# UV Sterilizers - Yes or No?



## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

I'm a modest - moderately experienced keeper, but don't have much experience with UV sterilizers. Are there any experts on here that would care to weigh in on the pros and cons of using one? I'm considering using one because I've recently purchased a black piranha (believed to be a Peruvian black diamond rhom - currently about 4") and want to provide the optimal growing environment - considering all of the doubt in growing a monstor rhom (> 10"). What affect would a UV Sterilizer have on growth rates?

He gets good nutrition in talapia and shrimp - along with consumption of existing stock of community fish. Most are already gone, but in 3 weeks time, he's killed/consumed 2 large red tipped barbs, 3 small bala sharks, 2 tetras and 6 giant danios. There are still two 5" pictis catfish and one 3" crayfish in there with him. He's got great filtration (about 1500 gph), currents (2 powerheads), and space (6 ft long 125gal). My one concern is the relatively light load on the filters and then what effect would the sterilizer have on the water and his growth potential.

Thanks for any input. Also, if anyone has a good deal on a sterilizer, I may be in the market (depending on feedback).


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## rchan11 (May 6, 2004)

UV is only good for eliminating free floating algae (green water).


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

Supposedly all free floating microbes including parasites and bacteria. Definately couldnt hurt. Looking to get one myself for my living room tank that gets plenty of sun.


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## fishofury (May 10, 2003)

I would definitely say do it. It will help with keeping your tank crystal clear. I think UV's are under rated. Regarding optimal growth, feeding, water changes and tank size will help optimize your rhoms growth.


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

I think they are over rated, because if you keep a clean tank with weekly water changes, you dont need it.


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

maknwar said:


> I think they are over rated, because if you keep a clean tank with weekly water changes, you dont need it.


So, based on the feedback of some reputable posts, it wouldn't do me any good to spend the $100+ on a UV sterilizer. I do weekly water changes of 35-40% and the water does remain relatively clear. I got into the debate of UV sterilizers when I discovered some pesky grey beard algae growing on some of my decor and plants. I've eliminated a large majority of it by following some of the bleaching instructions I've found - followed by de-chlorination. For those that did recommend using one; I did learn that the UV sterilizers are good for the green algae, but would they prevent re-growth of the more virulent beard variety of algae??

Maknwar, I noticed that you're keeping a 5" Rhom in a 125g also... how big was it when you got it and are you doing anything in particular to stimulate growth? I've heard of people using some anti-parasite solutions, which may - or may not - contain growth hormones... any input on that??


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

If you look at some of the best looking aquariums, they dont have UV sterilizers. Just got the rhom, so I havent had the chance to see much growth. The UV sterilizer is only good for algae floating on the water.


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## assclown (Dec 12, 2005)

maknwar said:


> I think they are over rated, because if you keep a clean tank with weekly water changes, you dont need it.


So, based on the feedback of some reputable posts, it wouldn't do me any good to spend the $100+ on a UV sterilizer. I do weekly water changes of 35-40% and the water does remain relatively clear. I got into the debate of UV sterilizers when *I discovered some pesky grey **beard algae growing on some of my decor and plants. I've eliminated a large majority of it by following some of the bleaching *instructions I've found - followed by de-chlorination. For those that did recommend using one; I did learn that the UV sterilizers are good for the green algae, but would they prevent re-growth of the more virulent beard variety of algae??

Maknwar, I noticed that you're keeping a 5" Rhom in a 125g also... how big was it when you got it and are you doing anything in particular to stimulate growth? I've heard of people using some anti-parasite solutions, which may - or may not - contain growth hormones... any input on that??
[/quote]
if you are after an algea concern, first you have to look at the lighting, how long does it stay on, do you have indirect light on the tank,
sunlight that is.

next is feeding, how offen and how much, do you take out the food right away when they are done?

next is is the tank over crowded? if it is the rhom i think, your prob could be the light, that is #1 in all tanks, lights should
be replaced every 6 months or less to decrease algea


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

AC, you're the MAN! Helps that you're a big rhom guy.







