UV Sterilizer

I have ich in my tank. I have removed all the fish and they are being treated in a quarantine. My LFS suggested putting a UV sterilizer on the tank. They, of course, have a great deal on a coralife 6x turbo twist 18w. Through my own research it looks like this might be a good idea.

My question is as follows. I have a 75 gallon mixed with a 20g sump. I calculate 85 gallons of total volume. Is the 18w Coralife the correct sterilizer? The manual says 110gph should kill ich that passes through it.

At petco they have a 25w Big Green Killing Machine for $79. This is really a lot less money than the turbo twist. It is also a higher wattage. If I have a slow flow through either what is the difference?

 

If the tank is fallow (no fish), then a UV light is not needed. The Ich will die out in 4-8 weeks as they MUST have fish to live. No fish, no Ich. How are you treating them in quarantine?

 

yup, agree. but if u dont wanna wait long, and have a preventative piece of equipment for future livestock additions, I would get it.

 

+1 to reeron. A UV sterilizer will NOT rid your tank of ich, it'll only kill the free swimming form of Ich which is very minimal. What a uv sterilizer will do is help a Ich bloom, and help destroy other bacteria and diseases which will help your fish from fighting other disease and thus leave its immune system better off to fight ich.

Like reeron said, the only way to rid your tank of Ich is to leave it fallow for 8 weeks, treat your fish with a low salinity or copper based medication to rid them(but not both) and then follow a very strict QT protocal.

IMO
HTH

 

what about the Green Killing Machine vs Turbo Twist. Would the Green Killing Machine work?

 

Also not my quarantine so I probably dont have 4-8 weeks. 4 max. Fish are being treated with copper.

 

Can't speak for yhe green machine but I have the coralife and it is a nice piece of equip remember that price doesn't include a pump either.

 

For up to 8 weeks, the cysts are incubating in the substrate. When they hatch, the free-swimming larvae only have 24 - 36 hours to find a fish host before they die. You're only kidding yourself by thinking you can kill ich faster with UV.

 

+1 to Mr. Bill. If you're putting your fish thru the stress of a copper treatment, I'd beg whomever's QT ya have to let you use it for 8 weeks, otherwise you're just gonna throw them back in a tank with Ich.

 

i would add the UV, i strongly believe in them helping to keep water quality high. which IMO is good for the fish. just be sure to get a good UV , keep in mind how the water passes by the light, (bulb contact time). also how often does the bulb need to be changed and how long is the bulb life , every unit is different. look for one that actually tells you pump sizes for different uses.