How is this guy keeping such a high bioload for so long in 65g

[kingkapoor]

I bought the blue tang, flame angel off this guy a few months ago for my 75 g long.
I had an amazing sump, skimmer, rock work, and the tang got ich with me. This guy has had this setup for almost 2 years, uses tap water, has a very high bioload (blue tang, foxface, flameangel, eel, clowns, puffer, wrasse etc, and no sump!!! And has had no problems either

 

[AdamB]

He must have irish blood in him....

 

[Bigwrasse]

Switching tanks is stressful for the fish and brings out ich. You should always qt even if you think it’s healthy to protect your system. I have learned this the hard way over the years

 

[Katrina71]

How often did he do water changes? What percentage at a time? Just curious.

 

[erk]

From what I can see, he only keeps soft corals. They are incredibly resilient. If he's had those soft corals for the entire life of the tank, they haven't grown very much. They should be far larger after 2 years of growth. This implies they are not particularly happy, but just surviving.

I wouldn't look at this tank as an example to follow. More that this is an example of the amazing resiliency of some corals and fish.

 

[HB AL]

I bought the blue tang, flame angel off this guy a few months ago for my 75 g long.
I had an amazing sump, skimmer, rock work, and the tang got ich with me. This guy has had this setup for almost 2 years, uses tap water, has a very high bioload (blue tang, foxface, flameangel, eel, clowns, puffer, wrasse etc, and no sump!!! And has had no problems either

I wouldn’t consider that a high bioload. Now mine on the other hand i consider very high.

 

[kingkapoor]

How often did he do water changes? What percentage at a time? Just curious.

I forgot to ask, I just knew he used tap water because I asked if he had an RODI unit for sale and he mentioned just tap.

judging by how bad the house smelled of dog pee, the diatoms in the tank, and how upset he was I took a whole 1 gallon of water to transport the fish, I would be surprised if he even changes the water

 

[kingkapoor]

From what I can see, he only keeps soft corals. They are incredibly resilient. If he's had those soft corals for the entire life of the tank, they haven't grown very much. They should be far larger after 2 years of growth. This implies they are not particularly happy, but just surviving.

I wouldn't look at this tank as an example to follow. More that this is an example of the amazing resiliency of some corals and fish.

I think thats what bothers me most. My 75 gallon was a custom 5 foot long tank with perfect parameters. Great diet, yet the tang got ich when it came into my tank

 

[kingkapoor]

I wouldn’t consider that a high bioload. Now mine on the other hand i consider very high.

What are your stats like?

 

[erk]

I think thats what bothers me most. My 75 gallon was a custom 5 foot long tank with perfect parameters. Great diet, yet the tang got ich when it came into my tank

My view point on ich is that it is primarily an indicator of environmental stress. In this guys tank the status quo was set. The tang knew its place and was food secure. Adding it to your tank caused it stress. Not sure your tank inhabitants, but if the existing fish have an established hierarchy, the new tang could've upset that. This then leads to stress induced on your existing fish and the new fish. If your fish have been fine with the new addition, then more than likely the new tang just isn't secure. There is a stressor. In my experience this typically has to do with food.

People mention QT often. I think QT is useful not in the prophylactic treatment of fish, but in that it allows you to train them on new foods/fatten them up in a controlled environment. This means that by the time you add them to the DT they are less stressed than when you initially purchased them. I personally do not QT. I use an acclimation chamber to train the new fish to eat and become acclimated to the other inhabitants.

 

[HB AL]

What are your stats like?

A 90g Cadlights, lots of live rock, skimmer in sump, more rock in sump. Tank is packed with corals and fish, haven’t done a water change in over 2 years. 14 fish in my mixed reef, feeding 10 to 14 Hikari cubes a day.
Clown trigger
Sargassum trigger
Assasi trigger
Blueline trigger
Yellow tang
Purple tang
Hippo tang
Gold stripe maroon clown
Tomato clown
Green coris wrasse
Banghai cardinal
Squirrel fish
Bicolor blenny
Big ugly damsel