The goal of proper UV
sterilization is to obtain the
correct radiation dosage (zap
dosage, usually expressed in
Microwatt-Sec/cm2) which is
the time and intensity required
to destroy harmful or
unwanted microorganisms
from the volume of water in
the aquarium. Books talk
about many factors necessary
to accomplish this, but those
we'll worry about for the
purposes of our discussion,
are "lamp intensity," "dwell
time," "turbidity," and the
total volume "turnover" of the
aquarium.
Dwell time is basically the
amount of time the volume of
water in a sterilizer will remain
in the sterilizer when moving
at a given flow rate in order to
receive enough radiation so
that targeted microorganisms
are killed. Different
microorganisms die at
different exposures to
radiation, according to their
size and physical structure.
The longer the time the water
in the sterilizer is exposed to
UV radiation, the larger the
microorganisms that are
killed. Speaking very
generally, bacteria require the
least amount of dwell time and
protozoa require the most,
with algae and fungal spores
somewhere in the middle.
Find UV sterilizers and there
replacement parts in brands
like: Aqua Ultraviolet, Current
USA Gamma UV Sterilizer,
Rainbow Lifegard QL-Series
UV Sterilizer, Pentair Aquatics
Aquastep UV Sterilizer,
Current USA Gamma UV
Sterilizer, Coralife Turbo-Twist
UV Sterilizer, Emperor
Aquatics UV Sterilizer,
Advantage 2000 UV Sterilizer,
and Viper SL Series UV
Sterilizer, Here at
Anythingsaltwater.com |
