UV Sterilizer, IM DESPERATE

[BiGBlak]

Before i start this thread i want to state that im pretty aware that a UV sterilizer in home aquariums is a New technology and i will get a bunch of its a waste of money replies but as the title says im desperate and just need help from those who researched this technology and has experience using them. People who use them say its a type of thing that you dont know about until you stop using it..

With that on the side, as you can see in my title im desperate, I have put alot of money into my all male african peacock and hap tank and not getting the result im looking for. For some reason not doing much different from my other tanks i cant seem to get the same results such as water clarity, and diseases. In the last week i have lost 5 fish with more showing symptoms and right now im am medicating my tank wich seems to be flukes and or possibly ich. Whatever it is its deadly and seems highly contagious and that is the reason i want to purchase a UV sterilizer and now to my question.

Im planning on purchasing a coral life turbo twist but im not sure which one i should get out of 9w, 18w, and 36w. Im not sure if the 9w would be sufficient enough the for my tank (110g) or do i need the 18w or 36w model. I plan on also powering this unit with a rather cheap little canister filter the fluval 105 that pushes 125gph with media on the other side of 100gph. Ive done a lot of reading and what i read is that i need a 55gph rating to kill parasites ( my sole purpose) one hundred something to kill algae and two hundred something to kill bacteria and this is just for the 9w model. shooting for 55gph will that eliminate all thee above or just parasites ? the 9w model is rated for 125g tanks. My plan to use the small canister filter is to reduce gunk build up that i would get using a power head thus getting more efficiency out of the UV sterilizer.

Sorry for all the sorry grammer in this threa as im typing the fastes i can before my computer shuts off on me my computer is acting up right now and i can only use it for 10-15mins at a time before it restarts on me.

[KevinVA]

I've been in your shoes. I have an algae problem (which I seem to have figured out) and I've dealt with rounds of disease-stricken fish ever since I put them in the tank. Water params were perfect, with exception to hardness/pH, which fluctuated some. I attributed some of the disease to stress from osmotic shock, but honestly, most of my sickness was distributed amongst the Serpae and Black Phantom tetras in my tank. Now I've got an Opaline Gourami with a red dot on it (parasite perhaps), so I'm concerned if it's related to the others ailments or this is something new.

I was about to invest in an expensive UV unit, until I decided to figure out the root of the problem. What was causing the disease outbreaks and what was causing the algae? I don't think I'll invest in one until I figure everything out... and I'm pretty sure I've got some of it down. You should take a hard look at your tank, what you're doing (and possibly doing wrong), and try to address the problem from a different angle.

[BiGBlak]

The only thing I can come to is that I don't QT my fish ( which is bad I know, just don't have it down) I've tried seeding sponges and such to acquire for it but no matter what I did I would check the QT at the end of the day to only discover some kind of spike so I gave up on that why have new fish deal with a spike. Anyways other then that my water perams are right and I do a 60% water change every week and before I started medicating I had chemi pure in my tank helping keep levels in check. Since I buy fish online from different sources ( respectable and highly know sources by the way) I'm guessing which I doubt because all my fish are shipped same day waitin 12 hours would be stress related ? I'm not sure how to diagnose my current problem I just want it to get better with this medication. I'm currently medicating the tank with metro for internal parasites and at the end of the week I will treat with PraziPro. I just hear the wonders and the ease of mind that UV sterilizers give a aquarist and with how much money I've spend aquiing my stock it seems like the best thing to do. I've never had these many problems in my beginning tanks of a little more over two years, water was crystal clear fish had no disease worry less , this tank is another story. 5 fish in a week ! Something very unwanted is in my tank that has to go!

[KevinVA]

Do you introduce plants into the tank, as well? I've noticed an outbreak here and there after a plant was introduced. Not really much you can do about that, I don't think, unless you want to risk killing the plants in a dip.

I'm not sure the stress of shipping is causing it. The only fish I've ever really had problems with, have been fish I purchased from Petsmart. Any other fish I've purchased from online sources/breeders have been perfectly healthy. My Tetras and Gourami are all Petsmart bought... which makes me wonder why I keep buying from Petsmart.

What seems to be happening to your fish, anyway? What are the symptoms?

[BiGBlak]

They all have seem to flick here and there and currently 2 of my fish have abnormal looking slim coats . Hard to explain but from a head on view part of their slim coat looks flaked like its white or such. Other then that nothing much. All the guys who have passed where breathing hard and didnt eat so I'm looking out for that also. And no plants.

[Cliff]

Sounds like some type of parasite, maybe the below:

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/disease/costia.php

You might want to google some pics to see if that might be the cause

[KevinVA]

I thought Costia, too... or maybe Chilodonella?

[BiGBlak]

It may be costia there's was no definite pics on google to confirm it it also could be the one Kevin mentioned but the reason Im leaning towards costia is because one of the cures for it I think I did I seen it on on of my Hap and raised the temp and a few days later it was gone but this time he has a mild case of it but now my Taiwan reef has it also. But for the fish that have passed they didn't have that they wer just isolated breathing rapidly and not eating one even caught cloud eye some sort. I'm now seeing a very slight case of that also in one of my other fish. I have no idea how these things affected my tank but I want them gone. Is Prazipro the answer ? Or do I need another med?

[Honey Badger 1]

Here is some information that may help you. http://www.aboutfishonline.com/articles/costia.html

[bethyMT]

Well, I think a UV sterilizer is a good tool to keep things clean. I'm not sure it would "fix" anything, as a lot of bacteria and other stuff lives on the fish and in the gravel, and that wouldn't get eradicated by the sterilizer. A better choice is probably to try and figure out what you've got in the tank, nuke it, and then use the sterilizer as a preventive measure against further outbreaks. Also, even though your stocking is probably off, do not add anything new to the tank for a while, and try to set up a quarantine. I am currently doing my first quarantine, and it's not convenient, and I hate it, but it is the best way to add new fish/inverts/plants.

I recently bought a cheaper sunsun model off of ebay (with a built in pump, way easier than messing with a powerhead), an 18W I think for my 55g tank, for the purposes of controlling the BGA I have. It appears to be quite effective in clearing the water and the fish do seem healthier, as evidenced by nicer color and activity. However, I only use it after water changes for about a day or so, because it will interfere with trace mineral absorption by your plants. I remove it and then add my flourish comp. Lower flow through the sterilizer will mean more effective disinfection, but it will take longer. IMO the sterilizer is not necessary, but it's a nice addition if you have some funds to burn and really want to go the extra mile for your tank. Unfortunately, when you have sick fish over a period of time, there is no quick fix, or at least none that I have found. Hopefully you can figure out the culprit and treat accordingly.