Check this out! Crazy

[Reefahholic]

Snorvich, Dascamel, Humblefish, Spar,...I actually got some pictures of ICH cysts that fell off my new snowflake last night.

I had the snowflake and a platinum in a 5/G. Both surprisingly looked really well in the store. I was sure they had ICH, Brook, or Velvet, but this was a shocker. Get this.

I checked on them like the next morning I think and the snowflake was super super covered with ICH and hyperventilating. I've never seen a fish so covered. One flawlessly beautiful, and the next covered heavy in ICH.

Ok...so I dose Cupramine to try and relieve the fish. I works nights and came home for lunch and turned light on. Now keep in mind this tank was freshly cleaned and sterilized. Bottom is painted solid black too. So you can see any detritus on bottom of tank.

So I flipped the light on and was shocked!!! Hundreds and hundreds if ICH parasites had dropped off the fish and were on the bottom of the tank. I was thinking "holy ****!"

There were so many that my snowflake died this morning. One day with that many straight killed him. Shocker!

Check out this pic bro!

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f236/JaredJHarms/Mobile%20Uploads/92ED7761-2567-4694-8B0A-5ED210BB5DE9.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/JaredJHarms/media/Mobile%20Uploads/92ED7761-2567-4694-8B0A-5ED210BB5DE9.jpg.html)

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f236/JaredJHarms/Mobile%20Uploads/166FB560-1391-4C2B-B51A-4A89864BB67D.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/JaredJHarms/media/Mobile%20Uploads/166FB560-1391-4C2B-B51A-4A89864BB67D.jpg.html)

Overwhelmed! This was after they had already fallen off.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f236/JaredJHarms/Mobile%20Uploads/8848B767-13EC-4AA4-AD58-687F33D2E672.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/JaredJHarms/media/Mobile%20Uploads/8848B767-13EC-4AA4-AD58-687F33D2E672.jpg.html)

His skin was all jacked up from the parasites eating him up.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f236/JaredJHarms/Mobile%20Uploads/1EDFDCC7-2758-4AF5-8444-062A8E2EFCEA.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/JaredJHarms/media/Mobile%20Uploads/1EDFDCC7-2758-4AF5-8444-062A8E2EFCEA.jpg.html)

[Deinonych]

Tomonts are microscopic. That's just fine detritus you are seeing.

[Reefahholic]

Tomonts are microscopic. That's just fine detritus you are seeing.

Ohh no it's not.

[Reefahholic]

I have 7 QT's and clean them daily. I look at them daily and this was the parasites that were on that fish. 100% sure.

[HumbleFish]

Flukes would look like that if exposed to FW or Prazi. Would have to be a fairly heavy infestation.

Or is it possible you had pods in the tank that died after dosing Cupramine?

[Deinonych]

Typical tomont size is ~150-300μm, which is right around the limit of the resolving power of the unaided human eye. The particles you are showing appear to be much larger than that, so they are unlikely to be tomonts. Do you have a microscope? If so, get some samples on a wet mount and let us know what you find. :)

[Reefahholic]

Flukes would look like that if exposed to FW or Prazi. Would have to be a fairly heavy infestation.

Or is it possible you had pods in the tank that died after dosing Cupramine?

No pods. Highly doubt flukes, because I've seen ICH hundreds of times in person. It was ICH.

[Reefahholic]

Typical tomont size is ~150-300μm, which is right around the limit of the resolving power of the unaided human eye. The particles you are showing appear to be much larger than that, so they are unlikely to be tomonts. Do you have a microscope? If so, get some samples on a wet mount and let us know what you find. :)

Have you ever seen a fish in the stages where ICH is visiable?

It was that stage, but the copper apparently made them fall off that evening. Which is why you see them speckled all over the bottom of the tank.

Trust me, I know for 100% that this was not sand, detritus, or anything of the sort. I treat 5-6 Magnifica at a time and constantly observe my HT's and QT's for hours daily. Been doing this a long time now.

