Schedule for UV Sterilizer for 2 tanks

I just got a UV sterilizer after I lost a banded pipefish due to mega-infection after a small scratch. I would love to shift it between 2 tanks so both can benefit. Does anyone have any ideas on what would be a potential schedule I should set:

---do you run these things 24/7?

---how long should I keep it in one tank to zap parasites before switching to the other?

Thanks!!

personaly i only use mine when i have reason to believe that there are proazoans present in the system particularly when i get a new arival that i dont want to throw into copper due to there sensitivity,pipefish included.i do also use the sterilizer on my copper system when i know that there is a illness present as i have seen some pretty nasty things live longer than the fish in copper and the UV sterilizer will help fix that.the answer to your question in my opinion would be about a two week switch as this is usualy the breaking point of most of these life forms.i know several people that would tell you to go a full month or two but i dont see this necessary if your system is in balance and you have no new arivals after the two weeks.and during this time it is run 24-7
maybe someone else will chime in who does alot of new arivals as far as fish go.i do have some experience with the subject but i know MVP has some knowledge in this subject as well.

pretty much what badx said. I use them 24/7 on my maintenance tanks, just because I cant always be there to see a potential breakout, prevention is everything. I also like the water polishing effect.

I dont use them on my personal tanks. I will use copper or a different treatment when needed. My school of thought is: I like to use one if netting a fish out is a last resort, hence large maintenance tanks, I cant be there, I dont want to net them out, transport, and treat, so I use one for precaution. My stock tanks and personal tanks at home I dont use one, but have some in case. I really dont have many breakouts at all, even with new comers. I treat fish that can be treated temporarily with copper and then move to an observation tank to see how they do on their own. Existing fish are almost always fine once they are good. If for some reason I were to have a breakout, I would move said fish to a treatment tank and use the uv sterilizer temporarily to catch and free floating organisms.

If you dont have the setup I do... I would run it maybe a week or two before new arrivals to get it going, then maybe 2 weeks or a little more afterwards to make sure. After that, as long as fish are getting along and there are no frequent squabbles or fighting, they should be good to go with proper husbandry and nutrition.

I cant see much benefit to moving them back and forth, the lifecycle for some of these organisms is hours to a day or two, as well as the fact they arent always waterborne, so it is kind of an all or nothing thing, meaning there wont be much residual effect after it is taken off.

PS I have had good luck with a dose of STRESS COAT MARINE when I move fish...I really do think the aloe and slime coat additions really help to heal scratches from nets and rockwork to heal faster and give some protection.

Thanks for this info. I have a Blue Tang that must have gotten scratched or something and I wanted to see if the sterilizer would help decrease any infection. I think it would be a nightmare to catch it and it would cause more damage to try than to use the sterilizer.

As a side note, I just came home all excited to see if my tank was uber clean or...something now that it is installed. And... I just about flipped---the tank is full of some kind of precipiate. I freaked as I could not imagine what I did. I called Garrett at The Premium Aquarium and I think he correctly diagnosed the problem as my big clam is spawning. OMG--who knew?!?!?! It looks like Mt. St. helens going off. I have a little one next to the big one and it has not started, thank goodness.

Could the sterilizer have triggered that???

Is there anything special to do w/ this situation???

Yeesh, if it is not one thing, it is another!!

water change and new carbon to dilute and absorb as much clam juice as you can.the skimmer is also going to need to be emptied out frequently as well.I am not sure about the sterilizer causing the reaction as from my understanding movement and light play roles in spawning.