NetMax,

'Cycling' the tank is the process where you establish the waste
processing capability to be the same as your waste production. Ammonia
removers are artificially skewing the process and in a very un-natural
way (effectively in the beginning, and then with a reduced capability as
the zeolite becomes saturated). Your bacteria are 'cycling' to your
fish-load minus what the ammonia removers have stolen from the nitrogen
chain. If the ammonia removers were really effective, they would prevent
or significantly inhibit the tank from cycling properly. It's better to
achieve your equilibrium without artificial props.

Right, but as I indicated elsewhere, I really had no choice but to cycle the
tank with fish in it. For this, it sounded perfect as it would presumably
reduce the ammonia spike. I planned on removing them after the tank was
established and will probably do so in the next week or so. (BTW, I was able
to demonstrate quite clearly that the ammonia removers are not really all
that effective.)

I'm going to have to start pointing to my site to save my poor typing and
memory. Go he
http://www.2cah.com/netmax/basics/dr...riftwood.shtml

Interesting. I'll look into this.

Just seen your parameters. There isn't anything special happening there.

I'm left wondering if there is something else in my tap water that I don't
have a test for.

I'd be tempted to give them a salt bath. With a small container of
lukewarm salty water, and a soft sponge, net each fish and rub the salty
sponge along their sides from the head to the tail a few times. It might
be some persistant microscopic bug hanging off them.

I've done this in the past. But only some of them had algae, and the
irritation seems evenly distributed between all the individuals and the
species.

When you cannot age water, then do small water changes more often, to
achieve the same change of volume with less stress.

Yeah, that's probably one thing I will be doing.

BTW, I haven't seen the symptoms as much for the past few days. Still more
confirmation that it's worse after a water change.

Thanks.

Jonathan