How are protomonts not transferred during TTM?

M

mic209

New member
I've been reading up on TTM, one part that confuses me is, how are protomonts not transferred to the next tank? Isn't there a good chance of protomonts being in the few drops of water that make it to the next tank?
 
There is a slight chance. However, any surviving protomonts will still be encysted when the next transfer occurs, provided you do the next transfer within 72 hours (minimum period for excystment).
 
Timing of the transfers can also help. Always do it in the evening shortly before the light goes out.
Protomonts leave the fish after nightfall. The longest they have been found after leaving the fish was 18h, but usually they encyst sooner.

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ThRoewer said:
Timing of the transfers can also help. Always do it in the evening shortly before the light goes out.
Protomonts leave the fish after nightfall. The longest they have been found after leaving the fish was 18h, but usually they encyst sooner.

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Click to expand...

But where do the protomonts go after they fall off the fish? Into the water column right? So how is it that protomonts aren't transferred into the next tank? And when they encyst, are they firmly attached to something?
 
mic209 said:
But where do the protomonts go after they fall off the fish? Into the water column right? So how is it that protomonts aren't transferred into the next tank? And when they encyst, are they firmly attached to something?
Click to expand...

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). Before the cyst forms, the protomont may be susceptible to some treatments for a short period of time. However, once the cyst has formed and hardened around the tomont, it has greater protection against common treatments. The infectious stage, the one found in the water column never exists as long as the 72 hour maximum for transfers is followed
 
snorvich said:
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). Before the cyst forms, the protomont may be susceptible to some treatments for a short period of time. However, once the cyst has formed and hardened around the tomont, it has greater protection against common treatments. The infectious stage, the one found in the water column never exists as long as the 72 hour maximum for transfers is followed
Click to expand...

I understand how the crypto life cycle works, but how do you avoid protomonts and tomomts from being transferred from one tank to another? What if when I went to move the fish after 72 hours in tank/container A, I accidently stirred up the bottom of the tank/container. Wouldn't whatever water that came from tank/container be contaminated with tomonts and some of that water would make it into tank/container B when I move the fish?
 
If you exceed 72 hours you are at risk. Less than 72 hours, the infectious stage, the phase in the water column, is not present.
 
Deinonych said:
Strong enough that there is very little risk (if any) of transferring tomonts to the fresh tank.
Click to expand...

Thanks Deinonych for your straight forward answer! So even if I were to scrape the bottom of the tank with a net while trying to catch the fish, that wouldn't release tomonts?
 
The risk of transferring a protomont is already factored into the process.
Without this risk you would be done after the third transfer.
In theory you could even reuse the transfer tank water for the whole process without risking reinfection.

As for the cyst's adherence, imagine it as a mini barnacle.

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The way I understand it, correct me if I'm wrong snorvich, is that one of the points to follow is not to use a net if at all possible. Use an easily cleanable Tupperware plastic type container, scoop the fish, and try to transfer the least amount of water possible. After transferring 4 times, the risk of that small amount of water containing anything diminishes to none.

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So the next question here would be; what happens to a Tomomt if it's scraped up? Does it re encyst, die, or?
 
Spar said:
I had always thought this also. But in http://www.int-res.com/articles/dao/1/d001p019.pdf they refer to moving tomonts from one container to another by using a paint brush.... that doesn't seem to concreted to me.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that link! (we really need a sticky with a collection of links to research articles about fish diseases)

That the adherence is that low was new to me. This would be a good argument not to use nets but rather use beakers to catch fish from TTM tanks, ideally by chasing them into the beaker.

That study also answers the question how long the cyst can survive in freshwater: 3 hours

mic209 said:
So the next question here would be; what happens to a Tomomt if it's scraped up? Does it re encyst, die, or?
Click to expand...

I don't think it has the ability to re-encyst once the cyst is damaged. Though it seems it isn't damaged if brushed off.
 
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