First time Formalin dip questions

[firemountain]

Everyone,

I currently have a Coral Beauty Angel going through the TTM. The fish was purchased from my LFS, and went immediately through the TTM. I am on my last tank transfer before she goes into my QT. Prazipro was added at the 2nd and 3rd tank transfers at like almost double strength. At this point the fish looks and is acting normal... no white stringy poop etc, etc.

I am considering giving the fish a Formalin dip as a last preventative treatment before she hits my QT. I will be using the Fishvet Formalin MS. I know a lot of guys do the dip before the TTM, but I just didn't have the medication on hand at that time.

Few questions...

1. Can i add the formalin to the tank the fish is already housed in, which is already fully aerated? Or is it recommended to grab a new 10g tank and do a fresh clean dip with new salt water that is already aerated for an hour; with temp, and SG matched?

2. After the dip...can the fish go directly into my QT after catching her, or do I need to predip the fish that is in my strainer, into clean saltwater to wash any residual medication off beforehand.

3. In terms of the handling of the Formalin, I know its caustic. I do plan to wear long gloves, and eye protection. I heard that guys wear a respirator as well. Do I need to bust out my full face mask with new canisters attached, or can I buy a smaller decent one at like home depot. If there is any other safety precautions/recommendations, please chime in since this is my first time using this product.

4. The tough part is now the calculation of the concentration. With the fish being in my 10 gallon tank, I can only estimate the water volume. While I have a good idea based on the water level, its not pre measured. If I am off with my water volume calculation, I will error on the side of caution to make sure its a weaker solution. I assume that I need to shoot for the 250mg/l as a concentration for a dip.....correct? What would that equate to in terms of the Fishvet Formalin MS product at drops per gallon? I remember reading a post with those calculations, but can't find it right now.

5. Safety concern: I will be performing this dip in my basement. Can the vapors from doing the dip travel up to my first floor, where my family room and 5 year old is located. Do I need to run a fan in my basement to circulate the air?


I have been reading ALOT of posts from TheRower, so if you could chime in, it would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[2000se]

1. Can i add the formalin to the tank the fish is already housed in, which is already fully aerated? Or is it recommended to grab a new 10g tank and do a fresh clean dip with new salt water that is already aerated for an hour; with temp, and SG matched? <-- I would recommend getting a 5 gallon bucket measuring the exact amount of water into that. Making sure it also has the same temp, salinity, etc. Then you can know how much formalin to dose with. Add an airstone to the bucket for aeration


2. After the dip...can the fish go directly into my QT after catching her, or do I need to predip the fish that is in my strainer, into clean saltwater to wash any residual medication off beforehand. <-- I did a second dip into clean water prior to QT. Doesn't need to be a ton of water for this.

3. In terms of the handling of the Formalin, I know its caustic. I do plan to wear long gloves, and eye protection. I heard that guys wear a respirator as well. Do I need to bust out my full face mask with new canisters attached, or can I buy a smaller decent one at like home depot. If there is any other safety precautions/recommendations, please chime in since this is my first time using this product. <--I wouldn't take chances. Gloves, eye, face...I also used a newspaper on the ground around to catch drips and such from the gloves and what not. Paper towels too to dry.

4. Refer to (1), additionally, IIRC, 20 drops to 1 gallon gives about 150ppm of formalin. I just did this for 50mins yesterday.

5. I do these outside.


I hope others chime in to give a good round response to your questions as these are good for people to know.

 

[firemountain]

1. Can i add the formalin to the tank the fish is already housed in, which is already fully aerated? Or is it recommended to grab a new 10g tank and do a fresh clean dip with new salt water that is already aerated for an hour; with temp, and SG matched? <-- I would recommend getting a 5 gallon bucket measuring the exact amount of water into that. Making sure it also has the same temp, salinity, etc. Then you can know how much formalin to dose with. Add an airstone to the bucket for aeration


2. After the dip...can the fish go directly into my QT after catching her, or do I need to predip the fish that is in my strainer, into clean saltwater to wash any residual medication off beforehand. <-- I did a second dip into clean water prior to QT. Doesn't need to be a ton of water for this.

3. In terms of the handling of the Formalin, I know its caustic. I do plan to wear long gloves, and eye protection. I heard that guys wear a respirator as well. Do I need to bust out my full face mask with new canisters attached, or can I buy a smaller decent one at like home depot. If there is any other safety precautions/recommendations, please chime in since this is my first time using this product. <--I wouldn't take chances. Gloves, eye, face...I also used a newspaper on the ground around to catch drips and such from the gloves and what not. Paper towels too to dry.

