Parasite problem - Ultra-violet light

J

Jerry Mcguire

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Mar 15, 2004
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Hello all,

Need some comment on the following. I'm not sure if this will work.

I have got 3 new fishes into my 1 yr old cycled 40G FOWLS tank. The new yellow damsel has got some white spots barely appearing 3 days after I put it in, and immediately I got him into a quarantine tank.

The 1G Q-tank has nothing but water and an air-stone pumps out bubbles for water circulation, and temparture regulated at 75 F.

I put some copper based blue-ish medication drops into the Q-tank and turn on the Ultra-violet lamp over it for 12 hours a day when I am not home. (This is the first day).

I am not sure whether this will work or not, especially the UV thing. Please do comment.

What is the preventive measure in the main tank before the outbreak? Should I remove the other 2 new-comers into the Q-tank? but they don't show any symptom of being infected yet. The Q-tank is small and the chance of getting the other 2 fishes infected would be higher.

I am planning on changing the water and lowering the s.g. in the Q-tank to 1.017 as some discussions here say. Any change of parameters recommended, for both tanks? Thanks.

--
I know I know... I should have got them in the Q-tank the day they arrive, but to err is human, right?
 
I have not heard of directly illuminating a tank with UV. If it's strong enough to kill parasites, it will likely harm the fish.

Is the q tank really 1 gallon?
 
I'm home looking at the problem again. The fish exposed to UV for about 13 hours is still alive. The white dots are gone now but I notice the the blue butterfly in the main tank has now started to have mucus around the body and fins, a different disease from the one already in the Q-tank. I am frustrated.

Here is the list of stocks:
Yellow damsel x1 (removed to the Q-tank, white spots now not apparant)
Blue butterfly x1 (starting a mucus and cloudy fins, don't know what to do with it)
tomato clown x1 (looks ok yet)
cleaner shrimp x1 (lazy butt doesn't do the job)
strawberry wrasse x1 (original inhabitant, looks ok yet)
clam x1 (original inhabitant, hides it body in the same place in the sand over the year, spitting out sands from time to time)
snails x4? (lost count)

Well, the Q-tank is really about 1.5G if filled to the top. It won't hold two fishes, and really gives a headache for having more than one sick fish.

---------
I have done quite some research on the web today about parasite cure, etc. In general, the methods involve
1) lowering the s.g. to 1.009 to 1.017 (wow, the figure vary from page to page. I really guess the point is lowering the s.g. so that your fish won't die but the parasites do).
2) raise the temperature gradually to 85F (or 30C for those folks not in the US). It boosts the metabolism and the immune system of the fish and shortens the lifecycle of the parasites.
3) Apply copper based medication in 0.15-0.25 ppm in Q-tank (is there is ruler for that?!:P)

Wish me luck, 'cause I'm going to try the fourth ways: direct UV.
I will report to the forum again on the result.

Comments and Suggestions welcomed.:p
 
Direct UV can kill the fish just as easily as the parasite, and likely more so, since the parasite is buried within the fish and protected by it's flesh. Exposure to UV is not good for you, either...
 
Is it possible that the UV exposure that you've been finding is actually calling for a UV sterilizer unit?

A UV sterilizer passes water through a closed loop and exposes it to UVC rays (deadly stuff!). If you've got acces to a UVC lamp to put over your aquarium, the lamp should have been sold with all sorts of dire warnings about the cancer/burn potential associated therewith.

If you're just putting a blacklight bulb over your Q tank, while it looks cool, it won't have any significant effect on parasites.
 
It is really a 23.5" florescent tube like thing with UV hazard warning. I forgot why I bought it for HK$170 (== US$21.80) in January... perhaps it was cool to tell friends "Hey I have got a UV light that could blow your brain cells off!" stupid me.

My main tank setup is only a DSB with a single powerhead circulating water around. It has been working without trouble or signs of stress anyhow (for only 1 small fish, yea of course). The UV light is only used for a couple of days when I first got it (only at night when I'm sleeping in the bedroom, and used when nobody's home since yesterday the plague occured.

Thanks for the warning and advice. I will be careful with it.

In fact I quit using the UV on the Q-tank when I saw the white spots were gone. I used the UV on the main tank last night for 6 hours (when I was sleeping), the water was deeper and the fishes and shrimp could hide from the light if finding stressful.
After the lights turned off this morning, the blue butterfly comes out from the rocks. It swims around like usual, up and down, yarning for a body check at the doctor but in vail. The banded cleaner shrimp always hide from the light regardless of the UV or the normal aquarium light. Perhaps it is sensitive, or more likely the shrimp doesn't like light. I don't see any cleaning activity by the cleaner shrimp when the blue butterfly yarns for it. Darn! :o

Anyway, I set the timer to have the UV turned on over the main tank for 30 minutes every two hours until I get home from work. Will report on the progress again this evening.
 
It's not likely that the cleaner shrimp will do much for cryptocaryon (ich). Most cleaners go for larger parasites and pieces of dead flesh that are more easily removed. They're not lazy, although I can hear them saying "it's not my job, man."

Keep a close eye on the guy in qt. Part of the parasite's life cycle is to leave the fish. They will then come back with a vengeance.

There is a series of 5 articles about cryptocaryon in Advanced Aquarist.
Part Two covers the life cycle.
Part four describes methods of treatment. Might help with strategy.
 
dturano2005 said:
Instead of buying a UV sterilizer could I just hang a few blacklight bulbs over my sump? Will this work the same?
Click to expand...
Not even close. You need a lamp capable of putting out intense UV, the lamp needs to be close enough to the water, and the layer of water thin enough, to deliver a dose adequate to kill. A blacklight will just make the sump look spooky :D
 
Im treating for ich currently and following the advice of the LFS

I know many disagree with what I was told but I am going to put it out there

The ICH is in the main aquarium not just on the fish. If youve had dogs and cats and dealt with fleas....yep, same scenario. The parasite you see on the fish is only one of the manifestations;there are larvae, eggs-whatever immature ICH thingies are all over your tank

I originally took out my fish with visible ICH-the tang of course and treated in a QT with meds. It was VERY stressed and I put it back in in just 2 days because the spots were gone and I honestly worried I would lose it-not eating, on its side, etc

Not surprisingly, 7-10 days later it was back,again only on the tang

I took out all my inverts and live rock(very little BTW-Im essentially FO)and put them in a newly purchased 20 low

I am treating my main tank with copper. I have to keep it at .25 and the LFS tests for me every other day-there is a test kit available for 17 bucks and I think Im getting it cause this needs to go on for 21 days and Im spending that on gas !!!!!!

Anyway, they assure me that once this is over, they can get the copper out of the tank and I can put inverts back in. Im skeptical but have already decided I can use the 20 low for a reef if I put some snails in later and lose them

Im about 9 days in and...

My fish look great! I was also to raise the temp and feed 3 times a day to boost immunity. ALL of the fish seem to have darkened in color. My flame hawk who never had a spot is now the orange red he was when I got him, not that washed out pink/red Id been seeing

So I am sold on treating with meds at this point-controversial, yes, but dang-I wish I could somehow document how much better my fish look now

However, if it happends again, I will consider a UV sterilizer. Meds may be good but I can certainly understand that you wouldnt want to use them over and over again with a tang 'ich magnet;

Good luck
 
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