Brew12
Electrical Gru
View BadgesExcellence Award
Reef Tank 365
Article Contributor
Moderator Emeritus
North Alabama Reef Club
Article Administrator
My Tank Thread
I've always supported going one route or the other. For the way most people maintain their tanks, any level of parasites are bad.According to the Eradication-istas, any level of parasites is Bad™. You're starting to type like "one of us"!
I'm not sure where you get this from. All of the research I have seen says they will likely remain carriers indefinitely. If a fish isn't exposed to a parasite for 6 months it will quickly lose its immunity to it.Fish can remain carriers for up to/around 6 months and they will release parasites at a low rate during this time.
The problem is that they have to pick the right things, not just a few things. This is where most people will get in trouble. Paul does a lot more than use live food and reduce stress. Anyone trying to mimic him by only using those methods isn't going to have long term success.I think if anyone took the time to list 10 or 20 things that Paul does differently than they do and picked just a few to emulate, they'd see an improvement in their fish vs just "standard practice".
I think there is more than one way to pull it off but they all revolve around a few key points.
Good nutrition - Proper feeding is definitely required, and like Paul says, there are many options.
Exposure to parasites - It is important to make sure you are always introducing parasites into your system to keep them immune.
System stability - If you can't keep your system stable, the fish will be under stress and this method will not work.
Parasite limitation - Something external to the fish is required to limit parasite populations during the development of the immunity and during any stress events that may occur. It could be ozone, UV, diatomaceous earth filter, or maybe even his reverse undergravel filter.
Proper stocking - The environment the fish is in, tank size, and the compatibility with tank mates is important in reducing stress
If you can do these things I feel there is a great chance of having success. The problem is when people don't want to do all of these things.