UV sterilizer and ick

Neptune1707 · Mar 16, 2016

I recently had an outbreak of ick in my tank due to a transfer from a LFS that I didn't quarantine. Since then, my fish are in a quarantine and doing well ( I caught it early!). I bought a UV sterilizer for the tank. I just got it all hooked up last night. I set the pump to turn over about 150gph to work on killing parasites (total tank volume with sump is 135g). With the UV sterilizer running 24/7 and turning over that much water, when would you say it would be safe to add the fish back in the tank with the best odds that the UV sterilizer have zapped any remaining free floating ick in the tank? Fish are coming up on 30 days of quarantine, I'd like to get them back in the main display soon, but don't want to rush things.

brandon429 · Mar 16, 2016

The fish disease pros will say no it will not work for a litany of scientific reasons, the fallow isolation run being the preferred mode. that UV might however help with any other plant based or moneran tank invaders that have a water transition phase however. I like uv a lot for whats its done in my tank correction threads.

Retro Reefer · Mar 16, 2016

I think the life cycle of ich is about 5 days at a temp of 78 deg, the UV may kill the free swimming "tomites".. They only live about 48 hrs in the water column unless they find a host.

NeuroticAquatics · Mar 16, 2016

I'm no disease pro, but I have had my run ins with a variety of nasties. My question would be, "Why not go fallow and know that your DT is clean?" It takes longer but the end result is more of a guarantee than hoping the your UV actually gets everything (which it may not).

I'm a week into fallow on my 240g after making a disastrous mistake of not QTing a Passer Angel that came from what I thought was a trusted LFS owner's home tank. Several hundreds later in dead fish, I'm kicking myself. I'm back to QT 100% of the time, no exceptions moving forward.

Jimbo662 · Mar 16, 2016

One of the local guys here did some research on this and he had said the UV doesn't actually kill but destroys their reproductive system so they can't lay eggs or whatever it is they do. He said water flow through the unit has to be slow enough to allow them enough time to be exposed. It won't get rid of ich because not every individual will go through the UV.

brandon429 · Mar 16, 2016

there is only one way to get a definitive answer for this: someone link a thread below where 15 ich tanks were cured by any UV arrangement. I have a thread that shows 100 gha tanks getting fixed by peroxide, not regarding tank nutrients, so we know odd claims can be backed with threads, its quite possible. no thread, no ich/uv cure possible at least consistently, and that means any results gained in the one off trials might not have even been linked to UV at all. post em

Neptune1707 · Mar 16, 2016

Thanks all good info guys! Yeah, I should have known better when I added the corals/blood red shrimp directly to the display tank. It's a new tank set up, so luckily I was able to catch it early and without destroying my tank getting the fish out. I bought one tank for the fish quarantine, going to build a quick stand to allow for a second tank to quarantine corals/inverts. @ Retro Reefer....yes that was always my understanding of the "ick cycle" that the ick find a host....get to a certain size, drop from the fish, explode into more at which point they are free floating until they find a host....at which point I was told the UV sterilizer would zap the free floaters. But I think a combo of the UV and fallow isolation is the best method.

NeptuneGarden · Mar 16, 2016

What size UV did you get ? unless you're running a minimum of 40watt you're probably not doing anything to the Ich larve.
50w HighOutput at 100gph is the UV I would put on that tank

you'll notice on linked list below that Cryptocaryon Irritans (marine Ich) takes a very high UV dose to kill.
http://wlimproducts.com/uvDosages.htm

Problem with UV in the aquarium pest prevention world is people DRASTICALLY under size them for the task required.

If you want to clear up some green water or an bacteria bloom, just about any UV will do. If you want to actually kill viruses and free floating protozoa then go BIG and slow the flow way down.

brandon429 · Mar 16, 2016

I show that to be from a sales site tho...are there any forum threads of just 3 ich tanks being cured in one thread by uv?

Neptune1707 · Mar 16, 2016

AND....I do like the fact that in my experience, the UV sterilizer helps polish the water. I use one on my office nano tank and my old 92g setup, water always "sparkled" with the UV running.

brandon429 · Mar 16, 2016

if I had a large tank it would have a grossly oversized pond sterilizer hidden underneath I like them too, I like opting out of most common tank invasions w them as cheats.

Neptune1707 · Mar 16, 2016

Jimbo662 said:
One of the local guys here did some research on this and he had said the UV doesn't actually kill but destroys their reproductive system so they can't lay eggs or whatever it is they do. He said water flow through the unit has to be slow enough to allow them enough time to be exposed. It won't get rid of ich because not every individual will go through the UV.

That makes sense

Neptune1707 · Mar 16, 2016

I went with the 18w per the spec recommendation for my tank size of 135g
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=7999

brandon429 · Mar 16, 2016

is it fair to say such a thread doesn't exist regarding UV and ich cures, only quotes from sales sites?

FarmerTy · Mar 16, 2016

NeptuneGarden said:
What size UV did you get ? unless you're running a minimum of 40watt you're probably not doing anything to the Ich larve.
50w HighOutput at 100gph is the UV I would put on that tank

you'll notice on linked list below that Cryptocaryon Irritans (marine Ich) takes a very high UV dose to kill.
http://wlimproducts.com/uvDosages.htm

Problem with UV in the aquarium pest prevention world is people DRASTICALLY under size them for the task required.

If you want to clear up some green water or an bacteria bloom, just about any UV will do. If you want to actually kill viruses and free floating protozoa then go BIG and slow the flow way down.

+ 1,000,000,000

You basically have a UV clarifier right now with the unit you have. It'll keep the water column clear of algal blooms and kill spores, algae, and bacteria but it will do nothing for ich protists at that wattage. I'd look into a 50-watt unit or larger, trusted brands are AquaUV and Emperor. Make no mistake, you're talking a lot of money for a good UV unit from a trusted brand, and at the end of the day, it'll only kill the trophonts and theronts (tomites are incorrect, that's the encysted stage not free-swimming stage) that are free-swimming so you'll only be minimizing the potential for outbreaks, but eradication is very unlikely, though I won't say impossible.

I look at UV like the skimmer for parasites. A skimmer won't catch all the DOCs before they break down into phosphates and nitrates (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) but it'll catch a good amount of it. UV will zap a good amount of parasites but it won't catch all of them either. Both do help alleviate any potential blooms or spikes in population/levels to avoid larger issues though if properly sized.

Kann · Jun 8, 2017

Where do all of you plumb your UV sterilizers? After overflow? Before return? Inbetween?

40B Knasty · Jun 8, 2017

Jimbo662 said:
One of the local guys here did some research on this and he had said the UV doesn't actually kill but destroys their reproductive system so they can't lay eggs or whatever it is they do. He said water flow through the unit has to be slow enough to allow them enough time to be exposed. It won't get rid of ich because not every individual will go through the UV.

+1 with what Jimbo said. BRStv did a video on UV Sterilizers. The chance of it working is 1%-99%. No 100%