Believe it, this was the visible stage of ICH that you would see present on the fish, but either dead on bottom of tank or alive crawling around.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f236/JaredJHarms/Mobile%20Uploads/19937500-4F3B-4C32-B069-651DA37B69FB.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/JaredJHarms/media/Mobile%20Uploads/19937500-4F3B-4C32-B069-651DA37B69FB.jpg.html)

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f236/JaredJHarms/Mobile%20Uploads/166FB560-1391-4C2B-B51A-4A89864BB67D.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/JaredJHarms/media/Mobile%20Uploads/166FB560-1391-4C2B-B51A-4A89864BB67D.jpg.html)


Here's ur microscope slide.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f236/JaredJHarms/Mobile%20Uploads/99571066-A52C-4777-A8BA-DC9DF2D2A2AA.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/JaredJHarms/media/Mobile%20Uploads/99571066-A52C-4777-A8BA-DC9DF2D2A2AA.jpg.html)

[Dapg8gt]

The slide is a sample from the tank?

[Deinonych]

Have you ever seen a fish in the stages where ICH is visiable?

Yes, many times. :)

It was that stage, but the copper apparently made them fall off that evening. Which is why you see them speckled all over the bottom of the tank.

The white spots are not the parasites themselves, but localized sites of irritation caused by excessive mucous/slime coat.

Trust me, I know for 100% that this was not sand, detritus, or anything of the sort. I treat 5-6 Magnifica at a time and constantly observe my HT's and QT's for hours daily. Been doing this a long time now.

Believe it, this was the visible stage of ICH that you would see present on the fish, but either dead on bottom of tank or alive crawling around.

Likely was epithelium or scales, but you can believe what you want. :)


Here's ur microscope slide.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f236/JaredJHarms/Mobile%20Uploads/99571066-A52C-4777-A8BA-DC9DF2D2A2AA.jpg (http://s48.photobucket.com/user/JaredJHarms/media/Mobile%20Uploads/99571066-A52C-4777-A8BA-DC9DF2D2A2AA.jpg.html)

That's not a cryptocaryon tomont. Ref: http://www.vetbook.org/wiki/fish/index.php/File:Crypto01.jpg

[Reefahholic]

The slide is a sample from the tank?

No, just an ICH sample under scope.

[Reefahholic]

Yes, many times. :)



The white spots are not the parasites themselves, but localized sites of irritation caused by excessive mucous/slime coat.

The "Trophont" stage is the parasite feeding on the fish and is visible correct. Are the white specs symptoms of ICH or the parasite? Regardless, they feed for 3-7 days typically and these parasites or symptoms of parasites are visible. This was what fell in my tank by the hundreds. I find it unlikely that when I dosed copper that it killed dead skin cells or mucous (non-living things) and they all just fell to bottom of my tank at same time. I believe this was either the Trophont stage that died and fell off the fish or the Protomont stage that fell and survived.


Likely was epithelium or scales, but you can believe what you want. :)

Can you provide the sources that state that these spots are epithelium or scales. If you can, I'll believe you.


That's not a cryptocaryon tomont. Ref: http://www.vetbook.org/wiki/fish/index.php/File:Crypto01.jpg



The stage where the parasite is attached to a fish is called a trophont. The trophont will spend three to seven days (depending on temperature) feeding on the fish and that is what you see symptomatically when you see "salt sprinkled on the fish". After that, the trophont leaves the fish and becomes what is called a protomont. This protomont travels to the substrate and begins to crawl around for usually two to eight hours, but it could go for as long as eighteen hours after it leaves it's fish host.

[Deinonych]

Can you provide the sources that state that these spots are epithelium or scales. If you can, I'll believe you.

The burden of proof is on you. :) Like I said, if you believe those to be tomonts (or protomonts), more power to you. I find it to be unlikely given the known microscopic size of the various stages of the parasite, but feel free to prove your thesis.

The stage where the parasite is attached to a fish is called a trophont. The trophont will spend three to seven days (depending on temperature) feeding on the fish and that is what you see symptomatically when you see "salt sprinkled on the fish". After that, the trophont leaves the fish and becomes what is called a protomont. This protomont travels to the substrate and begins to crawl around for usually two to eight hours, but it could go for as long as eighteen hours after it leaves it's fish host.

Thanks, I'm well familiar with cryptocaryon's life cycle. :) As I'm sure you're aware, there are two additional stages not mentioned above: the encysted (tomont) stage and the swimming (theront) stage. What exactly is your point?

Also, copper medications do not affect the trophont stage. They only affect the theront and possibly the protomont stage. So, dosing copper didn't cause the trophonts to drop off.

[Reefahholic]

The burden of proof is on you. :) Like I said, if you believe those to be tomonts (or protomonts), more power to you. I find it to be unlikely given the known microscopic size of the various stages of the parasite, but feel free to prove your thesis.