I believe you've hit my problem spot on... I haven't changed the light bulbs in over a year. Also, it just-so-happens that one of my bulbs quit coming on this morning. Replacing the light bulbs is my #1 priority right now - THANKS! There's no direct sunlight. However, residual light from the sun does enter from an ajoining room, but I believe the bulbs are the culprit based on your input.

As for the tank maintenance questions you asked; it's not over crowded, because it's only the one 4" rhom with two 5" pictus catfish and a crayfish for scavenging in a 125 gallon tank (6') with roughly 1500+ GPH filtration (1 XP3, 1 XP4, an over-the-top emperor 400 and an over-the-top Marineland 330 (I believe that's the brand). I do weekly water changes (every Saturday) of 35% - 40%. Now, that's the current situation. When I bought the rhom 4 weeks ago, there was a larger stock of fish in the tank, but I don't believe it was over crowded - they were smallish (and are now food in my rhom's belly). The algae did appear before the rhom, but it was never a massive outbreak, per se. Nothing gets left in overnight - no bodies are left in there. I've started him on a talapia and shrimp diet, but I still don't let anything stay overnight... MAYBE for a few hours, but not overnight.

Thanks for the advice again, AC. I will get a UV sterilizer, but ONLY when I can find a good deal. That's the only way I can justify getting one based on ALL of the feedback. You're right about what comes out in the tap water, which is why I have a full-house rainsoft filtration system. Worth every penny, but I was only thinking of drinking/cooking water when I had it installed... I guess it pays dividends for the fish as well. SWEET.









MAKNWAR - I DO want to get that monster rhom off of you, so please don't forget me. I'm already making arrangements to clear out a 125g until I can pick up a 180.


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## assclown (Dec 12, 2005)

you are welcome.....one other thing to look at is your substrate, is it too thick catching the smallest of particles
they are hard to vacuum up from time to time. the cheapest lights you can get come from home depot.
they are daylight bulbs, i use them on my 180g tank but i can not find 3 footers for my 150g...they are 8 bucks.

make sure they are in the light blue cardboard end cap box that say daylight on them....if they are too bright
i wrap them with electrical tape to dim, but they do not cause algea at all, ive been using them for a long time,
the spectrum is good and doesnt have any yellow in it.

keep me posted.....i bet if you net your fish and put them into a rubbermaid and stir up your substrate, you will
find alot of nasty things there feeding the algea too....good luck bro

dennis


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

assclown said:


> you are welcome.....one other thing to look at is your substrate, is it too thick catching the smallest of particles
> they are hard to vacuum up from time to time. the cheapest lights you can get come from home depot.
> they are daylight bulbs, i use them on my 180g tank but i can not find 3 footers for my 150g...they are 8 bucks.
> 
> ...


UPDATE: I'm as excited a 5 year old girl on Christmas morning today!!! First off, thanks AC for the advice... I did go by Home Depot to find the bulbs as you suggested, but none of the three stores I visited carried a 36" bulb in "daylight". I did end up buying the proper daylight bulbs from Petco for a bit more... and ended up having to candy-stripe them with electrical tape to dim them down. I also picked up a UV Sterilizer for $62 at petsmart. a 24 watt with a powerhead. Seemed like a good deal, so now I'm a UV Sterilizer user - for anybody following this topic.

Anyhow, HERE'S THE GREAT NEWS and the reason I'm giddy today: Moonie is selling me his *15" Rhom * and I'm getting him today














. The 4" will be sold as part of the deal and I'm STOKED that I've got my prize fish now. THANK YOU, MOONIE!!! - YOU ARE THE MAN! I'll take the pics and video when he's settled in.

CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY ThiS YEAR BABY!!!


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## assclown (Dec 12, 2005)

congrats bro............remember to replace the bulb in the uv every 6 months or less


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

Personally, I'm against UV sterilization of aquarium water.

Who knows what stuff it's killing is actually beneficial (if not crucial) to the health of our fish?


