So, recently my tang died. Could any of these be a cause of death? Microscope Pics.

[SaltwaterGuruNeeded]

Maybe a copepod? Harmless?

A ciliate? Is it harmful?

Guessing these are a type of dinoflagellate. Harmful?

No idea what this is...

And this is my tangs Flesh...after he died. Thinking he may have died from flesh eating worms or flukes.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

The first image and video is of a copepodite - larval copepod. Most are harmless.

The next one does seem like a ciliate. I don't know of any elongate ciliates that are parasitic, except one barrel shaped one I've seen in freshwater.

The last image - could just be detritus. Was anything moving? Nematode worms can sometimes be an issue, but they would be moving (unless the fish had been dead more than a couple of hours).

Jay

 

[SaltwaterGuruNeeded]

The first image and video is of a copepodite - larval copepod. Most are harmless.

The next one does seem like a ciliate. I don't know of any elongate ciliates that are parasitic, except one barrel shaped one I've seen in freshwater.

The last image - could just be detritus. Was anything moving? Nematode worms can sometimes be an issue, but they would be moving (unless the fish had been dead more than a couple of hours).

Jay

Yeah last image...He was dead when I woke up, they weren't moving when I examined the sample. Definitely not detritus. Took the flesh straight from the tang without the addition of water in the sample after I peeled the skin back. Each slide was well cleaned and de-dusted afterwards. Used sterile tools that were cleaned with alcohol and then dried.

Do you know what the yellow things are with the clear "skin" around it is? I keep finding them, there's alot. From the dinoflagellate video.