[APD] Re: RE: Navarro's tank and those funny tanks in Brazil

["Robert T Ricketts" <rtricketts at erols_com>]

Robert H wrote:

"ICH is often already present, lying dormant."

But it is not; there is no such thing as dormant Ich.  Please refer to any
of the scientific lit on this topic, not popular aquarium mythology.  There
are plenty of tanks with sub-clinical Ich around, but there are none with
dormant Ich.  The info you quote later in the issue concerning "latent
carriers" is poor terminology and has by such apparently led you and no
doubt many others to believe that dormancy is meant.  It is not dormancy; it
is sub-clinical infection.  The parasite is just as active and cycles in the
same interval as would normally be expected at that temperature.  But the
info is correct that the favored Ich attachment site is the gills, and that
it is not visible there.  As is the information correct that any stressful
situation which knocks down the fishes' immune systems may precipitate an
outbreak in such a sub-clinical, or chronically infected, tank.  But that
has no bearing whatsoever on whether or not Ich is always present.  If Ich
is not present, it cannot have an outbreak, even if the fish were stressed.
That is the fact that you are ignoring.

You also state:

"But we are not talking about doing "partials"! We are talking about doing
single, large water changes on a weekly basis, or more often than that in
Chucks case."

Partial: meaning not total or complete.  We are exactly talking about doing
"partials".  A partial may be 10%, 33%, 50%, or anything below 100%.  Are
you unaware of how many breeders do 100% or more changes per day?  Water
changes, partials, are not stressful for fish or the tank as a whole if done
by a competent aquarist.  A competent aquarist will not do a large
percentage change on a tank which has had no partials for an extended
period - but then a competent aquarist will not have such a tank in the
normal course of events.  Should such a tank happen to such a tank-keeper,
the initial changes toward recovery will build up to higher percentages as
the water parameters approach those of the source water.  Temperature
differentials will presumably be minimized, water parameter differences -
nitrates, pH, KH, GH, DOC, etc. ad nauseum will all be closest matching to
those of the source water exactly when substantial water changes are done on
the tank at frequent intervals.

And you inquire about my personal attitude to tank keeping (which is to me a
fully valid inquiry by the way):

"Robert, YOU were the one in my early days that stressed to me the concept
of
moderation and allowing the tank to mature. Have you since changed your
views?"

You must remember as well that I have always pushed partials, as they do
keep the water from drifting either toward OTS or at least away from source
water conditions - and that is especially true the more that tanks require
supplements.  So, no, I have not changed views at all.  I am even more
conservative now than I was, and that includes doing even larger partials
than I did a number of years ago.  Perhaps you have heard me say that my
planted tanks get the comparable partials to my FO tanks with similar
stocking?  That was and is true.  But the levels of changes now (or
percentage partialed weekly) are higher than they used to be.  And I have
seen nothing but benefit from that.  Moderation does not include failing to
do those things of benefit to the tank and the fish.  And yes, I am fully as
lazy as I was then.  Perhaps I am more so.  But partials are so simple,
quick, and easy that I can see no way to justify not doing them.  I have
rarely had problems with new tanks, in part because much of the stock and
equipment simply moves from others of my tanks.  This is boosted in part
because I do so few high light/supplements/CO2 tanks.  But all the tanks do
"mature" faster these days for me, in no small part by following Tom Barr's
advice on setup and handling.  It all works for me, and seemingly for quite
a few others.

If you elect not to do routine partials frequently at substantial percentage
of tank volume, it is fully your choice.  But do not try to tell those of us
who do such partials, and the rest of the hobby - especially novices, that
it is wrong, poor or bad practice, and promotes infectious disease.  If you
do want to make such statements, you need to be able to back them up.  That
particular theory went out with Dr. Innes' publications, which are older
even than I am.

Robert Ricketts



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