First Ever Full Blown Aquarium Disease.

[B1N4RY]

Reply to Ca1ore.

Reply to Ca1ore.

Some years ago I setup two tanks with water flow between them 100% through a 25 watt UV at very slow speed. When the first tank got ich, so did the second. It only take one parasite to make it through unscathed and you're toast. I do agree that UV can help with general tank health (at least, my own anecdotal experience suggests so) but is a complement to QT not an alternative.

I agree I'm not looking at it as the only solutions. Rather an extra measure of protection. Quarantining new livestock will be my best measure of protection.

 

[sandwi54]

I agree I'm not looking at it as the only solutions. Rather an extra measure of protection. Quarantining new livestock will be my best measure of protection.

UV is a waste of money in your situation, since you are trying to eradicate the parasites instead of managing them. Since you are leaving the tank fallow, the parasites will inevitably die after eight weeks. Having a UV will not speed up or slow down this process.

The only time UV helps is to prevent a massive ich infestation in a DT, assuming ich is already in it. However, the UV strength needs to be BIG, at least 50W per gallon of water, since the flow through it needs to be high to guarantee that lots of water get through the UV. However, this is called "ich management" and most people who do this still succumb to ich in the end, since accidents happen (e.g., forgetting to replace UV bulb every 6 months, power failure leading to temperature swings, etc.) and inevitably disaster.

In this hobby, the only real benefit of UV is clearer water, and very few people who practice good husbandry use them. UV is sort of a Band-Aid.

 

[B1N4RY]

Reply to Sandwi54.

Reply to Sandwi54.

UV is a waste of money in your situation, since you are trying to eradicate the parasites instead of managing them. Since you are leaving the tank fallow, the parasites will inevitably die after eight weeks. Having a UV will not speed up or slow down this process.

The only time UV helps is to prevent a massive ich infestation in a DT, assuming ich is already in it. However, the UV strength needs to be BIG, at least 50W per gallon of water, since the flow through it needs to be high to guarantee that lots of water get through the UV. However, this is called "ich management" and most people who do this still succumb to ich in the end, since accidents happen (e.g., forgetting to replace UV bulb every 6 months, power failure leading to temperature swings, etc.) and inevitably disaster.

In this hobby, the only real benefit of UV is clearer water, and very few people who practice good husbandry use them. UV is sort of a Band-Aid.

Thank you for the information. I'm actually going to place one on a quarantine aquarium instead of the display tank. I'm going to greatly oversize it for my purposes.