Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
I’m fascinated by the first paragraph in your post. Can you provide a credible reference?
Here’s one I found that seems to say the earlier life stage organisms croak if they can’t find a host within 48 hours.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topic...logical-sciences/ichthyophthirius-multifiliis
Look at page 95 of the handbook. The "hatching" time frame is 6 -9 days. So if the ones that hatch in 6 days die by day 8, the ones that hatch in 9 days can still re-infest. That's for marine Crypt. Now look at page 94 for the hatch time frame and life cycle of freshwater Ick.
Over the course of 50 years I have a read a lot of books and had many chances for personal experiences that will challenge a lot of what is written online. There is an old book called " The marine aquarium in theory and practice." This is a technique book and not a fish book. It has few pictures but solid information of what it took to keep marine fish tanks with the known knowledge of the times. Over time, only the way things are done has changed, the basic requirements of fish keeping has remained. That's great for saltwater but what about freshwater? I was trained by a certified Ichthyologist who spent 12 years getting his degree ( unlike many of today's " experts" who stopped after their bachelor's degree that can be had in 5 years) and a lot of what he taught me is not in any books. It's too complex for the non professionals. This is why I refer people to UF or University of Miami ( where I had connections) because one is a veterinary school that deals with freshwater fish farmers while the other is a marine science school ( The rosenstiel school of marine, atmospheric and Earth science). This is where I get my most reliable information if I haven't experienced it myself. In the end, it's just as much who you know as it is what you know.