I realize even if possible, this would be exceedingly rare. But as the protomont "moves onto a substrate" looking for a "surface" to encyst upon, what are the odds it can "stick" to, say, a sleeping fish?
Are fish able to "host" tomonts
- Thread starter HumbleFish
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ThRoewer
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I don't think that a tomont will encyst on a fish's slime coat or skin. So in order for a tomont to encyst on a fish the fish would need to have some bony structures that are not covered by skin.
The Acanthuridae (tangs and unicorn fish) with their tail spines fit this description.
The Acanthuridae (tangs and unicorn fish) with their tail spines fit this description.
So, if we are to assume tomonts can only encyst upon bony or hard surfaces, can we rule out an anemone (for example) being capable of bringing tomonts into a DT? They soak up lots of water, so still the chance of theronts I would imagine.
In general I agree with the answers above. Marine biology literature suggests in very rare circumstances that it could happen but does not describe the circumstances. Once a trophont leaves the fish, it becomes a protomont. During this phase, it loses its cilia, flattens its surfaces, and moves onto a substrate for about 2–18 hours. After this stage, the organism stops, sticks to the surface, and encysts, whereupon it becomes a tomont. The cyst hardens in about 8–12 hours (Colorni 1985)
Spar
New member
i tend to agree with this, and the sole creature I have ever not QT'ed was a Nem. and I am a hardcore QT'er, paranoid.
the one thing i have never been sure of, is if the water inside the nem, if fresh, could hold a parasite that is then excreted out when transferring the nem over... do the parasites actually die when inside the nem? my guess is yes, but I have no clue really...
The infectious stage dies rather quickly absent a fish host. So if an anemone were removed from a system that had a fish with parasites, if the the parasite's infectious stage were in the water, and the anemone was placed immediately in a new system, the infectious stage could in theory be transferred.
ThRoewer
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Since you should quarantine anemones for at least a week anyway - not because of fish, but because of the possibility of it being sick and infecting other anemones - importing ich with a new anemone should not be a problem you come across.
I also doubt that any of the motile Cryptocaryon stages has a realistic chance to survive inside an anemone.
Exactly.
I imagine soft corals wouldn't be able to "host" tomonts then, other than the rock/plug they are on. Any other "soft" inverts that would be incapable of hosting tomonts?
Spar
New member
cucumbers, sea slugs, perhaps? i QT'ed a sea slug recently... it literally sat in the same spot the entire 12 weeks, never even moved an inch... odd little creature :strooper:
ThRoewer
New member
Many soft corals have calcium needles in their tissue that give them more structural strength. These can be bare and therefore provide settling gounds for tomonts.
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