What else should I be testing?

[MarkoD]

i got ich in my tank about 3 weeks ago and lost 5 out of 8 fish.

since then i have been trying to figure out why this happen and i still cant.

i've been testing my water religiously, i even bought a new test kit thinking my previous one was old and inaccurate.

for the past 2 weeks I've been testing and i've been getting a constant reading of:

ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: below 5 but barely detectable
PH: 8.2
temp: between 25.9(night) and 26.5(day)
specific gravity: 1.023

is there anything else i should be testing that could be stressing out the fish?

[The Grizz]

Your sanity for one getting into this hobby, like the rest of us.

But seriously , what fish did you lose? What fish are left? If one was introduced to the tank that had ick and was the cause of stress for the other fish, there is really no testing that will tell you what you want to hear.

[Flash]

all it takes is one fish to get stresed out and infect the whole tank!

[The Grizz]

Originally Posted by bean

all it takes is one fish to get stresed out and infect the whole tank!

And then you get stressed out, hence testing your sanity

[sgreen]

When was the last time you lost a fish? Are the three you have doing OK. There is not much else to test.
Make sure when you introduce your new fish you have acclimatized them well before adding them, try to ensure they have a place to hid and adjust to their new home.

[wingedfish]

seams as though there is still the thought that stressed fish spontaneously get ich and die....

[MarkoD]

fish i lost: clown tang, copperband butterfly, spotted sweetlips and 2 clowns.

fish that survived and that are perfectly fine are: foxface rabbitfish, coral beauty and algae blenny.

i added fish 2 weeks prior to seeing any symptoms in any of the fish.
when i added them, they all seemed pretty happy and eating. none of them seemed stressed.

i have more than enough hiding places in my tank.


the only thing that comes to mind is that i might have added to much top off water too fast. but now i have an ATO

[MarkoD]

i've also been running a UV sterilizer for the past 2 weeks or so. i dont see any downside to the UV sterilizer so i think im just gonna run it constantly