4. Refer to (1), additionally, IIRC, 20 drops to 1 gallon gives about 150ppm of formalin. I just did this for 50mins yesterday.

5. I do these outside.


I hope others chime in to give a good round response to your questions as these are good for people to know.

Thanks for the advice....I heard that the plastic can leach the product back into the water overtime. Is there any validity to this? I'm curious what other do when they perform the dip, in terms of procedure and safety. Hopefully others will chime in.

 

[Yellow Eyes]

I will admit I just did my first Formalin dip just last week, but I will share some of what I (think) I learned. So maybe take it with some caution.

FWIW, I also did this on a CB angel and he came out of it just fine.

1. Can i add the formalin to the tank the fish is already housed in, which is already fully aerated? Or is it recommended to grab a new 10g tank and do a fresh clean dip with new salt water that is already aerated for an hour; with temp, and SG matched?
This is personal opinion I think. I usually took 1/2 gallon out and added the formalin to it in a separate container, as that was much easier to clean up than a 10g tank.


2. After the dip...can the fish go directly into my QT after catching her, or do I need to predip the fish that is in my strainer, into clean saltwater to wash any residual medication off beforehand.
Again, probably opinion. The amount of formalin that would transfer on the fish would probably be so diluted going into a QT. I would add the fish to another container of clean water (or water from the previous tank) in order to at least temperature acclimate to the new QT so this would be a method of "rinsing" the fish.

3. In terms of the handling of the Formalin, I know its caustic. I do plan to wear long gloves, and eye protection. I heard that guys wear a respirator as well. Do I need to bust out my full face mask with new canisters attached, or can I buy a smaller decent one at like home depot. If there is any other safety precautions/recommendations, please chime in since this is my first time using this product.
I wore gloves, and safety glasses, but that was it. I even got splashed by one of the fish pulling him out of the dip and I am still alive to tell the tale. This is just my opinion but it is not like you are exposed to the chemical for years of your life, its a short exposure.

4. The tough part is now the calculation of the concentration. With the fish being in my 10 gallon tank, I can only estimate the water volume. While I have a good idea based on the water level, its not pre measured. If I am off with my water volume calculation, I will error on the side of caution to make sure its a weaker solution. I assume that I need to shoot for the 250mg/l as a concentration for a dip.....correct? What would that equate to in terms of the Fishvet Formalin MS product at drops per gallon? I remember reading a post with those calculations, but can't find it right now.
I thought I read that it was 1ml/gal. I am not sure why everything and everyone says "20 drops", even the bottle, which has no mechanism (that I could find at least) for a "drop".

5. Safety concern: I will be performing this dip in my basement. Can the vapors from doing the dip travel up to my first floor, where my family room and 5 year old is located. Do I need to run a fan in my basement to circulate the air?
Again, I am somewhat safety lax, but I did not smell anything when doing this dip. But if a fan makes you feel more comfortable then it can't hurt.

 

[2000se]

2. After the dip...can the fish go directly into my QT after catching her, or do I need to predip the fish that is in my strainer, into clean saltwater to wash any residual medication off beforehand.
Again, probably opinion. The amount of formalin that would transfer on the fish would probably be so diluted going into a QT. I would add the fish to another container of clean water (or water from the previous tank) <-- I would not reuse the water as you will be adding back to the fish what you just eliminated by doing the dip in the first place.... Just my opinion.

 

[firemountain]

I will admit I just did my first Formalin dip just last week, but I will share some of what I (think) I learned. So maybe take it with some caution.

FWIW, I also did this on a CB angel and he came out of it just fine.

1. Can i add the formalin to the tank the fish is already housed in, which is already fully aerated? Or is it recommended to grab a new 10g tank and do a fresh clean dip with new salt water that is already aerated for an hour; with temp, and SG matched?
This is personal opinion I think. I usually took 1/2 gallon out and added the formalin to it in a separate container, as that was much easier to clean up than a 10g tank.


2. After the dip...can the fish go directly into my QT after catching her, or do I need to predip the fish that is in my strainer, into clean saltwater to wash any residual medication off beforehand.
Again, probably opinion. The amount of formalin that would transfer on the fish would probably be so diluted going into a QT. I would add the fish to another container of clean water (or water from the previous tank) in order to at least temperature acclimate to the new QT so this would be a method of "rinsing" the fish.