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## notaverage (Sep 10, 2005)

fishofury said:


> I would definitely say do it. It will help with keeping your tank crystal clear. I think UV's are under rated. Regarding optimal growth, feeding, water changes and tank size will help optimize your rhoms growth.


I'm curious....do you have anything to prove this such as the growth of your own Rhom?

I am really surprised Bake hasn't chimed in here...I know he had bought one a few months back for his new freshwater tank.

I don't think its necessary...I never had one and have always had great water quality.

Nice...send in those pics!


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

UPDATE: Picked up the Rhom from Moonie Sunday evening, but he only measured 14".







He's not quite the 15" I was hoping for, but don't let it sound like I'm complaining, because he is a beautiful BEAST. He suffered some minor abrasions - including to one eye - and scaling on his tails/fins from getting caught in the net as Moonie was collecting him, but I still made the deal. My water conditions were/are pristine and I added some stress-zyme for the initial introduction. After day 1, I added some mela-fix to help him repair the damage. We're on the beginning of day 3 and he's mostly healed... you can see the excess slime on his tail as it heals, but otherwise, he's GREAT! Neither me or my son have been able to take our eyes off of him while in the room. Everytime I take a glance in the direction of the tank, it takes my breath away to see such a big piranha there in my sitting room - a real dream come true. Thanks again, Moonie! - although I did hook you up with my 4" rhom in the exchange - you know he was a beauty. Considering the departed rhom's name was "Kahn", the new one is "Genghis".







- Genghis Kahn the conquerer.









As for the UV Sterilizer, it's hooked up and running. Obviously, there wouldn't be a recognizable difference yet, but considering I've got a monster in my tank, anything that could reduce the required maintenance is a "must have". I've got it tucked behind a protective piece of decor, so although it takes up valuable tank space, I'm still interested to see if it can reduce some of the algae related maintenance. I mean, with Genghis in the tank, it's not as if I can put some algae eaters in there to help... unless I'm looking for help feeding the rhom.

I've attached some pics taken Sunday - after he was in the tank and became a bit more responsive. Sorry that they aren't very clear, but I used my phone.







I'll take some better pics with a better camera this evening.


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## assclown (Dec 12, 2005)

he is very stunning by far.....i much perfer the solo piranha than a shoal....great pick up man

Dave, as far as killing your benificial bacteria, there are some strains that only survive on light (algea most kinds)
and there are ones that survive on water perameters such as nitrites and ammonia which will not kill off your
ben bacteria, this is why we stress in the hobby of having bio material to keep it healthy.

if you had a powerful enough uv light to in fact kill off ALL and everything in your water, then yes it is overkill
it would be sterille water, then you filter it out with mechanical filtration and then its pure...along with chem filtration too.
with a uv you only want to kill off the algea or the weaker particles in the water.

in saltwater tanks, it is a good idea to have one, you dont need one, but it keeps your water in check, kinda like 
carbon in the water....do you need it, no just when you want to remove harmful contaminates.


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## ryanimpreza (Jul 19, 2006)

maknwar said:


> I think they are over rated, because if you keep a clean tank with weekly water changes, you dont need it.


agreed :nod:


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## fishofury (May 10, 2003)

notaverage said:


> I would definitely say do it. It will help with keeping your tank crystal clear. I think UV's are under rated. Regarding optimal growth, feeding, water changes and tank size will help optimize your rhoms growth.


I'm curious....do you have anything to prove this such as the growth of your own Rhom?

I am really surprised Bake hasn't chimed in here...I know he had bought one a few months back for his new freshwater tank.

I don't think its necessary...I never had one and have always had great water quality.

Nice...send in those pics!
[/quote]
As with any fish, feeding, water quality and tank size will definitely affect its growth. If you look at the pics and video section, you will see the fish that I have raised over the years. Currently, I'm out of the hobby, but when I was fully engulfed in it, I had major success in growing my piranhas. For example, I grew a few S. macs from half an inch to over 8" in a year or so. I also grew a few P. piraya from 3" to 11" in about 7-8 months and I had an altuvei that went from 3" to 9". What I've mentioned so far are just some of the piranhas I've owned. I attribute their growth to the water quality/maintenance, feeding and size of their tanks. All of my tanks were over filtered. A few members here can substantiate what I'm saying because they've seen what I've done first hand. 
As for the UV, it works in keeping the tank crystal clear. All of my tanks were immaculate, but my 180 mac tank with the UV was always the tanks with the clearest water.


