Hello everyone !
I have started almost 2 months ago my first tank fish. I am learning everyday something new about my fish, and everything around the hobby.
I was wondering today what to do in case of sickness, I know nothing about that. I know the community is there to help, but should I have something always ready to use at home, like specific medication ? For now I have nothing.
Thank you !
Canada has banned over the counter pet meds. So there isn't really anything you could get without a vet prescription.
Most things can be fixed by keeping the water super clean, and not over feeding.
Oh ok , I didn't know that.... thank you !
I personally think that UV sterilization lights are going to be important in this non-medical fight against disease in tanks. I know for myself that I really noticed the difference after installing UV sterilizers, not just with algae control but also the incidences of my fish getting sick.
Just my experiences and thoughts.
Do you use UV in a planted tank ? Is it possible to use it temporarily ?
Yes, I have two heavily planted tanks. On my 90 gallon I use the Aquatop 500 Canister Filter with built-in 9 watt UV and on my 30 gallon maternity tank I use an Aquatop HOB with 7 watt UV bulb. You can use them just temporarily especially if you have algae problems like blooms but I have seen such a difference using the UV on a regular/permanent basis that I would recommend them all the time. I don't like using HOB filters primarily because of the risk of them overflowing/leaking but I haven't found a canister filter with built in UV small enough for a 30 gallon maternity tank. I keep a careful eye on the HOB but was amazed at what a difference it made on the tank even in 24 hours. I also would recommend not using a UV bulb any lower than 7 watts. On the HOB I also have lowered the flow to the lowest setting forcing the water through the UV light since at a higher flow rate it had a tendency to jump over the top and so some of the water would not even come in contact with the bulb. Since I do use a canister filter on my 30 gallon, I am not using the filtering cartridges for the HOB, I am only using it for the UV option.
Almost all the UV filters I have seen have the option of turning the UV light off if you only want to use it temporarily, even the HOB has this option.
Here is a link to an article that Wolfiewill posted here on OVAS which I read yesterday.
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumUVSterilization.html (http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumUVSterilization.html)
After reading the article, I am scientifically corrected as to how much benefit is received from the UV canister and HOB filters - however that being said, I really have seen the difference they make.
With medications being illegal now, I will be buying a proper level 2 sterilizer as recommended in the article to help prevent disease along with proper tank maintenance of course. I do believe that this is the way to go and wish more manufacturers would create proper canister filters with the level 2 sterilization. Maybe if sterilizers are used more, that means less chemicals are dumped into the water systems and may be a good thing in the long run but for the short term, it's frustrating and annoying when our fish get sick.
It is very interesting, I didn't know about that... I am just a little bit concerned for the immune system of the fish, it will probably make it weaker... But I guess it would be ok as far as it works 24/7...