Thanks, I'm well familiar with cryptocaryon's life cycle. :) As I'm sure you're aware, there are two additional stages not mentioned above: the encysted (tomont) stage and the swimming (theront) stage. What exactly is your point?

Also, copper medications do not affect the trophont stage. They only affect the theront and possibly the protomont stage. So, dosing copper didn't cause the trophonts to drop off.


So now they're Trophonts?


I'm not all that worried about it. I took the pics and the visual evidence is there regardless of what's said. I thought they were ICH cysts or the visible stage, but do not know. People can look and decide for themselves. It's not sand, or detritus. Funny how the pictures match up exactly with the visible Trophont stage. Looks exactly like speckled salt on bottom just as you see on that powder brown for reference. If copper didn't cause it, what did? What would cause almost 1,000 "scales" to fall off all at the same time within about 12-24 hours of them being seen on the fish? Especially if these scales you speak of are not alive. We know it wasn't light. We also know that they fall at night. Whatever this was, (because I don't know) only going off what I saw and what was present on the fish, and what it appeared to be to me. My QT's were spotless inside with black bottoms that I just scrubbed clean. It's not even logical for me to think it was anything other than something to do with the ICH. Something living and something that died and littered the bottom of the QT that exactly consistent with what I saw on my fish.


Btw, I don't have anything to prove, but you do. You are the one who stated that it's scales, or mucus, etc. I just want to see the sources where you get that information from. I'm man enough to admit that I'm wrong, if it's something completely unrelated to ICH. I will say this...I looked for movement and didn't see any, but these things were so tiny that it was hard to tell. I want to learn, and what you're saying just isn't logical to me. So please help me out and show me some documented facts that this is what you claim it is. Don't ask me, because I'm telling you now that I do not know. I just called it like I saw it and I saw ICH completely covering my fish (worst case I've ever seen) and then on the bottom of my tank. I'm assuming because it's a 5/G tank. Never have I seen a fish infested in a tank that small.

[Rea17]

Just curious, they looked really good in the store but you were sure they had ich, brook, or velvet, why? Does the store run low levels of copper to mask disease? How is the platinum clown doing? The rapid decline in the snowflake would be concerning, as ich doesn't take hold and overwhelm fish overnight. Also, the texture on the skin of the snowflake more closely resembles velvet or brook, so hopefully the platinum is being treated.

[shifty51008]

The time you see spots on the fish is not actually ich but the scabs left behind which is what your most likely seeing, as stated ich is not really seeable with the naked eye, only the damage they leave.

[Deinonych]

[/COLOR]


So now they're Trophonts?


I'm not all that worried about it. I took the pics and the visual evidence is there regardless of what's said. I thought they were ICH cysts or the visible stage, but do not know. People can look and decide for themselves. It's not sand, or detritus. Funny how the pictures match up exactly with the visible Trophont stage. Looks exactly like speckled salt on bottom just as you see on that powder brown for reference. If copper didn't cause it, what did? What would cause almost 1,000 "scales" to fall off all at the same time within about 12-24 hours of them being seen on the fish? Especially if these scales you speak of are not alive. We know it wasn't light. We also know that they fall at night. Whatever this was, (because I don't know) only going off what I saw and what was present on the fish, and what it appeared to be to me. My QT's were spotless inside with black bottoms that I just scrubbed clean. It's not even logical for me to think it was anything other than something to do with the ICH. Something living and something that died and littered the bottom of the QT that exactly consistent with what I saw on my fish.


Btw, I don't have anything to prove, but you do. You are the one who stated that it's scales, or mucus, etc. I just want to see the sources where you get that information from. I'm man enough to admit that I'm wrong, if it's something completely unrelated to ICH. I will say this...I looked for movement and didn't see any, but these things were so tiny that it was hard to tell. I want to learn, and what you're saying just isn't logical to me. So please help me out and show me some documented facts that this is what you claim it is. Don't ask me, because I'm telling you now that I do not know. I just called it like I saw it and I saw ICH completely covering my fish (worst case I've ever seen) and then on the bottom of my tank. I'm assuming because it's a 5/G tank. Never have I seen a fish infested in a tank that small.

