Cryto question

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jencheung

AC Members
Jan 22, 2007
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Cambridge, MA
So I've read that the best way to cure an outbreak of Cryto (marine ich) is to remove all fish to quarantine, treat with hyposalinity (1.009 SG) for 2 weeks, keep in quarantine an additional 2 weeks leaving the display tank fallow for 4 weeks. If I'm understanding it correctly, leaving the tank fallow for 4 weeks will kill all of the Cryto since there are no fish to act as hosts. If this is true, then in theory, if there were non-infested fish in the tank that never contract the parasites wouldn't the result be the same? I mean I suppose it would be difficult to ensure that the other fish don't contract it but if they never show any symptoms then in theory they never got the parasite, meaning the parasite wouldn't have been able to find a fish host so in theory doesn't that mean that 4 weeks of not seeing any signs of Cryto mean it's cycle has been broken and the tank is Cryto-free?

Then there are mentions of the parasite lying dormant, waiting for a new host to become available. If this is also possible then doesn't it sort of make leaving the tank fallow a moot point since it could just go dormant and then as soon as you add a fish in it could pop back up again?

Just to be clear, I'm not trying to make an argument either way, I'm just trying to clarify my own understanding of the issue so I can figure out the best way to deal with the problem. Thanks!
 

tamableanimal

AC Members
Aug 26, 2007
228
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57
Caro, Michigan
Crytocaryon irritans drops off of the host after the growth phase falls to the bottom and forms a capsule around itself. After approx. 6 - 9 days, more that 200 swarmer cells leave the cyst. At this point they have about 24 hours to find a host otherwise they day. Cryptocaryon attacks all species of marine fish, although some species of fish have stronger immune systems to fight off minor infections.
I hope that this helps.
Rich
 
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