Temporary UV technique for ich

[SantaMonica]

This technique is simple: Keep a strong UV (such as 57 watts or more) and water pump in storage, and when you encounter ich then put the UV and water pump in a for a few weeks. When ich is gone, remove the UV and store it again. Has worked for me 5 times in a row, if I start using it as soon as any ich is seen.

 

[marrone]

The problem with that is you need to make sure that not only all the water goes through the UV but all the Ich spores too before they reinfect the fish, something that in a tank with sand, gravel, corals, and live rock isn't something that can happen. A UV will help possibly keep Ich, and other parasites, down but in a main tank isn't going to eliminate Ich.

 

[ourcoralreef]

Thanks for the tip
but 5 times in a row
Its a temporary bandaid as marrone mentioned to eliminate ich you would need every drop of water rock sand sterile what this is doing is just killing whatever surface ick is in the system
The one good thing i can see from this is it will buy time to build up the fish immune system to possibly fight off or tolorate it until it can be properly treated

 

[SantaMonica]

Yes 5 new fish in 5 years, especially a hippo that started ich upon addition. All water does not need to pass through.

 

[samster]

Yes 5 new fish in 5 years, especially a hippo that started ich upon addition. All water does not need to pass through.

You would still have ich in your system even with a UV sterilizer. Best method ime was hypo.

 

[1UCKY]

Over the years what I have done is QTed all my fish for at least a month and treat accordingly. I also run a UV 24/7 on my tank.

 

[MDreef]

This technique is simple: Keep a strong UV (such as 57 watts or more) and water pump in storage, and when you encounter ich then put the UV and water pump in a for a few weeks. When ich is gone, remove the UV and store it again. Has worked for me 5 times in a row, if I start using it as soon as any ich is seen.

5x on the same tank? That would sound like fish immunity followed by a flareup...

UV won?t eradicate ich. It will leave ALL tomonts intact and is questionable if it even kills any theronts or protomonts that would pass through even a high end unit. Research indicates significantly higher required UV dose than anything offered to hobbyists.

E.g. One of the few studies of marine ich ( Colorni and Burgess) shows the required dose needed to be 800,000?Ws/cm?. Pentair?s 80W HO claims to deliver 180k at 450gph.

 

[SantaMonica]

Yes same tank. New fish always triggered it. And the UV always stopped it.

 

[d5332]

What he said...
You have almost figure it out...
Your final step is to realize you are not killing anything, you contained it.
You remove the UV and containment is gone.

Stop removing the UV, leave it on 24/7

The problem with that is you need to make sure that not only all the water goes through the UV but all the Ich spores too before they reinfect the fish, something that in a tank with sand, gravel, corals, and live rock isn't something that can happen. A UV will help possibly keep Ich, and other parasites, down but in a main tank isn't going to eliminate Ich.

 

[MDreef]

Yes same tank. New fish always triggered it. And the UV always stopped it.

The bad news is that you 100% have ich in your tank. It doesn't go away because of the UV. It merely completes its symptomatic cycle phase lasting between 3-7 days (+/-).

The good news is that your fish are managing it, the UV may or may not help but is likely insignificant.

Your fish have developed partial immunity but act as asymptomatic carriers which would explain why it flares up when you add new fish. In addition, you can expect flareups if there are drastic changes in environmental conditions that would stress their immunity - temperature swings, pH etc. An introduction of another pathogen or secondary bacterial infections are much more likely to be fatal too.

The only way to get rid of it would be to remove all fish to a treatment tank and treat with copper and/or CP (depending on the fish) for about a month. You'd also have to leave the DT fallow for about 76 days. I'm not advocating you do this if 'ich management' is working. In all honesty copper and CP (pain as you must get a prescription or else risk gambling with impure products of questionable effectiveness) have caused me to lose more fish than the disease.