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

Thanks Fishofury (like the whole 'Bruce Lee' theme, by-the-way)... I'm no longer worried about the growth rate. When I started this topic, I had a 3.5 - 4" rhom, but have since upgraded to a 14" monster.







I did end up getting the UV sterilzer, but ironically, I haven't been able to use it of late, because I've got maracyn and maroxy in the tank to treat a fungal infection that set in from the damage while he was being transferred.







I'm a bit disappointed that I'm having to do that in this stage, but considering that my water quality is pristine and the meds are working, I'll be happy when I can normalize the tank and get the UV sterilzer back on line. I'm looking forward to the reduced maintenance work and a clear tank. Death to algae!


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## assclown (Dec 12, 2005)

instead of antibiotics like that, you can use salt and pima and melafix they are not as harsh on fish.
in all of my dealings with fish and disease, i have used antibiotics once an a small group of pygos,
the very first shoal i had for popeye. i once got a brandtii that got clouded eye which is simular
to popeye and used above mentioned, it went away without fail.

i am not a huge fan of buying expensive things that may do damage to the fish or change water quality.
i like doing it natural and making my own stuff IE filtration, sumps etc. i think if a person spent time looking
up stuff and reading, he can get away from the hub-bub of over priced aquarium maintenance.

thats just me........its been working for me for years now with out loosing a fish to disease, i think the majority
of the diseases come from lack of maintenance and preperation for fish, i dont see that in p-fury because we are here 
to ask our fellow enthusiatic keepers on how to "do it"

dennis


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

assclown said:


> instead of antibiotics like that, you can use salt and pima and melafix they are not as harsh on fish.
> in all of my dealings with fish and disease, i have used antibiotics once an a small group of pygos,
> the very first shoal i had for popeye. i once got a brandtii that got clouded eye which is simular
> to popeye and used above mentioned, it went away without fail.
> ...


Hey Dennis,

Once again, thanks for the excellent advice. The fungus infection was obvious - and it had done quite a bit of damage. It was a true fungus. Also, the large rhom had a long standing case of HITH that I thought the Maracyn would assist in healing. I did start treatments with Melafix, but not Pimafix... and when I noticed the fungus infection worsening, I added the Maroxy and it was very effective. I'd say it was two days and the fungus was under control and regrowth was already underway. I did do a LOT of research and reading before deciding on the Mardel products (I even read about 3 years back on the parasite and injury forum here) and it was my LFS expert (whom I trust) that swayed my decision in trying it. I've had the 14" rhom for two weeks, and I'd call this a recovery operation thus far... he was not in as good of condition as I initially thought. Like I said, the HITH was long standing, so I felt like he needed the antibiotics and stronger Maroxy to get him over the hump. He's started eating again (he'd stopped eating about a week or so before I bought him... for obvious reasons that I now understand).

I did add salt - 5ml (1 tsp) per 10 gallons and upped the temp to 85 to speed his healing. The antibiotics and Maroxy have already been diluted out through plenty of water changes over the past week (3 changes of 40 - 45%). I am replacing the right amount of salt when I do the water changes. I've also - JUST TODAY - started to dose him with pima and melafix to complete the healing process and to ensure the fungus stays gone. He's eating very healthy and is very active, so the worst of it all is behind us. Thank GOD!

I appreciate all of your help Dennis!

