UV Sterilizer for Parasite Control?

[joe carey]

I was talking to one of the employees of my LFS about Ich. He said that a UV Sterilizer is very effective at removing parasites from the water and could solve my problem. I'm really up in the air about what I should do. The spots on my fish are very light, like Ich that has been treated and is dying off. They come and go and rarely do see a spot that looks like a grain of salt. The fish are behaving totally fine and are eating well - no behavior changes at all. If it is Ich, would a UV Sterilizer kill it?Thanks for any input.

 

[beth]

While the UV may help to prevent ich, it is definately NOT going to cure ich.
What type tank do you have? If it is FO, you can treat your fish effectively using hyposalinity.
Light specks or not, ich will come back in full force.

 

[buzz]

UV sterilizers, from what I understand, will help eliminate waterborne parasites. But they will not aid in such things that are all ready affecting fish.

 

[seaguru]

If you look at any of my posts you will learn that there is NO substitute for QUARANTINING!!!
with that said I think that if you don't have a tank full of corals that benefit greatly from the microscopic planktonic lifeforms that eventually are produced in a healthy reef system adding a UV especially during the 1st year you are stocking your tank to capacity is very useful as an added PREVENTIVE measure against parasites like ick! Do some research on flow rates as most people put to fast a flow thru their UV's for maximum effective kill to occur...
I run a 25w Rainbow one via a canister filter to purify the water prior to uv illumination on my 125g... have ran it for just over a year now and it is time to change the bulb...
Eventually after your tank has been running disease free for years and you do not plan to add ANYTHING to the tank I think the UV is unnecessary.
In the long term based on the above I will eventually remove it from my complete self sustaining system so that all the micro-life in there can proliferate... i.e. planktonic life forms which many of our critters and corals feed off of.
Hope this spurs your interest to do further research.

 

[trigger78]

Originally posted by seaguru
If you look at any of my posts you will learn that there is NO substitute for QUARANTINING!!!
with that said I think that if you don't have a tank full of corals that benefit greatly from the microscopic planktonic lifeforms that eventually are produced in a healthy reef system adding a UV especially during the 1st year you are stocking your tank to capacity is very useful as an added PREVENTIVE measure against parasites like ick! Do some research on flow rates as most people put to fast a flow thru their UV's for maximum effective kill to occur...
I run a 25w Rainbow one via a canister filter to purify the water prior to uv illumination on my 125g... have ran it for just over a year now and it is time to change the bulb...
Eventually after your tank has been running disease free for years and you do not plan to add ANYTHING to the tank I think the UV is unnecessary.
Very good reply!!!! Am looking inot UVs myself for prevention.
In the long term based on the above I will eventually remove it from my complete self sustaining system so that all the micro-life in there can proliferate... i.e. planktonic life forms which many of our critters and corals feed off of.
Hope this spurs your interest to do further research.