Sailfin going down in QT...

[SeeDemTails]

I am glad to hear you have similar results sunfish!

The problems the OP is having are obvious to me.

The tank is not running properly as it has nitrates in it, and the fish in their weekend state only inhanced by the origional QT period have caused the fish to get ich.

Are the fish doing any better?

 

[sunfish11]

The tank is not running properly as it has nitrates in it, and the fish in their weekend state only inhanced by the origional QT period have caused the fish to get ich.

My experience is different than yours on nitrates. I have never noticed up to 60ppm (to bother any fish (nor most coral) in the slightest. I have very low nitrates now and nothing looks different. Although, I am sure if I had a lot of SPS it would have made a huge difference.

In my experience the items listed are the worst fish stressors/killers (this is only from my limited experience). These aren't listed in any particular order.

1. Shortage of food (thier lives revolve around food)
2. Shortage of suitable space (unsuitable environment)
3. Low PH,lack of airation, & flow
4. Being bullied by the other fish
5. Stray voltage
6. Injury/trauma
7. Changes in routine missed feedings
8. Messing around in the tank too much
9. Capture

It is also important to start out with the healthiest fish you can find. Which means a fish that is fat and perky with clear eyes, bright coloration, and healthy looking skin/scales. The fish should be very active at feeding time and have been at the store for a few weeks. The fish should have no wierd twitches. Look for flukes, velvet, frayed fins, sores, HLLE, Lymphocytis, and ich before you buy. Bring a magnifying glass if you need to.

Lisa

 

[rort]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13378381#post13378381 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SeeDemTails

This statement scares the heck out of me! What filter are you talking about? Please do say you run a pad or bio balls? If you do rip them out, and put a powerhead in your sump. A sump can be a "dead" spot too.

I really dont care what other people are saying or arguing about, no one will convince me different....All I care about are the fish...How are they doing? [/B]

The sailfin is dong great. It is swimming all over the tank and eating great. It does have ick but it has been getting better.

And by bacteria build up i mean in the AquaClear filter I have running on my DT so that I the move it over to my QT and not have it crash like i did before.

My 200g setup has a sump that is powered by a Reeflo Dart (plenty of flow) and my refugium has plenty of flow. I have my Octopus skimmer pumping water back into the refugium along with a small pump getting water to my UV and then back. There is tons of flow down there.

All my params have been staying pretty consistent except for keeping the Nitrates down. They go no higher than 20ppm and from what I have heard it isnt that stressful on the fish. Obviously I am shooting for all params to be at 0 but as my tank has only been set up for about 4 months now and that the bioload isnt that large, my cheato isn't multiplying very much. I am also running a few mangroves in the refugium which are starting to root themselves pretty nicely but they do take forever to grow and start lowering Nitrates!

 

[Steven Pro]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13378711#post13378711 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Conesus_Kid
I've seen Lee Birch post on it before, but here's a quote from Steven Pro on this thread:

Burgess P.J. and Matthews R.A. 1994. A standardized method for the in vivo maintenance of Cryptocaryon irritans (Ciliophora) using the grey mullet Chelon labrosus as an experimental host. Journal of Parasitology 80:288-292.

Here is the relavent excerpt from his webpage, http://www.petsforum.com/personal/t.../marineich.html

"Burgess and Matthews (1994) were attempting to maintain a viable population of C. irritans which could be used in later studies. To maintain the parasite populations, they needed host fish in order for the trophonts to feed and continue the life cycle. Each host fish was only used once in a process of serial transition such that none of the hosts would die or develop an immunity. While the procedure worked very well and enabled them to maintain populations for some time, the viability of the populations decreased with time and none of the 7 isolates they used survived more than 34 cycles, around 10 to 11 months. They suggest this is due to senescence and aging in cell lines is well recognised in Ciliophora.

The presence of aging cell lines in C. irritans suggests that an aquarium that has been running for longer than 12 months without any additions is unlikely to have any surviving "Ich" parasites, yet another exception to "Ich" always being present. "

This quote you posted from above was in response to someone else question. If you read further down (5 posts to be exact), you will see that I reference another study which disproves the cell line aging theory.

"You might also want to read:

Yoshinaga, T. & H.W. Dickerson. 1994. "Laboratory Propagation of Cryptocaryon irritans on a Saltwater-Adapted Poecilia Hybrid, the Black Molly" Journal of Aquatic Animal Health 6:197-201, 1994.

In the Burgess & Matthews paper from a few posts back, they were unable to maintain and infestation for longer than 34 cycles. Based on their estimate of 10 days per cycle, they did not quite reach one year. They then theorized that aging cell lines may have something to do with it. But, Yoshinaga & Dickerson were able to keep their infestations going for over two years."

 

[Conesus_Kid]

Duly noted.

Thanks, Steven.