uv sterilzers....

[richie822]

i was planning to buy a uv sterilzer for my 40 gallon tank b/c my blue tang just broke out with ick. I just cant help it i love tangs so i thuoght it wuold be wise to buy a uv sterilzer. I was looking at the coralife twist 9 w, the 8w Aqua sterilizer, and the current USA Gamma sterilzer, but i do not know which one to get and i dont know much about uv sterilizers. I do not have a sump...i only khave a rena canister filter under the tank. I am not sure if the sterilzers above are in the lien sterilizers, hang ons etc??? is it possible to attach one of the uv sterilzers i mentioned above to my filter thruogh the return hose( the hose is about 2 cm thick or 3/4 inch thick) or do they make hang on ones? what wuold be better with my set up. I also have a aqua c remora hanging on my tank. wuold uv sterilzer seems to work?

 

[Brenden]

I have a 36w turbo twist. They are hang on. The UV will not cure your ich problem though. It will kill the ich that goes through it but it is impossible to treat all the water. You need to look int o hypo if you are positive it is ich.

 

[richie822]

but it will help the ich right? sorry im slueless about sterilzers... how does it hang on? do ineed to buy anything else for it? hose? anyting? it is nearly imposible for me to catch my tang b/c he is always hiding... i am going to buy 2 cleaner chrimps today and maybe try kick-ich

 

[Brenden]

Do NOT put kick-ich in your tank. The UV will reduce the ich but will not elimate it. Neither will shrimp. The UV will basically have a hook on it to hang over your tank. Yo uwill need a hose and pump to push water through it as well as a piece of hose to return water to the tank with.

 

[returnofsid]

Hyposalinity or QTing all the fish and leaving the display tank fishless for 8 weeks are you best bets to totally get rid of Ich. Hypo would need to last 8 weeks from the last visible sign of Ich. If you QT, I'd advise Hypo in the QT tank as well as keeping the display fishless during the entire period. UV will kill the Ich cysts during a very short period of their life cycle. The life cycle consists of living on the fish, dropping to the substrate to multiply and then swimming to reattach to fish. UV will only get what is in the water column and then it probably still won't get all of it. It will reduce the number of cysts in the tank though.

 

[saltfishlover]

why not use Kick Ick? have you looked at the www.aquatraders.com? they have some. not quality, but a good price. They have a poor rep, but seem to have adjusted and fixed most of the problems.

 

[returnofsid]

Kick Ich is advertised as being reef safe. However, I agree with most that you're better off never medicating anything in a reef tank. IMO, I'd rather treat with other methods. If you read what is said about Kick Ich, it advertises to kill Ich during the "free swimming stage." This is the shortest stage of the life span and the stage that UV will kill it also. According to that statement, I don't know if it would kill Ich during the stages where it's in the substrate, reproducing Or if it would kill Ich parasites that are already attached to the fish. If you don't kill it at ALL stages, you'll just end up with it again. It also states that skimmers reduce the effectiveness of the 15 day treatment. So, to be most effective, you shouldn't use your skimmer during the treatment. It does give directions for a 15 day treatment and a 3 day treatment. IMO, 3 days will NOT rid your tank of Ich. Why not use a treatment that will kill Ich at all stages? Yes, it takes longer but is more effective, IMO. Now I could see using a treatment like this in a QT tank or in a dip or bath.

 

[charlesr1958]

I believe any and all treatments should be done outside of the main tank. There is nothing that can be added to a tank or "done" to a tank that will target the specific problem and not effect something else.

UV units, not a cure, and not suitable on a reef tank, but for a quarantine tank, any little bit helps. But not enough to cause me to want to buy one. If I had one already or was given to me, then I might use it for such a purpose.

Rid Ich or Kick Ich, what ever its called... useless.

UV UNITS

MARINE ICH

FISH DISEASES

Chuck