Brooklynella Life Cycle

[kingkai512]

Does anyone know the exact time frame of Brooklynella? i tried searching online but all i see is that it has a two-part life cycle with a feeding and swimming stage, but how long does it spend in each stage?
After it's done feasting does it drop off like Ich or does it just continually feed on the fish?

 

[HotRocks]

Does anyone know the exact time frame of Brooklynella? i tried searching online but all i see is that it has a two-part life cycle with a feeding and swimming stage, but how long does it spend in each stage?
After it's done feasting does it drop off like Ich or does it just continually feed on the fish?

It reproduces asexually. So basically it multiplies as soon as it's on the fish. Very rapidly actually.

 

[Humblefish]

Both brook & uronema have a direct life cycle (no tomont stage). The parasites live, feed and reproduce right on the fish. Disease transmission takes place via direct contact (fish on fish), or the parasites can also drop off into the water column (where they can live quite happily for some time) and then go on to infect another fish.

The good news is chemicals such as formalin or acriflavine, or a 5 min freshwater dip, can kill most of the parasites right on the fish. However, prolonged followup treatment (10-14 days) using metronidazole in a QT is advisable just to be sure you got them all. :)

 

[kingkai512]

so there really isn't an official timeline on when it drops off the fish?

 

[Humblefish]

so there really isn't an official timeline on when it drops off the fish?

No, but once the fish (and pathogen) are exposed to a 45 min formalin bath you can be reasonably confident most (if not all) of the parasites have been killed.

Followup treatment with metronidazole is basically mop up duty, to eliminate the few parasites that might be remaining.

 

[kingkai512]

on the topic of metronidazole, i have hikari metro+ that says it can be used as a bath or soaked with the food.

what will happen to the bioload in a fowlr tank?

 

[Humblefish]

on the topic of metronidazole, i have hikari metro+ that says it can be used as a bath or soaked with the food.

what will happen to the bioload in a fowlr tank?

If dosing it, not much. Because the medication will be rapidly biodegraded out of the water.