Jump to content

UV filters do they help cure white spot ?


JDEE

Recommended Posts

Found white spot on wednesday bought remedy today and treated. Added salt on wed and bumped up the temp to 29 deg also did a 305 water change. Got told by a salesman at a reputable fish stockist that a uv filter would nuke the spot and preserve by bacteria buffers. i have caught the spot early only 2 out of 4 clown loaches infected and other fish cichlids sharks etc atm appear uneffected. Would it help ??????????? any help at this point would b appreciated!!!!!

thanx

Josh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

White spot is an easily treated disease and I wouldn't get a UV filter to control it. They do have there place and some people swear by them. I am not a fan, personally I think they could have a tendency to make fish less immune to diseases if something should go wrong with the UV or they are sold on to other hobbiest who don't use one. This my personal believe and I have no scientific research to back it up. I am sure someone will pipe up with an argument for them too

Josh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That'll be me Josh. :lol1:

Yes UV can eradicate white spot, provided it is powerful enough to knock out the parasite. They usually overrate themselves on their box.

I don't believe it will make the fish less immune with their use.

There are medications available over the counter for white spot, so it will be your call as to which way it is best to go. Perhaps it comes down to how keen you are or how hooked on gadgets

I imagine you would be best to use a medication but be aware that clown loaches being scaleless fish can be adversely affected by some medications.

Craig

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I liken UV filters to filter carbon - They hide problems , they don't fix them and as soon as their life is over you'll likely have an out of control problem in no time - apparently the bulbs need constant cleaning and replacement .

White spot if fairly easy to treat adding a little extra salt has always worked for me .

I'd also avoid harsh medications unless in the unlikely event of it getting out of control . And if you really must do it in a quarantine tank . I stupidly used a (parasite) medication in my main tank a long time ago and a couple of days later my Ammonia was through the roof ... I think I can safely assume the medicine killed the bacteria colonies in my filter as well as the parasite .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd also avoid harsh medications unless in the unlikely event of it getting out of control . And if you really must do it in a quarantine tank . I stupidly used a (parasite) medication in my main tank a long time ago and a couple of days later my Ammonia was through the roof ... I think I can safely assume the medicine killed the bacteria colonies in my filter as well as the parasite .

Depends on the medication. It would have been stated on the bottle if it was harmful to cycling bacteria.

All medications are a poison. The idea is to put in an appropriate amount and not to use it without true need. And certainly to read the bottle :thumb .There are white spot medications that will not harm your tank’s bacteria if used according to diretions.

If your fish have white spot you need to treat the entire tank (salt or chemical medicine).

Quarantine new fish by all means before introduction, and quarantine fish that are not contagious is great idea too.

I liken UV filters to filter carbon - They hide problems , they don't fix them and as soon as their life is over you'll likely have an out of control problem in no time - apparently the bulbs need constant cleaning and replacement .

I too don't like/use activated carbon as at some point in time it will stop being affective. But to I don't think they hide problems, though I understand your reasoning and how you come to this conclusion. While I personally don't usually use activated carbon (though one of my tanks have it to remove tanins), UV sterilisers can be great. Though they have to have the bulbs changed every year or so, provided the units are installed after the water has passed through the filter they will stay clean enough. But you are right in that as you can't see when a UV bulb has passed it's use-by-date, you may gain a false sense of security.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ehh no such thing as a UV filter sorry.. filters are mechanical barriers and are depend on pressure and flow, UV disinfection units are depend on volumetric flows and turbidity. to get a decent UV unit you're looking at spending quite abit of money. you'll get around 85% disinfection on a single pass in a stainless housing and only about 35% to 50% in a plastic housing.

I was told for aquariums it's 1kW per 10 litres? but don't quote me on that.

i'm not saying use it or don't use it, but don't go halfway and get a cheapo. It'd cost you money and do not very much at all..

Found white spot on wednesday bought remedy today and treated. Added salt on wed and bumped up the temp to 29 deg also did a 305 water change. Got told by a salesman at a reputable fish stockist that a uv filter would nuke the spot and preserve by bacteria buffers. i have caught the spot early only 2 out of 4 clown loaches infected and other fish cichlids sharks etc atm appear uneffected. Would it help ??????????? any help at this point would b appreciated!!!!!

thanx

Josh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i'm not saying use it or don't use it, but don't go halfway and get a cheapo. It'd cost you money and do not very much at all..

I agree with that but in regards to the "radiation" side of things, the kill rate can easily be uped by decressing the flow rate - which in turn increases the contact time. That means on a working level, don't put through the box's advertised lph rate, cut it by half or more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

careful not to overheat the lamp..

i'm not saying use it or don't use it, but don't go halfway and get a cheapo. It'd cost you money and do not very much at all..

I agree with that but in regards to the "radiation" side of things, the kill rate can easily be uped by decressing the flow rate - which in turn increases the contact time. That means on a working level, don't put through the box's advertised lph rate, cut it by half or more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...