I've had three NTT and only raised one to 7-8", one other died in an oxygenation mishap and the other was rehomed before reaching that size. I say this because my own experience can only provide so much to the concersation but from my experience (conversations, readings, etc) with other NTT keepers over the years I'm somewhat skeptical of SDS. I think proper quarantine and dosing of a wild caught fish should be done to ensure the best chance of a longer healthier life for that individual fish, tankmates and the aquarium's ecosystem in the long run.
Please keep in mind that I'm not super knowledgeable on parasites or the differences between likelyhood of catching a parasite in NTT vs other datnoids environemnts.
My thought is that all NTT (and all other datnoids for that matter) are wild caught and must have some adjustment period to being placed in a controlled environent (aquariums) where essentially none of the factors of their natural environment have any effect. Factors that may allow them to live with or even naturally remove different parasites that may be the cause of SDS. Potential underlying causes of SDS could be picked up in the time between capture and shipping of the fish when stress is high and the immune system is low.
Another thing, datnoids in large generally grow relatively slowly compared to other fish we keep and though breeding information wild or captive is quite scarce, NTT, like other datnoids obviously still breed in the wild. Mature species likely are a few years old and to me, it just seems like this is more of a problem of this particular fish living outside of it's natural enviroment.
I know this post is a little lose on the info but that's kind of why SDS is called "sudden," not much is proven by hard evidence.
Please keep in mind that I'm not super knowledgeable on parasites or the differences between likelyhood of catching a parasite in NTT vs other datnoids environemnts.
My thought is that all NTT (and all other datnoids for that matter) are wild caught and must have some adjustment period to being placed in a controlled environent (aquariums) where essentially none of the factors of their natural environment have any effect. Factors that may allow them to live with or even naturally remove different parasites that may be the cause of SDS. Potential underlying causes of SDS could be picked up in the time between capture and shipping of the fish when stress is high and the immune system is low.
Another thing, datnoids in large generally grow relatively slowly compared to other fish we keep and though breeding information wild or captive is quite scarce, NTT, like other datnoids obviously still breed in the wild. Mature species likely are a few years old and to me, it just seems like this is more of a problem of this particular fish living outside of it's natural enviroment.
I know this post is a little lose on the info but that's kind of why SDS is called "sudden," not much is proven by hard evidence.
