should I have it set up in my tank instead for better results?

[david426]

I don't think it would make a difference being in either the sump or display. What UV boils down to is the size of the dose. The dose required to kill ich is very high(over 75000 micrograms per centimeter squared) plus the requirement that the parasite be pumped through the UV. The dose is determined by both the wattage of the lamp and the flow rate past the lamp. Trouble is, you have to move a lot of water past the lamp to get the parasite in contact with the radiation but the higher the flow, the lower the dose! So you end up having to beef up the wattage on the lamp but then it begins to get expensive.

[Hop]

I used to run mine in line with the skimmer, but since redoing my set up I now have it inline with the pump that feeds my fuge.

But I guess the first question is what UV and wattage?

[Plaz]

I have my UV installed in my return line from the sump. When I did this, I cut my return flow down to allow a better dwell time for the water in the UV and compensated with an extra powerhead in the display. So far I've been happy with this setup. I haven't had any ick break-outs but can't really attribute this to my UV. More likely just good luck.