Marvin


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## piraya man (Dec 28, 2008)

ROUGH... THE PICS YOU TOOK ARE PRETTY GOOD IN DETAIL, IVE SEEN THE FISH YOU GOT FROM MOONIE - "MR.BIGGS" I CALL IT :nod: NOW I READ ABOUT THE NETTING INCIDENT...TOUGH TRIP-BUT I GUESS ITS TOO BE EXPECTED WITH A FISH OF THAT SIZE(THEY CAN BE TOUGH TO HANDLE) BUT LIKE I SAID, IVE SEEN THE RHOM AND IT LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT!!! (IN YOUR PICS) THEN WHEN I SAW IT, IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAS SOME BRUISING GOING ON??? I DOUBT YOU GOT IT WITH INFECTION...HIS COLLECTION AND CARE IS PRETTY SERIOUS & IMPRESSING! AND DID YOU KNOW THAT IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO NOT FEED YOUR FISH A FEW DAYS PRIOR TO SHIPPING TO AVOID THROWING UP AND CRAZY AMMONIA GOING ON??? ITS COOL, IT IS SAID THAT WE LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY...GOOD LUCK AND CONGRATS ON YOUR BEAST!!!


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

piraya man said:


> ROUGH... THE PICS YOU TOOK ARE PRETTY GOOD IN DETAIL, IVE SEEN THE FISH YOU GOT FROM MOONIE - "MR.BIGGS" I CALL IT :nod: NOW I READ ABOUT THE NETTING INCIDENT...TOUGH TRIP-BUT I GUESS ITS TOO BE EXPECTED WITH A FISH OF THAT SIZE(THEY CAN BE TOUGH TO HANDLE) BUT LIKE I SAID, IVE SEEN THE RHOM AND IT LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT!!! (IN YOUR PICS) THEN WHEN I SAW IT, IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAS SOME BRUISING GOING ON??? I DOUBT YOU GOT IT WITH INFECTION...HIS COLLECTION AND CARE IS PRETTY SERIOUS & IMPRESSING! AND DID YOU KNOW THAT IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO NOT FEED YOUR FISH A FEW DAYS PRIOR TO SHIPPING TO AVOID THROWING UP AND CRAZY AMMONIA GOING ON??? ITS COOL, IT IS SAID THAT WE LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY...GOOD LUCK AND CONGRATS ON YOUR BEAST!!!


I know we're getting off topic from the UV sterilizers, but the fact of the matter is that I haven't been able to put it back online to keep from killing off the meds.

Moonie admitted that he had a tough go with the fishing net and I don't doubt that. The rhom was pretty beat up by the ordeal. In addition to the fins/tail damage, he also had a burn and injury to his eye, which apparently came from the net, so needless to say, there was substantial damage... there was no drama when I transferred him to my tank, as my net is large enough to go bass fishing with. Mr. Biggs, as you call him, was suffering a serious case of HITH and I can take better pictures to show if you want it. Any fish with HITH is predisposed to secondary infections, such as a true fungus infection, when damage occurs as it did from the netting incident. That HITH didn't occur over night and moonie told me that he had it when HE bought it, so Mr. Biggs still NEEDED some treatment.

Again, let me set the record straight... I'm not disappointed in the condition of the fish, because some of the things he's suffered from are/were to be expected. That tank he was in didn't provide sufficent swimming area and creates stress, which only exacerbates the HITH... oh, and not to mention a slight case of gill curl due to having to back up on himself (reference anything on Arowana to learn more). I know, because I have the same tank - dimensionally, but only 54 gal - and suffered the same consequences with a solitary red. you can see that moonie posted questions related to gill curl or something to that affect, so it's obvious that those conditions were already present. I paid Moonie a fair price, and we still chat, and I've never asked for a penny back, because I got what I paid for. I'm thankful to moonie for making the deal. All in all, when it's said and done, I'm going to tell you that I've done this fish good by putting him in the tank he's in and with the treatments he's received, but moonie didn't give me a bum deal, by any means. Some people are just more anal about fish keeping... I mean, this is my PRIZED fish, so I'm going to give him all I've got... and that included an additional $90 or so in meds (because of the tank size). Moonie is my man, so regardless of what I say, it's honest, but in no way a knock on our deal. Even though moonie kept him in good water conditions, the tank size/dimensions and lack of meds/salt to treat the HITH would still result in the same condition of a fish the size of Mr. Biggs (now named Genghis).