3. In terms of the handling of the Formalin, I know its caustic. I do plan to wear long gloves, and eye protection. I heard that guys wear a respirator as well. Do I need to bust out my full face mask with new canisters attached, or can I buy a smaller decent one at like home depot. If there is any other safety precautions/recommendations, please chime in since this is my first time using this product.
I wore gloves, and safety glasses, but that was it. I even got splashed by one of the fish pulling him out of the dip and I am still alive to tell the tale. This is just my opinion but it is not like you are exposed to the chemical for years of your life, its a short exposure.

4. The tough part is now the calculation of the concentration. With the fish being in my 10 gallon tank, I can only estimate the water volume. While I have a good idea based on the water level, its not pre measured. If I am off with my water volume calculation, I will error on the side of caution to make sure its a weaker solution. I assume that I need to shoot for the 250mg/l as a concentration for a dip.....correct? What would that equate to in terms of the Fishvet Formalin MS product at drops per gallon? I remember reading a post with those calculations, but can't find it right now.
I thought I read that it was 1ml/gal. I am not sure why everything and everyone says "20 drops", even the bottle, which has no mechanism (that I could find at least) for a "drop".

5. Safety concern: I will be performing this dip in my basement. Can the vapors from doing the dip travel up to my first floor, where my family room and 5 year old is located. Do I need to run a fan in my basement to circulate the air?
Again, I am somewhat safety lax, but I did not smell anything when doing this dip. But if a fan makes you feel more comfortable then it can't hurt.

I agree that cleaning up a 10g tank filled with a caustic chemical may be a PITA. Maybe I will go out and get a baby glass tank, like a 1 or a 2 gallon, to keep as a dedicated Formalin bath tank. Like I had mentioned, I remember reading that the chemical can leech back into the water if using a plastic container over time. This could mean that after subsequest uses, your concentration could go up and be an issue with the dose.

While the amount of residual formalin on the fish upon transfer will be minimal, I guess a secondary rinse couldn't hurt.

Glad to hear that you are still kicking after getting splashed. Just trying to minimize any potential mistakes since this is my first time.

Thanks for the input!

 

[scooter31707]

I agree that cleaning up a 10g tank filled with a caustic chemical may be a PITA. Maybe I will go out and get a baby glass tank, like a 1 or a 2 gallon, to keep as a dedicated Formalin bath tank. Like I had mentioned, I remember reading that the chemical can leech back into the water if using a plastic container over time. This could mean that after subsequest uses, your concentration could go up and be an issue with the dose.

While the amount of residual formalin on the fish upon transfer will be minimal, I guess a secondary rinse couldn't hurt.

Glad to hear that you are still kicking after getting splashed. Just trying to minimize any potential mistakes since this is my first time.

Thanks for the input!

I do my dips/baths in a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot/Lowes..they are only $2.

 

[Dmorty217]

I do my dips/baths in a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot/Lowes..they are only $2.

+1...5g bucket every time for me too

 

[firemountain]

+1...5g bucket every time for me too

Thank you. Unfortunately my formalin arrived a bit late. I had already finished the TTM with 2 rounds of PP, and she is now moved into my QT. I think I will let the fish settle in, feed her the Pygmy Angel Food to fatten her up, and just observe her.

If anything pops up, I will then perform a series Formalin dips if need be. Otherwise I plan to run another round of PP in the QT at 3x the strength as a prophylactic treatment.

 

[scooter31707]

Thank you. Unfortunately my formalin arrived a bit late. I had already finished the TTM with 2 rounds of PP, and she is now moved into my QT. I think I will let the fish settle in, feed her the Pygmy Angel Food to fatten her up, and just observe her.

If anything pops up, I will then perform a series Formalin dips if need be. Otherwise I plan to run another round of PP in the QT at 3x the strength as a prophylactic treatment.

Good to hear, just remember if something comes about in their and think about doing the bath/dip, don't stick it back into the QT without sterilizing it. The fish will just get infected again.

 

[firemountain]

Good to hear, just remember if something comes about in their and think about doing the bath/dip, don't stick it back into the QT without sterilizing it. The fish will just get infected again.

Yes.....thank you. I have a sponge in my DT sump that's been sitting there for over 6 months. I can always setup my standby HOB filter with the sponge in one of my 10g tanks. This would give me time to sterilize the QT.

For sterilization....I usually clean the tank with a bleach solution, rise with water, then re-rinse with vinegar to neutralize any residual bleach. Then I fill up the tank with fresh water, and overdose with prime and let it run for a day or so. Then I drain the tank again, refill with salt water, and get the tank back online.
While it sounds a bit overkill....I had a pair of anthias that developed uronema in my QT, so I wanted to make sure I was totally sterilized.

Going forward, I will probably do formalin dips on all my fish before the TTM, or before they go into my QT.