[bsmiles]

It was my impression that f/o meant a tank with hyposalinity that excluded invertebrates and reduced ich and other diseases... but on this board I've seen statements that hyposalinity causes kidney problems. I wish to set up a 300 gal tank, and ich has been a problem for me in my 100 tank. I collect specimens here in Hawaii for my aquarium. Also natural seawater. The only way I can avoid ich I think would be to have all water sit for weeks before adding it, which cuts out some of the benifits of nsw. I'm just frustrated with the ich and was thinking of low salinity f/o idea for large tank. I'd like to get straight on all this so please advise...
You might ask, what do I do about the ich... I let the fish go that get sick. Some don't. The butterflies look great for a while and eat well and then start to wane and I let them go.
Ray

[Wind]

Hello. Why dont' you try and use Instant Ocean. That way you can monitor your salinity.

What salinity are you trying to achieve?

[Reefland]

FO is an abbreveation for Fish-Only, not hyposalinity. Fish-Only systems are typically ran with a lower Salinity vs. a Reef, but not near hyposalinity levels.

Here is some good reading about Hyposalinity and ICH.
http://www.wyx.com/iheo/tank/hyposalinity.htm

Regards,
Scott

[tendar]

I would suggest quite pulling the fish out and leave them where they insead of killing them with constantly. You are probably going to get flamed for releasing fish back in the ocean after cathing them and putting them into your tank. There has been some big debates going in the last 2 weeks on people releasing fish back into the wild.

[bsmiles]

This post by Tender is... unbelievable. Where do you live? The percentage of fish from overseas that don't make it, because of how they were caught and shipped and stored is huge. You know that. Maybe you didn't get what I said. I take a fish from tidepool and return it to tidepool. Anyone who has objection to that is lost, really lost. This post is so... clueless... I don't know what to say. Flame away friends. I catch and release, you buy and kill. But don't fret. The same fish you are buying in LFS are being caught for food here everyday. Tender, you want me to buy from LFS instead of collecting them myself? Hello?
Ray

[bsmiles]

Also, response to Wind. Salinity can be modulated by adding RO water. Gosh, I need advice folks.
Does anyone out there live near tropical ocean and work with NSW and local fish?
Ray

[Wind]

Im from HAWAII.

Have you found the cause of the ich. I just think that using IO and pristine water is better than using water from the ocean. Well, in my situation that is. I can just mix and use. Add water/salt to get the salnity. Collecting is trouble for me. But I have heard many are successful in using SEAWATER.

I think low salinity for long term is bad. Hyposalinity that is. I'm not sure, but I think I read or heard that somewhere.

I guess when you buy a fish, the stituation is different. You pay for it, so you wouldn't want to release it and not know what happens to it. Many people try to heal the fish.

Some fish are bought cause they can't be caught.

But releasing animals in local water caught in other places is another story.




I think KOLE TANGS and CONVICT TANGS are some of 'em.

GOOD LUCK.

[the_blue_tuna]

Ray,
I believe you are looking at the catch and return practice from an economical stand point,,,why buy them when I can go get them free.From that stand point it makes perfect sense , this hobby is expensive and anything to save a nickel , right.But if you look at the same practice from an ecological stand point what you are doing could be potentially dangerous. Just say you introduce a fish that you caught into the same tank as your fish from figi,the red sea , and the atlantic. Now all three fish have the potential of being exposed to something that none of them has ever been exposed to before . Then you release the fish back into its natural habitat , but carrying an un-natural parasite or disease. This is where the problem begins and this , I believe , is the point tendar was making. I have to say , as tempting as it may be , to stock from your own backyard so to speak and then releasing them again is not IMO a sound practice. As for the original question , if you want to use natural seawater you should consider a few things first. The biggest problem is collection of water that does not have contaminents in it . When the fish are swimming in the tidepool in the same water it is constantly being diluted but not so in your tank. And any coastal water HAS contaminents,,,man has seen to this. The question is just how much and what , but not if.This may be the cause of your Ich problem . I would however treat the cause of the Ich and not the symptoms . By keeping a salinity level lower than natural , this may cause the Ich also over time by increasing stress on the fish . Stop the Ich before it starts is the best way to approach this in my opinion.

[bsmiles]

I need to study and study this ich thing. The ich is coming from the water or rock that I collect here. It is part of environment, just like we are surrounded by germs. By using NSW I may constantly be bringing in parasites, so maybe I cannot. There is no pollution here. Hard to believe, but it is true. I think it is just natural parasites. I noticed the wrasses don't get it though, and the butterflies and some others do.
I guess many of you are so accustomed to buying milk out of a milk carton, that you are against someone milking a cow themselves. All I can say is that is ridiculous. You would drool at what the locals pull up in their cast nets for the dinner table everyday.
I many have to start storing my nsw for a month to make sure it is sterile. What a pity! And feeding my fish fresh live rock also may have to stop. The ich is defining my practice.
If anyone out there is using nsw, please write.

[Biomanjcs72]

Bsmiles:

What everybody got bent out of shape from was folks buying fish from the LFS and then releasing into a bay or whatever, these folks were releasing non-native species into the local environment. THe other argument revolved around catching a fish local, taking it home and then releasing it, letting it carry non-local pathogens back into the waterway it came from.

From what you've described, everything you use is local, so the non-native species issue is a moot point for you.

Maybe try setting up your NSW on a UV sterilizer for a couple of days before you stick it into your tank, maybe that will help.

Also, what size are these fish, you may have better luck with smaller fish if your getting young adults (don't know how big the tidepools are you're collecting from)

JMHO HTH

[icemark]

Although I don't think you should be catching what you can't keep (I/E the Butterfly you mention) I strongly believe you should not be dumping them back into the ocean after you have infected them in your tank with above natural amounts of parasites. If they are getting sick or nearing death from parasites while in your care, YOU are infecting them with above normal/natural levels of parasites.

Spanking aside (I hope it hurts, as it hurts me more than you), you should remove all fish from your tank for at least 7 to 8 weeks. After that time it should be safe to put in fish that YOU CAN CARE FOR, and not hard to keep species such as butterflys.

If you must insist on using saltwater from the sea you should hook up a pump UV sterilzer into your salt water storage tank (and maybe your main tank as well). Its plain to see that the water you are bringing in is infected with parasites and of questionable quality. You say it is clean, but have you ever ran Phos, Amnia, and No tests on it? At the very least let it sit 6 weeks before using if you are not using a UV.

Frankly if it was me I would be spending the $20 on a 50 gal bag of IO salt just to save myself the grief.