As for the feeding thing - DUH! Of course you don't want it to vomit while transferring and keep the waste to a minimum, but moonie specifically mentioned in a phone conversation that he'd stopped eating over a week prior to us talking about the deal and that he had a white spot on his eye... so...??? As I say, it's all good. Genghis is strong and healthy now. He's almost regrown his fin damage and I'll take pics in a couple of days. I'm sure as bad as his HITH was, it'll still be aparent in those pics.


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## [email protected]° (Jun 16, 2004)

Piranha_man said:


> Personally, I'm against UV sterilization of aquarium water.
> 
> Who knows what stuff it's killing is actually beneficial (if not crucial) to the health of our fish?


The beneficial bacteria lives in the filter.

I have used UV for years and am a big fan.


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## moonie (Nov 11, 2007)

whats up man keep your uv or get a bigger one thay work GOOD Genghis had one in his tank when he was here 10 watt give me a call I have something good I can show you that will help you with the uv's if you like.


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

piraya man said:


> ROUGH... THE PICS YOU TOOK ARE PRETTY GOOD IN DETAIL, IVE SEEN THE FISH YOU GOT FROM MOONIE - "MR.BIGGS" I CALL IT :nod: NOW I READ ABOUT THE NETTING INCIDENT...TOUGH TRIP-BUT I GUESS ITS TOO BE EXPECTED WITH A FISH OF THAT SIZE(THEY CAN BE TOUGH TO HANDLE) BUT LIKE I SAID, IVE SEEN THE RHOM AND IT LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT!!! (IN YOUR PICS) THEN WHEN I SAW IT, IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAS SOME BRUISING GOING ON??? I DOUBT YOU GOT IT WITH INFECTION...HIS COLLECTION AND CARE IS PRETTY SERIOUS & IMPRESSING! AND DID YOU KNOW THAT IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO NOT FEED YOUR FISH A FEW DAYS PRIOR TO SHIPPING TO AVOID THROWING UP AND CRAZY AMMONIA GOING ON??? ITS COOL, IT IS SAID THAT WE LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY...GOOD LUCK AND CONGRATS ON YOUR BEAST!!!


Oh, Forgot to mention that I took those pics the day after putting the rhom into the tank, so nothing you see in the pic occurred over night other than the netting damage, so I'm not sure what you mean by "bruising". where ever you see white on his fins, scales and tail is where he suffered fin rott and a fungus infection. It was almost imminent (sp) from the netting incident, so as I said, no disappointments, but this is a good case of what can happen when transferring a large fish. Nothing new there. Piraya man, you obviously don't realize that no matter how well moonie kept him, when he suffered that net damage to go along with his predisposed HITH, it was inevitable that he'd develop a secondary infection... I treated it and it's done and over with. Don't make it sound as if I'm beating on moonie for his care of his fish or perhaps that I don't know how to care for it, myself. The facts I stated where his actual condition within a day of transfer and the knowledge/experience I have on keeping a large solitary fish in a tank of that dimension. I mean, do you think I just make this stuff up?? lol. Anyway, thanks for the concern and well wishes... Mr. Biggs, aka Genghis is being well cared for. No doubt.









Moonie - thanks for the heads up on the UV's. I just need to complete the melafix and pimafix treatments - until his fins are fully regrown and all signs of fungus are gone - until I can bring my UV back online. I picked up a 24 watt with a powerhead from Petsmart and I'm sure it will work well, because I had it online just prior to begining the fungus treatments. I could see the dead algae clumping together to be caught in the filters - as advertised.


