Uv and filter pads really do help for ich

[SaltISlife]

I know people will blow this off.. maybe i had a (moment) on the tank ich got ahold yada yada.


Nothing has changed minus a infection i had on some corals that i had


About 5 weeks ago i had my 36w uv sterilizer burn a hole through itself ( no idea how it happened) and i renoved my 25 micron and 50 micron filter pads i was using as they were just gone and couldnt be cleaned anymore.

A week or two after i noticed ich showing back up in my tank. Its always been there but it started being more pronounced. Week 3 4 5 and now 6 its much worse.. on every fish.. including my foxface which usually they never get it.

I finally git some new filter pads and a 55w uv over my 36w i had. The 25 and 50 micron pads ive always used with my 3 emperor 400s as ich is 25 to 200 microns in size.. i always figured it couldnt hurt to try to catch some of them.

Well with the pads and uv gone.. ich explodes again slowely over time. Its interesting to see this.


Im not worried about it killing my fish but itll be interesting to see with the even bigger uv running at 150-200gph.. with the pads back in if ich starts to decline or not.

Just thought id post this

 

[lapin]

The uv only helps with ich while its in the water column. Same with the filter pads. You should see some difference over all I would think.

 

[ca1ore]

Yeah, well, correlation is not causation and a sample size of one has no statistical value ......

That aside, I do think there is a reasonable case to be made (and I have made that case) that the right kind of mechanical filtration and the proper use of a large UV can reduce parasite pressures to the point that fish can fight off ich. Analogous to the dilution effect in the ocean. I run an ich-managment system and use a 110 UV for precisely that reason. There was a post a few years back from a chap who swore by a large diatomaceous earth filter to help to control ich. No filtration or sterilization will eradicate the parasite of course, that's clear to even rudimentary common sense, but my own anecdotal findings mirror yours.

I have also read speculation that ich is less problematic in an established reef/SPS tank because the polyps eat the ich. that seems less likely based on the size of the tomonts (or is it theronts, never can keep them straight) but it would be interesting to see if anyone has done any studies on it.