Rocketman's New Dual 175g Bullnose Build Thread

Rocketman,

Have you done any research into dosing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to combat marine velvet? People have reported success using it. I think it's still very experimental, but if you have nothing to lose...

 

I've done a lot of research and considered a lot of things. I finally decided on the following:

Step 1: Pull the tangs out of the tank and put them in a treatment tank.

I did this last night and it was surprisingly easy to catch the tangs. Tighe came over to help herd the fish and we only had to remove two large pieces of rock. I had a 40 gallon acrylic tank and some medium quality base/live rock that I put in there along with dose #1 of Cupramine.


Step 2: Get a UV sterilizer.

I've ordered a big UV sterilizer - the Aqua SL 200 - which is rated at 30000 mW/cm2 at 9200 gph. That's massive exposure which means that at my base rate of 2600 gph it delivers 106,000. That is enough exposure to kill velvet. If I step it down then it can deliver enough to kill ich.

My plan is not to run this continuously, but rather only if/when I see signs of exposure. The issue in tanks is not whether parasites like velvet and ich get into the tank - I've stated before and will do it again that proper/truly effective quarantine procedures can't practically be achieved in a typical home aquarium - The issue is how do you minimize the impact. When a parasite takes hold and the drops off to multiply, it quicky introduces hundreds of new parasites into the system. Now if two take hold in the next cycle then you get twice the concentration of new parasites. If this is not checked then you eventually get an exceedingly high concentration of parasites that even the healthiest of fish cannot fight off. The UV sterilizer will never completely remove the parasites, but by running it when signs of infection show up, it can keep the concentration low enough that the fishes' natural immune system can fight off the relatively small number that remain.

 

Installed the UV sterlizer tonite. I ended up getting the Aqua SL 200. Here are the pics of the installation:

Tighe holding the SL 200


The power supply


Installed inline


Open power supply (mounted)


Closed power supply (mounted)


Power supply with the lights off - this is through the PVC!

 

Baby Nassarius snail in fuge

 

That last pic says it all... ZAP! LOL!

 

WOW!!!! thats alot of UV!

 

So how long will you need to run it before starting to restock? Or, are you also going to let it lay fallow for a while as well?

 

Unfortunately I can't let the tank run fallow because there are still some small fish in there that I will never get out without doing a total breakdown (Blenny, small Potters, 6-Line Wrasse).

No new fish for at least two months and I will run the sterilizer that entire time.

 

Wow that thing is a monster

 

Is the light it emits actually green or is that how the camera is picking it up? I've not seen a green UV before.