Please go back and read my posts more carefully, as I think you are misinterpreting the intent. I'm not trying to "prove" anything. You stated you were "100% sure" the white particles were cryptocaryon (ich). I expressed doubt, that's all. I'm not stating unequivocally that the particles are scales or epithelial tissue, I'm just basing my conjecture on the known facts of the cryptocaryon life cycle. I don't know what the particles are either (again, my comment about scales/epithelium was a guess), but given what is known about crypto, it is unlikely you will see any stage of the parasite with the naked eye given the small size (hence my skepticism that the particles are the parasite itself). If the particles are indeed protomonts or tomonts, microscopic examination would bear out the truth.

I'm not debating whether or not your fish had crypto, although it's not readily apparent from the pictures you posted. Nonetheless, there's really no need to be so defensive. :)

[Reefahholic]

Just curious, they looked really good in the store but you were sure they had ich, brook, or velvet, why? Does the store run low levels of copper to mask disease? How is the platinum clown doing? The rapid decline in the snowflake would be concerning, as ich doesn't take hold and overwhelm fish overnight. Also, the texture on the skin of the snowflake more closely resembles velvet or brook, so hopefully the platinum is being treated.

Got them at petco. They both looked perfect. The pics you see of the skin is after they dropped. They literally went for only the big one. I mean he was covered super super bad. The plat was breathing fast, but I didn't notice hardly any spots on him. Maybe because he was white.

He's currently in a theraputic level of Copper awaiting TT. Doing fine and tolerating well so far.

[Reefahholic]

Please go back and read my posts more carefully, as I think you are misinterpreting the intent. I'm not trying to "prove" anything. You stated you were "100% sure" the white particles were cryptocaryon (ich). I expressed doubt, that's all. I'm not stating unequivocally that the particles are scales or epithelial tissue, I'm just basing my conjecture on the known facts of the cryptocaryon life cycle. I don't know what the particles are either (again, my comment about scales/epithelium was a guess), but given what is known about crypto, it is unlikely you will see any stage of the parasite with the naked eye given the small size (hence my skepticism that the particles are the parasite itself). If the particles are indeed protomonts or tomonts, microscopic examination would bear out the truth.

I'm not debating whether or not your fish had crypto, although it's not readily apparent from the pictures you posted. Nonetheless, there's really no need to be so defensive. :)


Ok, so we both don't know.

My question to anybody is this:

What was I seeing on the fish exactly. Was this thing/white specs alive? Is it the visible parasite feeding on the fish or not?

Please explain your answer and provide the source information so that I can learn.

No hard feelings here, just want to know exactly what I saw for sure.

Is it possible that this hasn't been documented? I find that very unlikely because ICH is easy to study. It's almost everywhere. Surely there is some great information on this particular stage.

[Reefahholic]

I think this will help all of us and refresh our memories. Great information with references. This is a write up that Advanced Aquarist did: Very good and interesting read. This is fact. No opinions.

Cryptocaryon irritans has a direct four-phase life cycle (Colorni & Burgess, 1997). It does not have an intermediate host (i.e. snail, etc.) unlike some other fish parasites. The quadriphasic life cycle consists of both parasitic and off-host stages. These include the theront, protomont, tomont and trophont stages. The life cycle is usually 1 to 2 weeks at 24-27C (Colorni, 1992). The time frame of the life cycle can vary slightly between different isolates or variants of Cryptocaryon irritans (Colorni & Burgess, 1997). No dormant stage has been found in any study of its life cycle to date. However, Cryptocaryon irritans tomonts have an asynchronous excystment (hatching) time of 3 to 28 days (Colorni, 1985). The longest recorded period of time for tomonts to hatch is 72 days (Colorni & Burgess, 1997). The life cycle of Cryptocaryon irritans is temperature dependent so it is highly unlikely for such an extended period to occur in a tropical aquarium.

Hobbyists are often fooled into believing that an infection has subsided when the telltale white spots temporarily disappear. Trophonts mature and exit fish as part of the parasites natural life cycle before they form tomonts and reproduce. Generally, the white spots will reappear on the fish a few days later, usually in greater numbers.