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## moonie (Nov 11, 2007)

I can not find what I am looking for so I got this drsfostersmith.com/ go to uv's and at the top you will see uv 101 hit that up


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

May also want to look into a diatom filter since it polishes the water, plus it doesnt run continuous so you can use it on multiple tanks


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

sean-820 said:


> May also want to look into a diatom filter since it polishes the water, plus it doesnt run continuous so you can use it on multiple tanks


I agree that diatoms work great for green algae, but you have to go through the whole "set up, clean up" process each time that you use it. Not to mention the powder residue it leaves behind. I went with a UV Sterilzer because it's low maintenance. I have to clean the sponge filter every couple of weeks to a month and that's it... simple. Once you have an algae bloom in progress, YES, a diatom filter is the solution. For ongoing maintenance, I'm now a fan of the UV's.


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## assclown (Dec 12, 2005)

hey marvin....im glad you are getting your fish up to par....its too bad that he had HITH
that will cause you to use antibiotis for sure, man that must have been heart breaking.

well at least you still have him and all is going well, i havent been on for a bit, so happy new years to
you man.....

dennis


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

Absolutely not.
UV sterilizers kill microorganisms that you need in the water.


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## assclown (Dec 12, 2005)

he recieved the fish that already had disease


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## Rough996 (Oct 3, 2006)

assclown said:


> Absolutely not.
> UV sterilizers kill microorganisms that you need in the water.


Hey, P_Man. Do you believe that if I have enough media to hold the beneficial bacteria that my filtration system would compensate for what the UV is doing to the algae and other harmful bacteria? It seems that opinions on UV sterilizers vary greatly and unforunately, it's a love em or hate em proposition. I need some facts as to whether or not it's good/bad/indifferent for my fish. Those that chimed in and said they've used them, seem to truly believe they're beneficial, but for the skeptics, I haven't heard anything concrete to say WHY I shouldn't use it.


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## assclown (Dec 12, 2005)

wow he has come a long way indeed....!!!

i have only read about HITH and never dealt with it, but from what i read, it leaves scares (i could be wrong)
that never go away. does he show signs of shaking his head around alot? or ramming into the glass?

i get depressed when i see this...btw did you recoop any money from the seller?
i have to say that a UV will not kill of an entire bacteria collony if seeded properly, if you have media to
replenish the bacteria or NITRATES....then your collonies will be ok.

for instance, if you have a new tank and you hook up a UV and you expect it to cycle...it will take forever.
if you properly introduce your collonies into the tank, no worries, they will be strong.
a UV will not kill off everything in your tank, if so, how can a salt tank survive with a UV attatched?
salt is way more sensitive to water changes even if it has live rock in it, which creates bacteria.

UVs only attack unwanted orgs and not completely "all" of the bacteria

good luck with your rhom my friend and i wish you all of the best........if you need me, just IM me for anything


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

assclown said:


> wow he has come a long way indeed....!!!
> 
> i have only read about HITH and never dealt with it, but from what i read, it leaves scares (i could be wrong)
> that never go away. does he show signs of shaking his head around alot? or ramming into the glass?
> ...


How does the UV know if its unwanted or not? Anything passing through the UV, being bad or good, will be effected by the UV light.

Also, I have never seen any proof that UV's are needed. My tank, along with many other tanks on this board (and other boards) that dont use UV sterilizers are healthy and fine. Maybe it is needed for a salt water tank, but until I see something factual, I really dont think its worth the money to go out and buy a piece of equipment for ease of mind. Do you have a UV sterilizer on your faucet? Use one for drinking water? I certainly dont, and if I dont need it, my fish doesnt need it. JMO.


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## assclown (Dec 12, 2005)

in a fresh water aquarium, they are overkill...but can be used to clarify your water.

in a saltwater set up, deff needed, salt tanks have a tendoncy to create a lot of algea
and it is a good idea to use one. i went through brown algea then green then hair with
salt....i was informed that a UV will kill off most strains of this, not nec bacteria.

the higher wattage you use, the more you kill...its in the light and how slow it moves
past the bulb. i did water changes in my salt every month, where in a fresh, we do it
once to twice a week and that kills off most of the algea pollutants etc.

as for drinking water, the chemical, mecanical under the sink filters do just that and
trap such materials, they dont kill them off. RO is much more effective in removing even more.


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