Last week I had a betta die at 18 months, after a year of dwindling and progressive emaciation, ending with clamped fins and fin rot, then buoyancy issues. Over the course of the last 6 months I tried the med trio, then just Praziquantel, then Kanaplex, and finally plain salt. His fin rot stopped progressing but did not regrow, and otherwise he just continued to get sicker. I know the seller I bought him from later shared that they had an outbreak of m. marinum at their facility. They import from a breeder in Thailand and resell. I'm pretty sure that's what got my betta.
He lived in his own tank with a mystery snail, but I have two other community tanks in the same room within 6 feet. I also used the same siphon in multiple tanks before I had ever heard of mycobacterium. I am anxious to do whatever I can to ensure the safety of my other fish. I hate to think of just waiting to see if they succumb.
I found Diana Walstad's article in which she recommends dealing with outbreaks by running a UV sterilizer in quarantine tanks and tanks with new fish. However, she doesn't share very specific info regarding their use. It seems she used sterilizers for about 6 months to control her own outbreak, but recommends 2-3 weeks in QT and then an unspecified amount of time once the fish are moved to the display tanks.
Does anyone have more detailed info? I understand that UV treatment seems to be the anecdotally supported mitigation strategy that comes up most often. I also keep hearing that the most important thing to do is support immunity, and that UV sterilizers can alter the healthy balance of bacteria in aquaria and thus weaken the fish. It seems like getting the right balance is important. How long is too long and tips you into doing more harm than good?
If anyone knows of a well-designed study on the use of UV to mitigate outbreaks of mycobacteria, I would be very grateful if you could share. If you have more detailed anecdotal experience with this to share, that would be welcome too!