The Trophont Or Parasitic Feeding Stage
Aquarists are probably most familiar with the trophont stage of Cryptocaryon irritans. This is the feeding phase of the life cycle that manifests as visible salt-like white spots on the fish. Trophonts revolve continuously within the host’s outer body tissue layer or epithelium. They feed upon body fluids, tissue debris and whole cells of the fish (Colorni & Burgess, 1997). As the trophonts feed and grow in size the telltale white spots become increasingly easier to observe with the naked eye. Trophonts usually mature and exit the host after 3 to 7 days with a peak at 4 to 5 days (Colorni & Diamant, 1993. Colorni, 1985). Mature trophonts on the same fish usually exit within a narrow time frame of 16-18 hours. Trophonts will also leave the host earlier if the fish dies (Dickerson & Dawe, 1994). Trophonts that exit the fish prematurely due to the death of the host can form tomonts, but these tomonts are often immature and unable to produce live theronts.

The Protomont Or Stage After Exiting The Host And Prior To Encysting
When trophonts mature they exit the host and shed their cilia. This is the called the protomont stage. Protomonts are usually released from the host at about 5am or shortly before daylight (Burgess & Mathews, 1994b). It has not yet been established that protomonts exit the host during the cover of darkness as a strategy for survival. The timing may be merely coincidental. Protomonts then move along the substrate and rock for 2 to 8 hours before adhering to the surface.

The Tomont Or Reproductive Stage
Protomonts adhere to the substrate, rock, or other hard surface within the aquarium and encycst forming tomonts (Colorni, 1985). This is the reproductive stage. Tomonts generally then take between 8 to 12 hours to harden. Daughter cells forming within tomonts are known as tomites. The number of tomites produced by each tomont varies with the strain of Cryptocaryon irritans from less than 200 to more than 1,000 (Diggles & Adlard, 1997) Upon maturation tomonts excyst or hatch releasing daughter tomites into the water, at which point they become free-swimming theronts.

The time frame in which tomonts may hatch can vary greatly from 3 to 72 days (Noga, 2000). The life cycle of Cryptocaryon irritans is temperature dependant so an extended period of 72 days is highly unusual and can only occur in cooler waters. At “reef-type” temperatures the tomonts take from 3 to 28 days to excyst (hatch) with the peak between 4 and 8 days (Colorni, 1985). This variance may be a strategy for survival. However, after two weeks in the tomont stage the number of theronts produced and their ability to infect are greatly reduced (Colorni, 1992).

The Theront Or Free-swimming Infective Stage
The free swimming, infective stage of the life cycle of Cryptocaryon irritans is called a theront. Theronts have been reported to live in water in various studies from 12 to 48 hours after thatching from the tomont stage (Burgess & Matthews, 1994a.Yoshinaga & Dickerson, 1994. Colorni, 1985). They must find a suitable host within this period of time or they will die. Temperature, salinity, or differences in isolates may explain the discrepancy in time frame.

Theronts excyst or hatch from the tomont stage consistently between the hours of 2am and 9am (Yoshinaga & Dickerson, 1994). The circadian periodicity of theront emergence from the tomont stage does not appear to be related to light, but it is, as yet, unexplained. Theronts quickly begin to lose their ability to infect within hours of hatching from the tomont stage. Theronts have a low infectivity after just 6 – 8 hours (Burgess, 1992). At 7.5 hours after hatching 87% of theronts are still active. By 11.5 hours only 9% are still alive and active. At 15.5 hours from hatching only .34% are viable (Yoshinaga & Dickerson, 1994). Theront size varies with the isolate or variant of Cryptocaryon irritans, geographical location, host species and water temperature (Colorni & Burgess, 1997).

A proront is a theront that has contacted a host as attachment begins. Proronts invade the epithelium in as little as five minutes and the wounds can heal over them rapidly (Colorni & Burgess, 1997). Proronts then quickly become trophonts and start to feed on the host fish.

Identification
Cryptocaryon irritans can only be definitively diagnosed by microscopic observation of continuously revolving, pear shaped ciliates (trophonts) in fresh gill or fin clippings, or skin scrapings (Colorni & Burgess, 1997). However there are a number of clinical signs of infection that can be easily observed by aquarists, especially if they have grown familiar with the normal appearance and behaviors of their stock:

