ich and uv sterilizer

[EB847]

how effective is a uv in preventing ich? (no time or space for a qt)
wattage and pump suggestions for a 120g? (turbo twist)

 

[Anonymous]

I would hook it up but don't always leave on. The bad thing about uv sterilizers is that it kills the good bacteria along with the bad. If an outbreak comes up, flip your switch and leave on for about 30-45 days, then off again.

IME, it's effective. My tangs had it bad......really bad. They are now healthy and happy.

 

[EB847]

good advice. is a uv dangerous to any type of inhabitants?

 

[Anonymous]

No

 

[Anonymous]

It won't do anything except waste electricity and generate a tiny bit of ozone.

If you have ich, try soaking flake-food in water soluble garlic extract. The definitive way to get rid of ich is hyposalinity, but you can't do this with invertibrates.

 

[Anonymous]

good advice. is a uv dangerous to any type of inhabitants?

In principle, it is, but you have a 9 watt lamp exposing water going through a glass tube (unless they made it right, which means making it out of quartz) it won't do anything. If it does have a quartz flow-cell, and you keep it clean, it might kill a few things moving through it, but ich spends most of its life either on the fish or in the substrate, where your UV can't do anything.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't know what UV does to ick, but I think UV's are helpful in new aquariums where new fish are being added regularly. I ran one for the 1st year of my 300G tank and had few losses and no major outbreaks of any type of disease in my tank.

I also didn't worry if the UV was killing something that may have been beneficial. It doesn't kill anything that is mandatory for the survival of corals, clams, etc.


Louey

 

[Oceans Ferevh]

In the Reef Aquarium: Science, Art, and Technology, Vol. 3 by Julian Sprung and J. Charles Delbeek they say that UV sterilizers generally do no harm and may prevent outbreaks of disease. I have run one on my 65 gallon tank for a few months now with no ill effects and I have seen no parasites, disease, or problems of any kind.