HOB/submersible UV sterilizer that kills marine ich?

Spare time

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
12,042
Reaction score
9,683
Location
Here
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Right, I guess I should have been more specific:

So I'm not expecting the UV to fix the problem entirely, I was referring to the free floating stage of the parasite.

I've been reading up a lot and watching a lot of videos, and from what I've gathered there's three levels of UV sterilization.

The first just helps with algae and bacterial blooms, but the second type degrades the DNA of the parasite while it is free floating and prevents it from reproducing.

I was looking at this:


But it's not exactly what I'm looking for.

I have no sump or refugium, so I'm stuck using HOB/side-stick equipment, and in-line is out of the question.

I'm looking for the UV to help manage the parasite and reduce chances of severe infection, even if it doesn't cure it.


Even then, I would hesitate to believe the UV will be a solution. There are ones like aqua advantage that might be what you'd be interested in. @Jay Hemdal might have some advice for if these are even worth your time.

I would just put the fish in a bin with cycled rock or media, some cupramine or copper power, and leave them in for 45 days. Everything else can remain in the display. I don't know how much space you have so if this isn't possible I completely understand!

One alternative for the future is to purchase the fish from a place that pre-quarantines them. This is what I do nowadays.
 

Fish Think Pink

5000 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 6, 2021
Messages
5,629
Reaction score
25,987
Location
DFW Texas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi, I'm new to the site.

Im 25 and I've kept fish since I was a small child. My main font of experience is with freshwater tanks, but I recently have been getting into saltwater tanks (which I was surprised to find out are almost identical in terms of care, with several notable exceptions).

I have a 20 gallon high and a 36 gallon bowfront tank.

I'm looking for a UV sterilizer that I can hang on the back or side of my tank, or submerge and stick to the glass, that is powerful enough to kill marine ich, and not break the bank.

I had an ich outbreak in my 20 and had been treating with Paraguard. I've transferred my fish and inverts into the 36 and they're doing fine, but my tailspot blenny has a few white spots still.

While I'm not 100% opposed to it, I really do not want to have to treat the tanks with copper unless I absolutely have to.

Hence the need for the UV sterilizer.

Does anyone have any suggestions on brands and products?
Welcome!

Glad you joined and sorry for your headache with ich. You'll get thru it

I introduced it into my DT on a new fish this past winter, and tried to keep the ich cycle broken by sand bed cleaning (focused on different phase). Got thru it. Healthy & well fed fish should pull thru it - fingers crossed!

Was not going to put copper in my DT, but I took CBB that wouldn't eat in QT and after week+ moved to DT. There in DT it developed ich in under day. :( Would have been nicer to have seen it in QT that I could turn to HT (hospital tank/copper) but who knows, got my tank 2nd hand so maybe ich was always there and just needed a weak fish to appear. Anyhow, got thru it before I ever got a UV. 25 years ago had an inline UV that gave away and don't recall, but still haven't gotten a UV so defer to others.
 

Clo

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
627
Reaction score
1,546
Location
New Orleans
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Right, I guess I should have been more specific:

So I'm not expecting the UV to fix the problem entirely, I was referring to the free floating stage of the parasite.

I've been reading up a lot and watching a lot of videos, and from what I've gathered there's three levels of UV sterilization.

The first just helps with algae and bacterial blooms, but the second type degrades the DNA of the parasite while it is free floating and prevents it from reproducing.

I was looking at this:


But it's not exactly what I'm looking for.

I have no sump or refugium, so I'm stuck using HOB/side-stick equipment, and in-line is out of the question.

I'm looking for the UV to help manage the parasite and reduce chances of severe infection, even if it doesn't cure it.
I actually own that IM UV sterilizer and quite love it in my AIO.
This is the only other highly rated HOB UV sterilizer I found boop.
But I didn't want a HOB because it was another potential source for having water on carpet flooring. BRS has a video showing how that particular model works.
 

Just John

Valuable Member? Seriously?
View Badges
Joined
Jan 31, 2021
Messages
5,249
Reaction score
19,185
Location
Clearwater, FL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
R2R giphy A.gif
 

vtecintegra

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
May 14, 2010
Messages
1,386
Reaction score
1,561
Location
Tampa
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
People continue to repeat that uv doesn't work for ich. Proper size and turnover will work. In the case of the 20 gallon, the aquauv 15 watt with a 100 gallon pump is what I would go with. The push back on uv came from a decade or more ago when people were trying to solve ich problems with junk uv units, and no clue about uv intensity and proper turnover. And others keep repeating it today, like garlic cures ich.

Now the problem, an effective and quality uv like aquauv or pentair is going to be big, expensive, and not hob. Water temp can also become a problem with the heat they add.
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
90,861
Reaction score
200,136
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
With a very very slow flow, it may destroy cysts but in essence, you will need a unit with very high wattage. It will not cure your tank of the parasite. Due to most of the parasites being on the fish or in the sand, It will only kill the free-swimming parasites which is a very small portion of it's life cycle. Complete erradication is going to require the fish being treated in QT and fallow DT for 45-60 days and in the long run is probably less work and more cost effective.
For Bacteria and certain blooms such as algae- UV will be effective.
 
Back
Top