List Of Possible Clinical Symptoms
White spots about the size of a printed period or pinhead. This parasite is usually noticed on the skin and fins first and later the eyes
Usually some, but not all, of the fish appear to be affected until the disease has progressed
Increased mucus production
Hyperactivity in early stages
Scratching (flashing) on objects within the aquarium
Shuddering or twitching
Seeking shelter or hiding
White spots that seem to disappear only to return several days later
Increased respiration rate, except in early stages
Cloudy eyes associated with secondary bacterial infection
Faded colors
Fin rot or other secondary bacterial infection in late stages
Multi-focal, de-pigmented skin erosions
Staying near the water surface or in areas of high water velocity
Lack of appetite in advanced stages
Dehydration and rapid weight loss in late stages
Adaptability Of The Parasite
Changes in some development features of tomonts were found after a few generations. These changes included differences from individual to aggregate- forming tomonts. Tomonts also changed from non-adherent or weakly adherent to adherent (Yambot, et al., 2003). The production of daughter tomonts by budding was reported in a cold-water variant of Cryptocaryon irritans (Jee, et al., 2000). Weekly adherent tomonts were found, in a seemingly distinct isolate, in extended tunnels within the epithelium (Diamant, et al., 1991).

Several new strains of Cryptocaryon irritans have been identified in Taiwan and other locations (Burgess & Mathews, 1995. Diggles and Adlard,1997). Highly aberrant and divergent isolates from Chiayi and Kaoshiung are of particular interest (Yambot, et al., 2003). The Chiayi isolate was discovered in a pond with a salinity of only 5ppt. This was the first recorded incidence of a Cryptocaryon irritans outbreak at such a low salinity. The Kaoshiung isolate was obtained from 12th-generation tomonts that originated from a cage at 10ppt salinity (Yambot, et al., 2003). Diggles and Lester, (1996a) suggested that the range of Cryptocaryon irritans has extended into estuaries.

New Challenge
The geographical, temperature and salinity ranges of Cryptocaryon irritans are becoming alarmingly broader and isolates from Taiwan have widened the diversity of the species (Diggles & Adlard, 1997. Yambot, et al., 2003). These reports bring to light the fact that Cryptocaryon irritans is capable of adapting to new environmental conditions. This makes the need for new strategies and treatments for its control crucial. All previously reported strains of Cryptocaryon irritans could be destroyed by hyposaline conditions (Colorni, 1987. Rigos et al., 2001).

Prevention
Prevention is always preferable to treating infected fish. Quarantining all new fish for a minimum of three weeks prior to placing them in their permanent home will prevent the vast majority of outbreaks in display aquariums. A longer quarantine period of six weeks adds an extra measure of safety. Strict prophylaxis and proper quarantine procedures are the best ways to maintain aquariums that are free of Cryptocaryon irritans (Colorni & Burgess, 1997).

If the fish that are being quarantined do exhibit disease, treatment will be simpler in a quarantine tank and the established stock has not been put at risk. Fish can routinely be treated with hyposalinity therapy during the initial quarantine period. This will greatly reduce the potential of importing parasites into the display system. If the fish are moved from a display aquarium for treatment elsewhere, the display tank should be left without fish (fallow with the exception of invertebrates) for a minimum of 30 days. This is generally a long enough time period for the parasite to die out for lack of a host (i.e. fish). Again, a longer fallow period adds an extra measure of safety.

[Deinonych]

Ok, so we both don't know.

My question to anybody is this:

What was I seeing on the fish exactly. Was this thing/white specs alive? Is it the visible parasite feeding on the fish or not?

Please explain your answer and provide the source information so that I can learn.

No hard feelings here, just want to know exactly what I saw for sure.

Is it possible that this hasn't been documented? I find that very unlikely because ICH is easy to study. It's almost everywhere. Surely there is some great information on this particular stage.

Correct, we both don't know. However, you are in a position to verify what those particles are. Get a sample and look at them under a microscope. Post a picture of your findings so we can offer input. No one else can 100% verify what those particles are, because we aren't there in person to observe and sample them.

As far as resources, this is one of the most comprehensive, readily available (i.e. free) documents about Cryptocaryon irritans: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa164

There are other documents on Google Scholar that can be purchased if desired.

[Reefahholic]

They're gone. Did a water change and sucked them up and flushed them down my kitchen sink.

I'm not that worried about it. I'll just wait for the reply that can tell me what I saw and if it was the parasite or not.

[Spar]

As far as resources, this is one of the most comprehensive, readily available (i.e. free) documents about Cryptocaryon irritans: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa164

Hadn't seen that article before, was a good read. A few more tidbits than I knew before. I wish there was more information on the minimums and maximums of development in varying temperatures. E.g. what temperature was the 72 days at?