Lend Me Your UV Sterilizer?

[Beverly]

Have been reading the UV sterilizer thread:

http://www.canreef.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=13357&highlight=

and would like to borrow one for a few weeks for my 120g. The chevron butterfly we got in mid-December keeps coming down with ich every couple of weeks, though none of the other fish in the tank are affected. I would like to see if a UV sterilizer will kill the ich without me having to tear down my tank to catch the fish to treat it in a seprate tank.

Please PM me if you have one to lend. TIA :smile:

[Dabbler]

pm sent

[Beverly]

PM replied :biggrin:

[Dabbler]

your it :lol:

[Snappy]

I have one on my 120 and in my experience the uv sterilizer does not do much for ich. I would recomend a cleaner wrasse.

[Beverly]

snappy,

Already have a large fairy wrasse in the tank, otherwise I would have tried a cleaner wrasse or cleaner shrimp. Gonna try the UV sterilizer as a last hope.

How big was the tank you used your UV sterilizer on? What was the wattage of the sterilizer bulb? How many gph was going through your sterilizer?

[StirCrazy]

a UV sterilizer will not get rid of the ich on the fish, but it will kill any of the free floating stage of the ich that goes through it, so it might take a while but theoretically at some point if you get rid of the stuff on the fish eventually the UV will come close to eliminating it from the tank.

Steve

[Beverly]

Steve,

Ich has just dropped off the fish two days ago. The ich cycle seems to be one week on the fish and about a week and a half, or so, off. Gonna set up the UV sterilizer on Saturday during our weekly tank maintenance. I expect to keep it running for several weeks until there are no more ich outbreaks.

The fish is healthy, active and eating very well during the two outbreaks we've had so far. That in itself bodes well for the fish. None of the other three fish are affected during outbreaks. Can't figure that out.

[Beverly]

Thanks, Cliff, for lending us your UV sterilizer. Got it up and running last night, fish are not too spooked by the extra stuff in their tank :smile: There is one small leak that the whatever-it's-called tape won't fix that Chris will get to tonight.

Thanks again :biggrin:

[Dabbler]

ok sounds good (Teflon tape :biggrin: )

[Beverly]

(Teflon tape :biggrin: )

Okay, if you say so. Knowing the names and uses of different types of tape must be a guy thing :biggrin:

We've got the sterilizer in a rubbermaid storage container on top of 20" high table, top of the tank is 57". Hose is 10' long. About 4' of hose is looping up then around and down from the powerhead going into the sterilizer, and about 6' going back up into the tank. Should I have the 802 going full blast to get maximum flow through the sterilizer, or should I power it down some for maximum exposure of the water to the light? Or is all that hosing and up, down and around stuff slowing water flow down enough already?

Opinions please?

[Dabbler]

Run it full open, that 802 is rated at 400 gal/h., the uv is good for 670 gal/h plus you will lose some flow due to head hight and friction, so just let her go full out :cool:

[Beverly]

Thanks, Cliff. Will do :biggrin: