Ich tomonts & corals/inverts

[HumbleFish]

I feel tomonts encysting on a coral/invert are a bigger threat than theronts that can be "washed away" with DT water before placing in your tank. So, I'm curious to know which coral/inverts do you all think present the biggest threat of encysting tomonts.

For example, I think a tomont could encyst on an SPS frag or snail shell pretty easily, but don't see it as likely with a shrimp or starfish. Thoughts??

 

[triggreef]

I never got around to setting up a qt for inverts although I know it's really good practice for many reasons other than this even. I have a feeling there's not going to be a lot of people that read your initial post and even follow it. I feel there's a portion of that that should be a sticky though. There seems to be a good number of people that can't figure out how they qt'd their fish and still managed to introduce ich into their system.

I think you should be relatively safe with corals (if you remove plugs or rock & only put the coral itself into your water) as well as crustaceans like shrimp for example since they do shed their outer layer every few weeks or so.

I think things like snails are a big risk. Especially since lfs generally keep them in with fish that are most likely carrying. Macro algae I've also heard can carry a cyst, which is scary since it would be easy for a parasite to get caught in a good chunk of macro just like a net & set up shop.

I believe that when I got ich a second time, after a fallow period & qt of any new fish, I think I introduced it again with a big order of snails. Haven't really bought snails since & don't plan to buy anymore as I really don't even find them to be useful cleaners. My tangs do a much better job.

 

[DDon]

I think snail shells and the like have risk as they are a hard surface. I'm not sure the tomonts encyst on living tissue, so for corals, I believe it would be on frag plugs of sps or the skeleton (for lack of better word) of lps [branches of candy cane for example]. Not sure about shrimp but once they molt would think they would be clear.

 

[HumbleFish]

I wonder how easily tomonts can encyst upon "moving targets". For example, my snails always seem to be on the move - even at night.